the skies. but for many scholars, looking for proof of the star of bethlehem or proof of the nativity itself misses the real point. we don t know much about the historical birth of jesus, we know that the tales that were told are timeless accounts that are powerful and beautiful and still are very moving to the present day. but the story we celebrate this holiday season didn t start here. it actually follows the stories of all our ancient ancestors of the old testament. the bible is the story of a family a great epic tale that spans and sprawling across the generations. like most families, they started off by fighting one another and by making peace. they tried to make rules to live by and to keep them, or at least to learn from their mistakes. and like every family, they were convinced that they were special, even when everything was working against them.
in a clump of words all sent by god in book form. these stories developed in a certain place and time. leading some archaeologists to believe they re based on real events. people do not make these things up. so does this mean that we have got a flood back way back in antiquity? it may well a story is created to explain something that happened. in the biblical account the story is layered with new meaning, the flood is sent as a punishment for people s sins. hurricane katrina wasn t a judgment of god. i don t know how much god has to do, we have had an earthquake, we have had a hurricane, he said are you going to start listening to me here? even today some christians will say that the tsunamis and the floods are retribution from god for sins that are being committed today. some christians say that. i don t know on what basis they
abraham, you don t have to do this. so the son was spared, and a lamb appeared to take his place. one of the abiding lessons we re meant to learn from genesis is obead ynls to god. that if you are obedient, that in the end, you are rewarded. muslims believishmael, not isaac, was the son abraham was called upon to sacrifice, but the essence of the story is the same across the three religions. is it heartbreaking to think this patriarch, this person who we believe is the father of our religions, was this close to committing murder, killing his son? i don t know if it s heart breaking or not, but i know it s eye opening and it s important, because abraham introducing the idea. you can kill in the name of god. i think it s important for everybody to understand that this idea is embedded in these
now only isaac was left at home. abraham, for better or for worse, is used to hearing god s voice. and one day, as the torah tells us in genesis 22, god decides to test abraham. and he says, take your son. your only son. whom you love, and offer him as a sacrifice at the place that i will show you. god was telling abraham to kill his own son. you would think that that story is so barbaric that it would have died out over time. instead, jews read it in their holiest week of the year on rosh hashanah. christians read it, the same story, in their holiest week of the year, on easter. muslims read it, the same story, in their holiest week of the year.
immediately would think is joseph and the amazing technucolor dream coat. is this that? this is that same guy, that same coat, but this is the true biblical account. so less coat, more joseph? the show is not about the coat. it s a universal message of forgiveness. forgiveness is right at the heart of salvation itself. at sight and sound, they say the mission is selling this message, not just tickets. although when we visited, joseph had grossed almost $40 million that season alone. we don t do it for the pocketbook. we do it because we believe in the message of jesus christ. is it evangelizing? absolutely. very evangelical. and everyone here from the stagehands to the liding actors is christian. before every performance, they pray together. what we do is seek the lord in prayer. what s the story you think is