Unto us is born a Son, King of choirs supernal: See on earth His life begun, Of lords the Lord eternal, Of lords the Lord eternal. Christ, from heav’n descending low, Comes on earth a stranger; Ox and ass their Owner know Now cradled in a manger, Now cradled in a manger. This did Herod sore affray, And did him …
Santa Lucia
A beautiful and wealthy Sicilian who was martyred during the persecutions of Diocletian, Lucia of Syracuse (c. 304) was known as the patron of light. For her, Advent was always a celebration of the approach of Light and Life. Interestingly, her feast day, held on December 13, is one of the shortest and darkest days of the year. Thus, a …
Over the Cliff
So what exactly is this frightening “fiscal cliff” that it seems everyone is fretting over? Very simply, it is the possibility that the federal government will be forced to cut it’s $1.1 trillion budget deficit by about $500 billion this next year. In other words, it is the horrific specter of our magistrates having to cut their projected program increases! …
Five Kernels of Corn
The first few winters in the New World were treacherous for the new colonists. In the Plymouth colony, the settlers died in droves from both sickness and starvation. In this bit of historic verse by Hezekiah Butterworth, the necessity of rationing the meager food resources is described alongside the abundant moral reserves of the people. Long a part of the …
Veterans Day
“At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month,” in Winston Churchill’s immortal declaration, “silence fell across the battlefields of Europe.” Thus, the First World War came to an end. Three years later, President Warren Harding dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery and declared that on this day “those who have offered …
Missing Sleep Unnecessarily
Although the campaign for president in 1888 was quite heated, the Republican candidate remained remarkably calm throughout the long ordeal. The grandson of a former president, Benjamin Harrison knew only too well the ebb and flow of politics and popular opinion, and simply refused to allow the process to disrupt his emotional equilibrium. On election night his chief interest seemed …
The Genius of the Electoral College
“Every word of the Constitution ultimately decides a question between power and liberty.” James Madison The Founding Fathers would more than likely be surprised by the current controversy over the Electoral College provisions of the Constitution. Indeed, it was one of the least controversial provisions of the new compact during the divisive debate for ratification. According to Alexander Hamilton writing …
The Five Solas of the Reformation
The “Five Solas of the Reformation” are Latin slogans used by Protestant Reformers to summarize and proclaim the essential theological distinctives of the Biblical Gospel: Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone. Sola Fide, by faith alone. Solus Christus, through Christ alone. Sola Gratia, by grace alone. Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone. 495 years ago in the little college town …
In This Hour
“If ever there was a crisis in our history, when courage and consistency have been more called for, it is the day on which we have now fallen, when the poison of false and hollow principle is undermining our strength from within, and thousands of our deadliest enemies from without are on the tiptoe of high expectancy for a coming …
Kingdomtide
This Sunday marks the beginning of Kingdomtide, a liturgical season generally observed by Protestants, especially Methodists and Presbyterians thanks to the ongoing influence of Martin Bucer, John Calvin, George Whitefield, and Charles Wesley. The season extends from the end of Pentecost until the beginning of Advent. Worship services during Kingdomtide stress the extension and growth of God’s great Kingdom. Inevitably, …
New Urbanism at Its Best
First, there was the remarkable High Line project in New York City, transforming an abandoned overhead rail line into an elevated park. Now, plans are underway to bring the same kind of transformation to New Orleans with the very ambitious Lafitte Corridor. These projects represent New Urbanism at its best.
Jesus “Wife” Papyrus: An Elaborate Hoax
According to a report in both the Guardian and the New American, the much-ballyhooed discovery of a supposedly ancient fragment of papyrus is in fact a fake, say multiple scholars and experts. According to the September 18 issue of the UK’s Guardian newspaper, Karen King, a professor of early Christianity at Harvard University, said the fragment is from the third …