When I was researching my book Mystery of the Magi – The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men I discovered the extraordinary amount of legendary and mythical material surrounding the magi story. More than any other gospel story, the tale of the wise men who came to pay homage to the Christ child attracted elaboration and legendary and mythical accretions. From the early second century the Protoevangelium of James began to add levels of detail to the story, but... Read more

There was a case some years back when same sex  civil unions were legalized in Britain in which two elderly sisters applied to get married so one could inherit easily if the other died. As I remember, they were denied their civil rights. I guess that was not only a case of two women marrying, but the fact that they were sisters raised a few eyebrows. But these two Irish chaps seem to have managed it. You can read the... Read more

A poll from the Pew Research Center reports that fewer Americans than ever believe the Christmas story is historical. The New York Times reports here about the “Christmas Wars” The most seismic change captured by the survey, from a theological standpoint, may be the declining number of people who said they believed the biblical story of Christmas accurately reflected historical events. The survey asked respondents about their belief in four parts of the biblical Christmas story: that an angel heralded the... Read more

When I lived in England there was a brewery that boosted a brand of beer called “Courage” They had a striking ad campaign that featured a pint of their beer with the simple slogan “Take Courage”. The same might be said of a new website launched by the Courage apostolate. For those who are not in the know, Courage International is an apostolate of the Catholic Church which offers support to persons experiencing same sex attraction. It was founded in 1980 by... Read more

Here is this week’s video about the Mystery of the Magi Read more

A new book called The Dictator Pope is making a splash. I’m reminded of a handmade sign my mom had in the kitchen that just said, “Kwitcherbellakin” The Dictator Pope? I have to give full marks for a sensational headline. Dan Hitchens’ and editor at London’s Catholic Herald gives the book some airtime here. Apparently the book rehearses all the same grumbles we have heard already: the Pope fires people with no discussion, there is a climate of fear in... Read more

“I just finished reading Fr Longenecker’s book and I must say I am extremely impressed. He puts forward a very good case not only in support of his position that the Magi are to be regarded as historical figures but also as to where they might actually have been from and who they might have been (hint: not the Christmas card kings coming in on a flying visit from Persia!). He covers the complex archaeological, historical, and scriptural evidence thoroughly... Read more

NBC broadcaster Matt Lauer is the latest celebrity to come unstuck by the New Puritanism. His downfall should make everyone ask a few more probing questions. One of the is on the nature of consensual sexual relations. The generally accepted idea is that as long as two adults consent anything goes. But one of the victims of Matt Lauer said her sexual hookup with Lauer was consensual, but because he was in such a powerful position she felt obliged to... Read more