Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 280
December 25, 2014
The myth that Christ is a myth
The arguments are going around that Jesus Christ was little more than a mash-up of ancient mythical figures. It is true that, as C. S. Lewis has said, that myths–such as those about death and resurrection–often do find their fulfillment in Christianity, in which, in Lewis’s words, “myth became fact.” But that isn’t what these [Read More...]
#5 most popular Cranach post of the year
The fifth most viewed post came as a result of our unintentional venture into Roman Catholic End Times speculation. From January 2, 2014: Will Pope Francis be the last pope?.
December 24, 2014
Mary, Did You Know?
As I’ve said before, the great challenge for an artist–whether an author, musician, painter, or whatever–in depicting Jesus Christ is how to portray Him as both God and Man. In Christmas art, some work portrays Him in His humanness as a cute little baby. Other work, such as the classic icons, show the Child as [Read More...]
So how is “The Hobbit”?
The final movie of the Hobbit trilogy has already made $350 million world-wide, though the reviews have been somewhat mixed. I haven’t gotten around to seeing it yet, but it figures in our holiday plans. So, to those of you who have seen it, how is The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies?
Sony will release “The Interview” after all
Sony has backed down from its backing down to North Korean hackers, announcing that it will release “The Interview” simultaneously on Christmas day in select theaters and on Video on Demand. From Sony to Release ‘The Interview’ in Theaters, on VOD Despite Threats (Exclusive) – TheWrap: After a national clamor to release the film despite [Read More...]
#6 most popular Cranach post of the year
The #6 most popular post of the year was not from this year at all, but from July 14, 2003. But people are still viewing it in great numbers: Dogs are not color-blind after all. We can’t get enough information about dogs, and the topic never gets old.
December 23, 2014
Those who won’t give Christmas presents
Nearly one in four Americans (23%) will not exchange gifts for Christmas. This includes one out of five (20%) Christians. The study does not say to what extent this rejection of the major way our culture celebrates the birth of Christ comes from principle, piety, impiety, Scroogism, poverty, age, or what. Do any of you [Read More...]
Lessons And Carols
“Lessons and Carols” is a Christmas service consisting of nine Bible readings punctuated by the singing of Christmas carols. It’s a simple service that goes back to 1918 featuring the choir of King’s College in Cambridge, which has been performing it every year except 1930 ever since. BBC began broadcasting it in 1928, and listening [Read More...]
Has the U.S. struck back in cyberwar?
North Korea’s internet has been shut down. The suspicion is that the American government has struck back in retaliation for North Korea’s hack and extortion of Sony. From North Korea’s Internet collapses; U.S. declines to say if it’s responsible – World Israel News | Haaretz: North Korea experienced sweeping and progressively worse Internet outages extending [Read More...]
#7 most popular Cranach blog post of the year
On April 16, we linked to another post that dismantled myths about the origins of Easter, which became the seventh most viewed post of the year: Easter did NOT come from a pagan holiday. And in honor of this week’s upcoming holiday, which is also the subject of similar myths, I offer this bonus from [Read More...]
