FIVE VERSES. The anonymous lyricist of “The First Noel” dedicates five verses to angels, shepherds, and wise men. Three of those verses focus on traveling toward the star. Jesus is only mentioned once. If the point of Christmas is Jesus’s birth, why do so many carols and nativity scenes depict the holy family surrounded by these other characters? Is the presence of shepherds, wise men, and angels even significant? Yes, but not in the way you may think. Let me start with two short stories that have informed my thinking. First, Bible and religion scholar Dan McClellan broke the brains … Continue reading Are Shepherds, Wise Men, and Angels Really Necessary?

How did I become skeptical of revivals? From attending many of them. I grew up in churches that offered week-long revival services. One particularly memorable revival featured a preacher who spoke every night about Christ’s second coming, frightening me with images of hell and being left behind if Christ should happen to return at a moment when I was screwing up. I went to the altar at the end of the services to confess my sins “just in case.” At my evangelical Christian college, students were required to attend revival services every semester. During one of our chapel services in … Continue reading Revival of a Skeptic

Last week, I walked into my daughter’s school to pick her up from her Brownies troop meeting. As I walked down the halls, I kept thinking about the elementary school in Sandy Hook where a young man carried in 4 guns, killing 20 children and 6 adults. That school probably looked a lot like this one, I thought. A colorful bulletin board urging students to “Imagine. Believe. Achieve.” Little boots lined up next to lockers. Crayon self-portraits neatly displayed. It could happen here played over and over in my mind. A generous dose of denial – “it will never happen in my community” – isn’t … Continue reading Solving Mass Shootings: Disagreement is A Good Thing

Earlier this year, I began fitness walking in my neighborhood. Throughout the spring and summer, I’ve walked these same streets more than a hundred times. But over the last few weeks, I’ve been seeing them differently. This morning, the weather was so chilly that my … Continue reading The Creator Makes Beautiful Things