Tag Archives: Christmas

Celebrate Christmas? Maybe Leave the Manger in the Basement

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With so much to choose from, perhaps it’s time to pass over the sacrificial baby story. Like all solstice celebrations, Christmas brings light and warmth and beauty into the darkest time of the year. Christmastime offers us a smorgasbord of … Continue reading

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Six Hints that Baby Jesus Stories were Late Additions to Early Christian Lore

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The wonder-filled birth story of the baby Jesus was centuries in the making. Picture a creche with baby Jesus in a manger and shepherds and angels and three kings and a star over the stable roof. We think of this … Continue reading

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What the Nativity Story Would Sound Like with Free and Full Female Consent

In the gospel stories, Mary the mother of Jesus is a humble, devout young woman of her time–which means she has little choice in the matter. Set aside for a moment any debate about whether the Nativity stories in the … Continue reading

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Imagine No Black Friday

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What if they called a consumer feeding frenzy and nobody came? This year a growing number of businesses are giving employees Thanksgiving Day off work rather than trying to beat out competitors by starting Black Friday on Thursday. Reversing a … Continue reading

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The Sex-Negative Message in the Virgin Birth—It’s Worth a Family Conversation

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The birth story of baby Jesus celebrates the promise of new life, but for girls it also sends a harmful message. How can we acknowledge this without spoiling the rest? Most Americans, even many who are not very religious, look forward … Continue reading

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