Bible verse of the day

Ethics Daily

Anniversary of Bailey Smith's Harmful Moment in Baptist-Jewish Relations
Bailey Smith, then president of the Southern Baptist Convention, claimed 30 years ago that God "does not hear the prayer of a Jew." Today, other Southern Baptist leaders have rhetorically followed his lead.

A 'Transformative Moment' in SBC Political Activity
Ronald Reagan, then the GOP nominee for president, joined a who's who of conservative Christians on a Dallas stage 30 years ago, convincing many Southern Baptists and other evangelicals to join the Republican cause.

Muslim Documentary Accepted at Festival
"Different Books, Common Word: Baptists and Muslims," the most recent documentary from EthicsDaily.com, has been officially selected as part of the International Black Film Festival of Nashville.

British Churches Focus on 2012 Olympics in London
The London 2012 Olympics are less than two years away, and churches in Great Britain are beginning to develop plans for outreach, hospitality and service during the event.

Ken Starr Joins Baptist Church – Without Attending
Ken Starr, the new president of Baylor University, promised to join a Baptist church once he was on the job in Waco. He kept that promise, joining a church without even being present for the service.

An Anglican bishop recently lashed out against "nonsense" in some classic Christmas carols. Bishop Nick Baines in England authored the book Why Wish You a Merry Christmas, in which he argues that some of the lyrics to Christmas songs promote "all sorts of fantasies [that] have grown up around Christmas" and may leave people seeing the Christmas tale as "nothing more than some sort of fairy story." For instance, he objects to the line in "Away in a Manger" that says "no crying He makes." Baines asks, "How can any adult sing this without embarrassment?" He then added that the line was "nonsense" and that he thinks it is "slightly bizarre" that parents could sing that "as if it actually related to reality."

Unfortunately, it seems that nonsense pervades much of what we call "the Christmas season." In fact, it is sad the phrase "the start of the Christmas season" is not usually associated with Advent but with the start of the shopping season. Additionally, some Christians leaders are fighting the "Christmas wars" in hopes of persuading stores to use the word "Christmas" while selling us junk we do not really need. Yet, it seems that such efforts are nothing more than nonsense--just like singing about a baby who does not cry. Rather than saving Christmas, such efforts are actually just promoting the increased commercialization of these holy days. How can Christ be glorified as we ignore the message of his birth and instead promote more spending and wastefulness?

Thankfully, there are some Christians who are trying to recapture the true meaning of Christmas, which is something that cannot be bought at Walmart or on Amazon. This is what the "Advent Conspiracy" movement pushes for--recapturing the revolutionary message of Christmas that cannot be found in shopping. Their message is: "Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All." Now that sounds much more like the story of Christmas than anything we will find wrapped in snowmen paper or dropped in a reindeer stocking. So let us try to remove some of the nonsense of the Christmas season and recapture what it is all about. Giving to the Baptist General Convention of Missouri's World Missions Offering could be a good start. The money will go to help the vital ministries of the Baptist World Alliance as they assist Baptists around the world who are struggling because of persecution or natural disasters. And while you are at it, you might also loudly sing your own new line this Sunday: "loud crying He makes!"