It is impossible to ignore what is routinely viewed as the grave moral problem of the book of Joshua, namely, the action of the Israelites in exterminating the Canaanites.
I Need the Old Testament for Christmas in 2020
Now more than ever before, we should look to the Old Testament to enrich this holiday season. Andrew Abernethy Image: Aaron Burden/Unsplash
The only constant in 2020 has been disruption. Unless you are an essential worker, most of us now work from home, wear masks, order groceries online, and attend church on our couches. Tensions are high. Fissures between minorities and those in power are expanding. Political parties have created barricades between family, friends, and neighbors. What does this mean for Advent and Christmas? All of this turmoil could just add to an already stressful holiday season and push us to the brink. There is another possibility too. What if God wants to enrich his Church during Advent and beyond as never before? What if he wants to nourish our faith in a way that can only happen amidst turmoil? I suspect this may come through the Church’s habit of breaking open the Old Testament during Advent S