Doomsdayers who followed the Mayan calendar said the world would end with a bang on Dec. 21.  Some economists say the economy would crash with a bang if we go over the fiscal cliff.  Lots of conservatives have said that America would end as we know it if Barack Obama got re-elected president.  God promised... Continue Reading

(Concerning the unbeliever): “The more intelligent he is, the crazier he is. He becomes a professor and forms an interdisciplinary group. He reads Dante for its mythic structure. He joins the ACLU and concerns himself with the freedom of the individual and does not once exercise his own freedom to inquire into how in God’s... Continue Reading

Still, Shortt notes the causes of conflict often are more mundane, such as differences in lifestyle, or fears that hard-working, thrifty and self-disciplined Christians may have an edge over their neighbors in the daily competition for survival. “I reject the…fantasy that holds Islam to be uniquely violent,”   Book Review:  Christianophobia, Rupert Shortt, 298 pp.... Continue Reading

People with no religious affiliation make up the third-largest global group in a new study of the size of the world’s faiths, placing after Christians and Muslims and just before Hindus.  The study, based on extensive data for the year 2010, also showed Islam and Hinduism are the faiths mostly likely to expand in the... Continue Reading

Another tradition is to offer a Christmas chocolate, often in a shape of Santa Claus and a shot of a high quality liqueur, sweet wine or arak – an anise aperitif. Traditionally, it is not polite to refuse anything offered, however it is acceptable to say no to an alcoholic drink. The chocolate or a... Continue Reading

Almighty God, it is through your word that we hear your Son speak and can understand how the Holy Spirit works in our lives…We humbly ask that you would reveal more of its truth and power to us this morning…and that its beauty would capture our hearts and bring all our thoughts and hopes into... Continue Reading

Editor’s Note:  This sermon was submitted by a Scots pastor (in Scotland) who is a thoroughly committed Green Bay Packer fan.  You have been warned.   With the NFL regular season coming to a close, and the playoffs almost ready to begin, I’d like each one of us to make a prediction.  A series of... Continue Reading

The Scriptures systematically strip away the veneer that covers the real truth of the Christmas story. Jesus did not come to add to our comforts. He did not come to help those who were already helping themselves or to fill life with more pleasant experiences. He came on a deliverance mission, to save sinners, and... Continue Reading

When God touches earth, the place is holy. When God appears in history, the time is holy. There was never a more holy place than the city of Bethlehem, where the Word became flesh. There was never a more holy time than Christmas morning when Emmanuel was born. Christmas is a holiday. It is the... Continue Reading

Editor’s Note:  Our thanks to Marvin Padgett for passing this greeting on for the readers of The Aquila Report     For centuries Christians have lived with the hope and expectation of Christ’s eventual reign on earth. They expressed their view and faith publically, grounded on Scripture as it is read each Sunday of the... Continue Reading