Religion

The Myth of the Pagan Origins of Christmas 17
- Religion
- December 23, 2022
It’s generally accepted that early Christians adopted December 25th as the day of Christ’s birth to co-opt the pagan celebration of the winter solstice. Some believe this fact undermines Christianity. But according to Professor William Tighe, this “fact” may actually be a myth. Based on his extensive research, Tighe argues that the December 25th date “arose entirely from the efforts of
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Charlie Brown’s Christmas Message to America 2
- Politics, Culture, Religion
- December 22, 2022
Simple, timeless, and unpretentious, “A Charlie Brown Christmas Special” became a holiday tradition since its first airing on Dec. 9, 1965. Its beginnings were simple: a television producer approached cartoonist Charles Schulz with a general idea for an animated special featuring the Peanuts gang. Soon, the idea for a Christmas special, written by Schulz himself,
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The One Cloud That Can Obstruct Christmas Splendors 1
- Politics, Religion
- December 20, 2022
For our redemption, Christ, the second person of the Triune God, the Son of God, became a man, entering what has typically been the world’s most sublime joy—the birth of a child. Scripture says that one night shepherds were guarding their flocks when an angel with radiant light suddenly appeared among them and announced, “The
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Musings From the ‘Messiah’1
- Politics, Culture, Religion
- December 19, 2022
One of my favorite Christmas events is the performance of Handel’s “Messiah” at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. Although I almost wore out my cassette tape version of the “Messiah” listening to it in my teens, hearing it again live, in the midst of soaring ceilings and impressive stone carvings, never fails to
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Whatever Happened to Saint Nicholas?3
- Culture, Religion
- December 13, 2022
How did a fourth-century, heretic-slapping bishop from Southern Turkey wind up being a fat, Coca-Cola-swigging American elf? Saint Nicholas was born into a wealthy Christian family in the third century. His parents died in a plague, and having inherited the family fortune, he decided to obey the radical call of Christ and give it to
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Restoring Society’s Foundations Isn’t a Lost Cause 2
- Politics, Culture, Religion
- December 8, 2022
Were you to peer into my brain in recent months, you would find that a main thought running through it is our country’s desperate need for restoration and repair. Not so much in the physical sense, but in the mental, emotional, and spiritual sense—a renewal of the foundations upon which basic life in this country
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