Say it again: Jesus was not born in a stable!

I have posted a version of this every Advent since 2013. There are signs the message is getting through (though there is also some resistance!), but the stable will still be preached from pulpits up and down the land, so here it is again. This year I have rewritten my previous pieces, drawing the different …

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Once again: Jesus was not born in a stable!

Every year, in the northern hemisphere, and especially in Northern Europe, we are apparently caught by surprise as the evenings draw in, and the morning light comes later. It always seems surprising, even though it is the same every year. And every year, I brace myself for the repetition of the ill-founded claim that Jesus …

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Was Luke mistaken about the date of Jesus’ birth?

A few years ago I watched the film Gravity when it came out. The effects were spectacular, the photography breathtaking, the characterisations engaging, and the story held one’s attention throughout. It even raised some profound (religious?) questions about life, death and purpose. And yet, when I left the cinema, I could not decide whether I …

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