Unknown God

Society, Faith, and Curiosity

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Linus and Redefining the Divine: How Christmas Rewrote Our Understanding of God

Linus was my favorite Peanuts character when I was a kid. I didn’t share his blanket attachment, but I loved his philosophical calmness — a rare trait in children’s characters, except for Pooh. Linus’ most memorable moment comes in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. The other kids were worried about the perfect tree, the perfect decorations, the perfect Christmas performance - frazzled and frustrated and exhausted. In a calendar full of holidays, why should this one stand out? In

Kerry Morris

We celebrate Christmas as a day that God came to earth, when humanity encountered the divine.

The idea of God interacting with humans is not unique to Christianity. Greek, Nordic, Egyptian, Hindu, and Native American traditions all tell stories of divine encounter. And the Torah Jesus read and quoted included many examples of God interacting with humanity. Most of the time these divine encounters had a downside or a caveat. A visit from God was a time to run and hide in fear, or be disappointed because the blessing was not for everyone.

So why was this divine encounter so different? Why is this moment in history celebrated by billions of people thousands of years later?

I dig into those questions in this week's post. I hope you enjoy it!

-Kerry

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Linus and Redefining the Divine: How Christmas Rewrote Our Understanding of God

Linus was my favorite Peanuts character when I was a kid. I didn’t share his blanket attachment, but I loved his philosophical calmness — a rare trait in children’s characters, except for Pooh. Linus’ most memorable moment comes in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. The other kids were worried about the perfect tree, the perfect decorations, the perfect Christmas performance - frazzled and frustrated and exhausted. In a calendar full of holidays, why should this one stand out? In

The Holy Act of Paying Attention: Lessons From Mr. Rogers

In the Fred Rogers movie biopic, there is a story about Mr. Rogers meeting reporter Tom Junod (who he called Lloyd) via phone, just one of hundreds of interviews Rogers gave over decades. Early in the conversation, there is this exchange: Rogers: “Do you know what the most important thing in the world is to me right now?” Tom Junod (Lloyd): “What?” Rogers: “Talking to Lloyd on the telephone.” That story hit my heart like a freight train. I spend much of my day interacting wit

The God of Galaxies And Sparrows

Sometimes believing in a cosmic God is easier than believing in a personal God Prayer In A Storm One night several years ago, while backcountry camping along the Ocmulgee river, I found myself in the path of a tornado. My rain tarp was pounded with rain and wind, and the weather radio crackled with updates. The thunder demanded I run for shelter, but the darkness gave me nowhere to go. So, I did what I think most people would do in that situation. I prayed. This was not a pra

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