Word&Way News: Dec. 24

Dec 24, 2021

Here’s the top news of the week from Word&Way. In addition to a report on the “worship” service with Donald Trump on Sunday at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, that is free for anyone to read, paid subscribers to A Public Witness received an essay looking at political efforts to eliminate the biblical teaching to turn the other cheek (with exclusive comments from Kristin Du Mez, Peter Manseau, and John Fea).

Top 5 at wordandway.org

Forgetting the War on Christmas. Rodney Kennedy urges Christians to forego seasonal whining to instead unleash a magnificent supply of Christmas practices that bear witness to the presence of Jesus.
‘Mary Did You Know’ Writer Mark Lowry Good-Natured Over Song’s Controversy. The comedian and songwriter has long wondered what it was like for Mary raising Jesus: “What was it like to give him a haircut? Did she ever walk into his room and say, ‘clean this mess up’?”
Captive Missionaries in Haiti Made Daring Escape. Peter Smith reported on the dash to safety by 12 U.S. missionaries after two months of captivity.
Across U.S., Houses of Worship Struggle to Rebuild Attendance. David Crary reports on how church attendance still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Wary of Omicron, Churches Shift Christmas Services Online. Jack Jenkins reports on a wave of churches canceling in-person Christmas services, especially in the Washington, D.C., area that has the nation’s highest COVID-19 rates.

You can read the full archive of daily devotionals: Unsettling Advent.

The Tennessean put out its list of most-read columns for the year. Coming in at number 10 was Brian Kaylor’s column in June about Paige Patterson and the Southern Baptist Convention.
Ken Sehested penned a Good Faith Media column on “Considering Advent’s Insurrectionary Promise.”
Baptist News Global reported on a Brazilian Baptist pastor receiving death threats for officiating a same-sex wedding.
The New York Times reported on Christian persecution in India.
Christianity Today recounted the top 10 biggest biblical archaeology discoveries of 2021.
The Atlantic explored “Why Evangelicals are Early Adopters of New Tech.” This includes some churches celebrating Christmas in the “metaverse” for years.

Merry Christmas!