Athanasius of Alexandria (Wikimedia Commons)
“What child is this?” asks the famous nineteenth century Christmas carol. It’s a question posed since Christ first entered human history two thousand years ago and a question that sometimes provokes vitriolic and violent answers. We’ve seen it in recent public tiffs about Nativity displays and, far more seriously, in terror threats against Christians in Egypt and Iraq.
A glance to the distant past provides useful and sobering perspective. Few people exemplify and clarify the fight for the true meaning of Christmas as powerfully as does Athanasius of Alexandria. Read more »
Hey there. I’m working on a book right now, one I’m eager to tell you about. I’m almost done in fact. My deadline is about two weeks away.
As I work to finish, I’ll be slacking off here quite a bit. I need to stay focused or I won’t make it in time. I hope to begin blogging again semi-regularly in mid to late December.
I’m really excited about the book. My previous publishing has been in the area of politics and history; this one is much closer to the material I cover here on the blog. I will share more with you in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned.
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Jesus, the door
Jesus, the road
Jesus, the guide
Jesus, the goal
Jesus, the beginning
Jesus, the end
Jesus, maker of all worlds
Jesus, babe in Mary’s womb
Jesus, physician of my soul
Jesus, healer of my body
Read more »
It seems there are three ways to approach ecumenism.
1. The nice approach
The first is to look at the differences between ourselves and dismiss them, even the big ones. Don’t believe in the virgin birth or the resurrection? No problem; pull up a chair! Read more »
If you follow the conversations and events of our day, it’s clear that our contemporary culture values agreeableness over truth. Christians have fallen for this as well because the greatest Christian virtue is love, and love is patient, kind, etc. In other words, love comes off as pretty agreeable. It’s not going to interrupt. It’s not going to correct and chastise. It’s definitely not going to judge. It’s going to calm the mood and make nice. Read more »
There is a strain of Christianity that promises material blessing as a sign of God’s favor: cars, homes, bank accounts, etc. Given the economic downturn over the last few years, this strain should strain all credibility. Did God decide to withhold 30 to 40 percent of his favor across whole neighborhoods as their housing values plummeted?
God clearly promises blessings in Scripture, even material ones, but if these are our focus we’ve narrowed in on the smallest part of his love and grace to us. Read more »