The story that several of the larger evangelical megachurches are opting not to have services on Christmas this year has been making the rounds, provoking quite a bit of outrage that they are selling out to the culture and promoting an “idolatry of the family” (see this Internet Monk post for a good collection of…

From Slate (via the Japery): A study says people who have one alcoholic drink a day are 54 percent less obesity-prone than teetotalers are. (But those with four or more drinks a day are 46 percent more obesity-prone.) Another study indicates that among people who weigh too much or drink too much alcohol, those who…

In addition to having a reputation for generosity and gift-giving, St. Nicholas (of Myrna) is said to have put the smack down on heresy – literally – at the Council of Nicea. According to legend, jolly ‘ol St. Nick clocked Arius in the face for denying Jesus’ divinity! According to Wikipedia: Nicholas was kicked out…

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast…

Today I saw a book on the bargain shelf of the local bookstore called The Secret Sayings of Jesus. Turns out it was just a translation of the Gospel of Thomas, but it made me wonder how much of the demand for “secret,” “hidden,” “gnostic” or esoteric information about and/or teachings of Jesus is really…

Really interesting profile of baptist preacher and gadfly Will D. Campbell. He marched with Martin Luther King and escorted black children into desegregated schools, has ministered to Ku Klux Klansmen and country singers like Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, and lambastes the Southern Baptist leadership for their support of war and the death penalty. When…

Lately I’ve been reading Leo Tolstoy’s Resurrection. The novel, Tolstoy’s last, is about a dissolute Russina nobleman named Dmitri Ivanovitch Nekhludoff who undergoes a kind of spiritual reawakening when he encounters a woman he had wronged in his youth. She’s a defendant in a criminal trial in which he is sitting as a juror, and…

I’ve been trying to ignore most of the Narnia hype in the run-up to the movie (though I’m looking forward to the movie itself). Like with The Passion of the Christ I find the idea of a “Christian” marketing blitz pretty distasteful. But this article is worth a read. Michael Nelson, a professor of political…

Blog-friend Chris Tessone, formerly of Progressive Protestant, has a new blog Even the Devils Believe. Looks like his life has taken some interesting theological turns since last we heard from him. Welcome back, Chris!

I was at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature for work last week (which was conveniently held here in Philly) and, as is my way, I scoured the book exhibit where most publishers were offering discounts on their wares. One item I picked up from Augsburg Fortress was William…