Christmas Sermon: “Santa Christ?”
The coming of Jesus is a disturbing event of the deepest proportions.
The Scriptures systematically strip away the veneer that covers the real truth of the Christmas story. Jesus did not come to add to our comforts. He did not come to help those who were already helping themselves or to fill life with more pleasant experiences. He came on a deliverance mission, to save sinners, and... Continue Reading
Marley and His Message to Scrooge
Christmas is a holiday, indeed the world’s most joyous holiday
When God touches earth, the place is holy. When God appears in history, the time is holy. There was never a more holy place than the city of Bethlehem, where the Word became flesh. There was never a more holy time than Christmas morning when Emmanuel was born. Christmas is a holiday. It is the... Continue Reading
Greetings at Christmas time
Merry Christmas to you each.
Editor’s Note: Our thanks to Marvin Padgett for passing this greeting on for the readers of The Aquila Report For centuries Christians have lived with the hope and expectation of Christ’s eventual reign on earth. They expressed their view and faith publically, grounded on Scripture as it is read each Sunday of the... Continue Reading
Misreading the Magnificat
It's hard to find hymns that embody Scripture's sharp critique of the rich.
There’s a refreshingly unusual folk ballad on Keith and Kristyn Getty’s new album, Hymns for the Christian Life. Think of “Simple Living” as the musical equivalent of Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo’s Red Letter Revolution. Unlike Axton’s soft-pedaling, the Getty-Stuart Townend songwriting team gives Jesus’ dialogue with the rich young ruler a transparent treatment ... Continue Reading
A Festivus for the Rest of Us
Frank Costanza created the December 23 observance called “Festivus” in the 1997 (Seinfeld) episode called “The Strike.”
Maybe Frank’s exasperation over the holiday season resonates with you, not because you’re a curmudgeon like he, but because you’re an earnest Christian who would rather celebrate the unparalleled significance of Jesus’s incarnation — God becoming man — without all the frills of endless sales and endless Santa. So what’s a Christian to do in... Continue Reading
A Postmodern Christmas
As we spread the gospel this Christmas, we may be discouraged by a lack of response.
The other day I was listening to talk radio when the hosts began the inevitable seasonal discussion about the meaning of Christmas. Callers quickly chimed in with their various perspectives and opinions, often intermingled with touching stories and well-intended exhortations toward charity and kindness. However, the friendly discussion quickly turned confrontational as various callers... Continue Reading
A Prayer about the Manger and Isaiah’s Tender Shoot
If I can make progress in only one thing this Advent season, Lord Jesus, may it be to have a much greater esteem for you
Who could have dreamt that the mighty arm of the Lord would be revealed most powerfully in the weakness of your birth? Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry... Continue Reading
Clarifying Words on Wife Abuse
An abusive husband is breaking God’s law…He is not to be indulged but disciplined by the church
For many women, the thought of a husband going to jail and losing his job and being publicly shamed is so undesirable that they often endure much sin before becoming desperate enough to turn to the authorities. What I want to stress is that long before they reach a point of desperation — or harm... Continue Reading
One Nation Under God?
Today’s spiritual independents are not unprecedented. What is new is their increasing visibility
“I like the fact that we’re getting more ‘nones’ because it helps Christians realize that they’re different,” Stanley Hauerwas, a Protestant theologian at Duke Divinity School, said when I asked for his thoughts on the Pew poll. “That’s a crucial development. America produces people that say, ‘I believe Jesus is Lord, but that’s just my... Continue Reading
Religion in the National Intelligence Council Report
Paying more attention to religion would not be a surrender to enthusiasm. It would be an acknowledgement of reality, and it would make for better statecraft.
The most glaring omissions have to do with Christianity. For example,Global Trends 2030 cites the growing economic and political power of Asia and the developing world. But the report ignores the fact, cited by many religion scholars, that Christianity is experiencing a boom in those places. One often hears that America’s foreign policy elites... Continue Reading