I often find myself stuck between two extremes in our religious culture. Either 1) take the Bible literally and thereby ignore much of what modern disciples – whether science or history or others – have taught us about the way the world works. Or 2) dismiss the Bible entirely because it doesn’t always conform to what we’ve learned about the world and thereby ignore the wisdom of our faith. I don’t think I’m alone feeling this bind. I think, in fact, that lots of faithful Christians want an alternative to the false dichotomy of faith or reason, head or heart, fundamentalist Christianity or outright atheism. Much of our dilemma...

The end of the year is a popular time to make charitable donations. For some it’s a last chance to give before the tax year closes. Others find themselves in a Christmas kind of spirit and share that by giving. And others are just procrastinators. ☺ Whatever the reason(s), it’s a critical and crazy time for charitable groups hoping to meet end-of-the-year goals. Two weeks ago I shared some of our family’s favorite charitable causes and you can certainly return to that post to find more information about them. Toward helping those interested in making end of the year gifts, I thought I’d share three more of my favorites, each...

Several readers shared a more recent retelling of the Christmas story made by the folks from St. Paul’s Church in Auckland, New Zealand. This one is not retold by children, however, but rather by current resident of Bethlehem. Filmed in Bethlehem – a modern city of hope, pilgrimage, and unspeakable sorrow – it is powerful in its own way and seemed both a good compliment to the earlier video and a perfect post for this second day of Christmas. Note: If you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click here to watch the...

Tonight millions of Christians will gather to hear the Christmas story read, preached on, and – perhaps most especially – sung. And as we prepare to hear this story once more it occurs to me what an odd, even slightly absurd story it is. Shepherds, virgins, wandering kings, angels, stars. It really is quite a tale. Which is why, I think, that lately I’ve been struck by the ads and billboards atheists have purchased once again this year suggesting that Christmas is, to put it kindly, a myth. Struck. In light of my own musings, I have to say that I’m not particularly offended or angered, just struck. The gist of the advertisements is...