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SoulWork
How to Have a Merry Christmas
And it doesn't require you doing another blessed thing.
Mark Galli

Poll: Which Christmas production is your favorite?

Meditation
Christmas in Afghanistan
Why, Lord, do you allow this time, of all times, to become for some a memorial of searing pain?
Leigh C. Bishop

Good Question
Who Was Jesus' Grandfather?
What the two genealogies of Christ, found in Matthew and Luke, are really trying to say.
Grant Osborne

from christian history
The Face of Christmas Past
Unlike our modern Santa Claus, Father Christmas was traditionally a personification of the holiday who emphasized generosity to others, thanksgiving to God, and celebration of the Savior.

Something in the Stars
The Star of Bethlehem documentary suggests it may have been Jupiter.

Contra Mundum
The Problem of Goodness
It's not just the problem of evil that baffles the secularist.
by Charles Colson with Catherine Larson

Who Owns Your Christmas Carols?
No, Kim Hill didn't write 'O Holy Night.' But she holds a copyright for it.

Anti-Homosexuality Bill Divides Ugandan and American Christians
American pastors and leaders are united in condemning the legislation while Ugandans are united in support.
Interview: Ugandan Bishop Pleads With American Christians on Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Single Mothers, Second Chances
Robust support makes all the difference during an unplanned pregnancy.
Bob Smietana in Nashville

[tues \| 12.22.09] The Star of Bethlehem Suggests it May Have Been Jupiter Why Christmas Doesn’t Require You to Do Another Blessed Thing	[monday \| 12.21.09] Why Jesus' Genealogies Don't Match Up Who Owns Your Christmas Carols?
[friday \| 12.18.09] O Come, Emmanuel Political Prayers and Petitions Passages in the Christian World	[thursday \| 12.17.09] Anti-Homosexuality Bill Divides Ugandan and American Christians Ugandan Bishop Pleads With American Christians on Anti-Homosexuality Bill Single Mothers, Second Chances Who's Next: Matthew Lee Anderson
[wednesday \| 12.16.09] String Theory and Heaven Remembering Oral Roberts ORU's Mark Rutland on Roberts’s Legacy Pew Forum Releases Landmark Survey of International Religious Freedom Why the Oral Roberts Obituaries Are Wrong	[tuesday \| 12.15.09] Brian Fikkert: Change our Worldview David Beckmann: Focus on the Farmers Dale Hanson Bourke: Listen to Recipients Go Figure

[The Latest]

Trying to Build Bonds With Immigrant Stories
Programs that foster dialogue with immigrants at African-American churches seek to neutralize the resistance many blacks have felt toward advocacy for immigrants. (The New York Times)
Vatican Reviews Papal Protection After Assault
Stung by the televised knockdown of Pope Benedict XVI at Christmas Eve Mass, the Vatican said Friday it would review security procedures. (The New York Times)
Catholic Group Supports Senate on Abortion Aid
The nation’s Catholic hospitals have apparently split with bishops on an abortion-financing compromise in the health overhaul, offering cover for some Democrats. (The New York Times)
Retailers judged naughty or nice on Christmas theme
Focus on the Family rates Christmas 'friendliness' (The Washington Times)
Ex-President Carter offers apology to Jews
'We must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel,' Carter says in letter. (AP/Yahoo! News)
Vatican Defends Move Toward Sainthood for Wartime Pope
Trying to calm tensions with Jewish groups, the Vatican said a decision on Pope Pius XII was not an act of hostility. (The New York Times)

[Top Stories]

Hobby Lobby buys property to make create C.S. Lewis College
Now, the former Northfield land and buildings will become the home of a new college to be established by the C.S. Lewis Foundation, the organizations announced Wednesday. (The Keene Sentinel)
Top Ten Religious Liberty Stories of 2009
As the year draws to a close, the Baptist Joint Committee asked me to take a look back at 2009 and recap the most important church-state stories of the year.
Church leaders back govt on anti-gay Bill
At least 200 senior religious leaders in Uganda have thrown their weight behind the government backing it not to “yield to pressure” from donor countries that are demanding the withdrawal of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill before Parliament (The Daily Monitor, Uganda)
Russian court rules against Jehovah's Witnesses
Russia's highest court on Tuesday upheld a ruling halting the activities of a regional branch of Jehovah's Witnesses and banning dozens of its publications in what the group deplored as an unfair move. (Associated Press)
Critics of Cecil Bothwell cite N.C. bar to atheists
North Carolina's constitution is clear: politicians who deny the existence of God are barred from holding office. Opponents of Cecil Bothwell are seizing on that law to argue he should not be seated as a City Council member today, even though federal courts have ruled religious tests for public office are unlawful under the U.S. Constitution (Asheville Citizen-Times, N.C.)
Jesus Day, Baghdad
It was the second annual festival but the first to feature Christian imagery so prominently (The New York Times)

[CT Classics]Hallelujah!
On a memorable London night, the bright and glistening theology of Messiah broke through my jet-lagged consciousness.

By Philip Yancey | posted 12/01/2000

Prepare the Way of the Lord
An Advent calendar.

Compiled by Susan Wunderink | posted 12/01/2008

Second Coming Ecology
We care for the environment precisely because God will create a new earth.

David Neff | posted 7/18/2008

[Hot Issues]Christianity Today compiles our articles on specific trends, hot issues, and people that have shaped the news and evangelical thought. In Hot Topics, you'll find collections of our ongoing coverage from our most recent reports on life ethics to our archived articles on Katrina relief efforts.