The Christmas story always bothered me.
It just never made sense. No, not the virgin birth. Not the angels singing to shepherds. Not the star in the sky. Not the wise men.
Reading Backwards
Consistently when I have taught the Gospel of Mark to college students over the last ten years, the “Aha” reaction comes when I ask them to look up Old Testament passages related to a puzzling verse.
Why does Mark describe what John the Baptist eats and wears but not anyone else? Not Peter. Not Pilate. Not even Jesus.
When Jesus is walking on the water, why does Mark say Jesus intends to pass by the disciples struggling to row against the wind? Doesn’t he see them? Doesn’t he care?
The Curious Incident
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by David Haddon has sold millions of copies, and is now a Broadway play. The book takes us into the mind of Christopher, a high-functioning autistic fifteen-year-old in contemporary Britain. Inside that mind, behavior that seems so odd if not down-right crazy actually begins to make sense.
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Different Questions
I met David Skeel just before the New York Times article came out earlier this month about his friendship with an atheist colleague at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Under the Banner of Heaven
Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air, Into the Wild) in his typically understated yet gripping style, interweaves two stories in his book Under the Banner of Heaven: the 1984 murders of Brenda Lafferty and her infant daughter by Mormon fundamentalists, and the origins and early history of Mormonism itself. It is a chilling and fascinating book that has stuck with me for several reasons. First, it opens up a lot of helpful background about Joseph Smith and the reality behind the polygamous communities popularized in the TV show Big Love.Second, it made me, as a person of faith, think seriously about the dynamics of any kind of fundamentalism.
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Based on Past Experience
When I was young, a movie was based on a novel, a lecture was based on research and a joke was based on current events. But now movies are based off novels, lectures are based off research and jokes are based off current events.
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True Hypocrisy
“But,” said Chris, “if I felt one way and acted another, I’d be a hypocrite.” You’ve probably heard from others what I heard from my friend. In our therapeutic society, feelings are thought to be the most essential, most authentic aspect of who we are.
If I’m upset and don’t express it, I’m a phony. I’m sugar coating reality. I’m not being true to myself. If I stuff my true feelings, I’m engaging in unhealthy suppression.
Luckily, George immediately saw through to the core of the issue.
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True Equilibrium
I was recently rewatching the 2002 Kurt Wimmer film Equilibrium when I suddenly realized this is Ray Bradbury’s 1953 classic Fahrenheit 451 all over again. But it wasn’t a crass failure of imagination. No, Wimmer was doing what many writers, artists and movie makers do–borrowing from a past work to offer an homage while providing a few twists of his own.
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Leadership by Any Other Name
There are probably as many definitions of leadership as there are leaders. Harry Truman, in his typical, straightforward style, once said,
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A Christian Nation? Schaeffer Weighs In
Every once in a while a kerfuffle bubbles up about whether or not the United States was founded as a Christian nation. The question can take many forms. Were the Founding Fathers personally committed Christians? Did they expect the Bible or parts of it to be the bedrock of the country? Was Christianity intended to be the unofficial established religion of the land?
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