Christmas Day

Even after all these years (and that is more than a half century for me) I never get tired of Christmas Day with family--and we had it with my extended family for the first time in six years on Christmas Day. Here we are in Texas earlier today--the tripod didn't make it, so Scott put his camera on a tall box and we waited patiently for it to shoot! Kudos to Scott for some great photos (you can see them in my Flickr account, which is linked at the bottom of the page.

We have thoroughly enjoyed this whole Advent and Christmas season, from the celebrations with our church family in Ohio, to our family times, to the presence of our first grandchild (the beautiful baby boy in the front row). Looking at that picture reminds me of the blessing of a heritage of faith--my parents raised us to know God, we have sought to do the same, and now I am watching as my daughter and son in law take similar steps.

Most of all, though, it seems to me that Christmas is a time that makes me think more deeply about God's gift of salvation through his Son to me, and how my life is and needs to be given over to making much of Jesus. Easter does this, too, but Christmas seems even more powerful in my heart--perhaps because of the length of our Advent observance. In any event, it has been another wonderful season for me, and I trust it has been for you, too!

Searching for the Star of Bethlehem (from Christianity Today)

This article has the latest data from various attempts to identify the star of Bethlehem. The latest suggestion posits the star as being the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, which we have been watching in the southern sky for the last month or so. However, this work by Reneke posits a date of 2 B.C., well after Herod's death, which doesn't fit biblical data.

I think the most pertinent data in the article is this section:

The story in Matthew's Gospel seems to indicate that the people of Judea were oblivious to the Star. So, at least one scholar has taken a different approach to identifying the Star of Bethlehem.
"I set out to find what a stargazer of Roman times would have recognized as the star of a new Judean king," wrote retired Rutgers University astronomer Michael Molnar in the preface of his 1999 book, The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi.
Owen Gingerich, professor emeritus of astronomy at Harvard University, thinks that Molnar is on the right track. "He has made a serious attempt to situate the Star in terms contemporary with the event, tying it in with numismatical evidence and Roman imperial horoscopes," he said. "Too many have tried to formulate the Star in modern terms, without considering the first century context."
Molnar said it was an ancient coin that initiated his Star quest. "That coin had Aries the Ram on it," he said in an interview. "My research of several astrological manuscripts from Roman times showed that the kingdom of Judea was represented by Aries the Ram."
Molnar's extensive research in primary sources led him to a set of conditions that "pointed like an astrological road sign to Jerusalem." On April 17, 6 B.C., the royal planet Jupiter rose as a morning star and was eclipsed (technical term: occulted) by the moon while it was located within the constellation Aries.
Later the earth in its inner orbit passed Jupiter and for a week in December of 6 B.C. Jupiter appeared to be standing still or drifting backwards. The astronomical term is retrograde motion, and could explain why Matthew 2:9 states that the Star stood still over Bethlehem.
(The birth of Jesus around 6 B.C. fits what scholars know from other sources, since the gospels indicate that Jesus was born before the death of Herod. Herod's death is believed to have occurred around 4 B.C., just after an eclipse that's mentioned in ancient sources. That Jesus was born B.C. is due to a calendar miscalculation centuries later.)

If correct, Molnar's data would allow for the Magi to see a sign that would cause them to arrive on or near the time of birth, the December date would be appropriate (the church father Hippolytus in the 2nd century A.D. affirmed a December 25 date), and it all times out before Herod's death in 4 B.C. (which it must since Herod sought to kill the infant Jesus).

OK, this is silly, but still funny.

Extraterrestrials May Already be Saved - TIME Magazine

How did I miss this important theological news?

The Doghouse

Every man who has ever even thought of a household appliance as a gift for his wife (guilty here) had better check out The Doghouse, an insightful warning. Make sure that, after the introduction, you check out the "See what life is like inside The Doghouse" link! This site is an ad, but it is so well done, men should check it out--or else!

Newsflash: Legalized Prostitution & Drug Use Has Created a Crime Problem!

This story from the AP news service reports that the city of Amsterdam is trying to fight back against undesired intrusions by organized crime into the world of the city's legalized brothels and marijuana "coffee houses." These locations, where prostitution and marijuana purchase and use are allowed, have seen a spike in the presence of other criminal activity, from money laundering by drug dealers to violent crimes.

Amsterdam's solution is to close some of these locations, while leaving others open in certain specified districts. The aim is to reduce the city's image as "a free zone for criminals" to "a tolerant and crazy place," according to Lodewijk Asscher, a city council member.

Mr. Asscher is mistaken, and sadly so, if he believes that lessening legal bad behavior will lessen the presence of illegal bad behavior. Dabbling in sin never lessens its power. Cities where these activities are illegal and prosecuted still deal with criminality, but the problem would be exponentially worse if some forms of bad behavior are tolerated--it only creates an environment where other forms will thrive. Once there is no sense of morality (no God in reality), then anything becomes permissible.

Scrooge Lives! (from Christianity Today)

This article is not about a lack of Christmas spirit, but rather the latest analysis of the giving habits of American Christians, and the picture is not a pretty one. Most commonly cited statistics that have shown low levels of giving are, apparently, higher than reality--which means our giving is even worse than we thought. I would encourage us all to read this report and consider its content carefully.

A Great Analysis of "BDS"

This fine article in National Review Online entitled Bush Derangement Syndrome, by Jason Lee Steorts, provides one of the best overviews of what happened in our national dialog that turned opposition to the President and his war policy in Iraq into a collective chorus of illogic--debate degenerating into demogoguery. It is the second of three parts. The first installment is here. The third comes tomorrow.

Steorts captures the thoughts many others have expressed, and some I have thought but never brought together this well.

Hundreds of Complaints Force Zoo to Break Ties with Creation Museum (from Christianpost.com)

You can read the article here, but it seems that the Cincinnati Zoo and the Creation Museum had decided to offer a discount on admission when you showed that you had bought a ticket to the other venue. The offer was only available three days before hundreds of complaints to the zoo caused them to withdraw from the deal. The Creation Museum will honor the deal anyway for the next few weeks ($9.00 off admission).

The Zoo is a private entity, as is the Creation Museum, and it would seem that this would be no different than offering a discount to any constituency. The complainers are certainly not motivated by their desire to see more people visit the zoo, nor do they seem very tolerant of groups or entities with views different than their own. But the zoo had to make the decision that would be best for itself (it is, after all, in need of public good will, support, and ticket buyers), so I will not fault them for their choice.

I'm just surprised (and probably shouldn't be) at the strong negative reaction.