Sight-Seeing: In a world darkened by war, Christmas provides hope where there seems to be none
NILS VON KALM says the period of Advent forces us to “live in reality, with all its messiness and uncertain promises”…
The Long Read: New books spotlight women’s leadership in New Testament
“It’s not that we’re trying to rewrite history. It’s simply that women have been obscured,” said Beth Allison Barr. EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, reports…
In Mexico, broken baby Jesus statues flood restorers ahead of feast day
Mexico City, MexicoAP It is Maximinio Vertiz’ busy season. Dozens of beloved but worn and broken baby Jesus figurines will pass through this 49-year-old craftsman’s hands, restoring them in time for their annual pilgrimage to church for a Candlemas blessing. Holding a putty knife with a steady hand, Vertiz went about this meticulous task on […]
Sight-Seeing: The Christmas revolution
NILS VON KALM says the Christmas is a story about those on the margins…
Sight-Seeing: God’s abundant love at Christmas
AMANDA JACKSON reflects on the experiences of the women mentioned in the Biblical account of Christ’s birth…
Conversations: Australian family entertainer Colin Buchanan talks Christmas
As he launches into a new national tour of Christmas concerts, DAVID ADAMS speaks to Colin Buchanan about what people can expect, the power of Christmas carols, and the part of the Christmas story that’s really resonating with him at the moment…
This Life: Treasured memories with Jesus bring hope
US columnist CAROL ROUND, in an article first published on ASSIST News Service, on how, recalling God’s faithfulness in the past, we learn how to trust Him in the present and for our future…
Pope’s peace prayer for Ukraine recalls Fatima prophecy
Rome, Italy, AP Pope Francis prayed for peace in Ukraine in a ceremony Friday that harked back to a century-old apocalyptic prophecy about peace and Russia that was sparked by purported visions of the Virgin Mary to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. Francis invited bishops, priests and ordinary faithful around the world […]
Virgin birth
Once I worked with this bloke who had a bee in his bonnet over the virgin birth – the divine conception of Jesus. PICTURE: Ruth Gledhill/Unsplash He was going on and on about it as we worked in the stinking Aussie sun. “Christian must be stupid for believing in the virgin birth, because, don’t they […]
‘Mary Did You Know’ writer Mark Lowry good-natured over song’s controversy
RNS For Mark Lowry, almost every day is Christmas. Whenever the storyteller and singer takes the stage for a concert, he always closes the show with the same song – Mary Did You Know? – no matter what time of year it is. “When you have one hit, you better end with it,” Lowry said […]