This month, we celebrate the sacred birth in an animal shelter. Why such a lowly place? Our views about status miss the message, and we must wrap this birth in splendour – angel song, an unusual star, three kings coming to bow before the child. The wrapping continues until Jesus is lost under layers of Read more
A new book called The Sacred Art of Joking examines why jokes often go wrong and are considered offensive. James Cary suggests that Jesus was funny and used offensive humour to mock religious authorities. He gives instances in the Bible of Jesus highlighting hypocrisy by using imagery that wouldn’t look out of place in a Read more
Two thousand years ago, a family took part in a census. Over the coming weeks in schools, churches, high streets, and venues across this country, the Christmas story that began with Mary and Joseph’s journey for a census will be enjoyed and celebrated by millions of people. But of what story are we a part? Read more
Some historians claim that Jesus Christ was the first person ever to play cricket after a manuscript from a previously unseen Gospel was unearthed. The Gospel from which this claim originated apparently translates as: “He (Jesus) would take the boys to the seashore and, carrying the playing ball and the club, he would go over Read more
Jesus in the dive bar. The meme popped up on my Facebook feed, shared by a friend and liked by a lot of people. It said, “Jesus didn’t dine with tax collectors and sinners because he wanted to appear inclusive, tolerant, and accepting. “He ate with them to call them to a changed and fruitful Read more
Joachin Kouamé N’guessan, the pastor of the Patmos Dieudonné Church, who presents himself as Jesus, was arrested on March 31 in the popular commune of Yopougon in Côte d’Ivoire and placed under arrest warrant by the public prosecutor. Read more
The old city of Jerusalem has been surrounded by walls for its defence since ancient times. These walls have been destroyed and rebuilt countless times. A journey to the old city of Jerusalem often involves a walk along the much-excavated walls. In 16th century, during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in the region, the Read more
The first time the Rev. Lettie Moses Carr saw Jesus depicted as Black, she was in her 20s. It felt “weird,” Carr said. Until that moment, she’d always thought Jesus was white. At least that’s how he appeared when she was growing up. A copy of Warner E. Sallman’s “Head of Christ” painting hung in Read more
For the first time in almost three centuries, the holy stairs Jesus is said to have climbed to receive his death sentence from Pontius Pilate are accessible to pilgrims in their original version. Since 1723, at the request of Pope Innocent XIII, the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairway) was covered by a wooden casing in order Read more
A study published earlier this month by two theologians resident in New Zealand suggests that Jesus himself was a victim of sexual abuse. Dr Rocio Figueroa Alvear is a Peruvian theologian currently lecturing in systematic theology at Good Shepherd College in Auckland and an external researcher at the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at Otago Read more