Research On Religion » Christmas Series

Mark Lawson-Jones on Christmas Carols

tonygill — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 09:00:47 +0000

Christmas carols are a traditional part of the holiday season in many parts of the world. Despite singing our favorite carols year-in-and-year-out, how much do we really know about where they came from and what they mean? Moreover, why did we ever begin singing about a partridge in a pear tree, particularly when partridges are not know to be all that airborne? How did that bird get up there?! To uncover these mysteries, Rev. Mark Lawson-Jones, a chaplain for Mission to the Seafarers and former regional official in the Church in Wales, talks about his book Why Was the Partridge in the Pear Tree? The History of Christmas Carols. In addition to selling Tony on the wonder of Wales, Rev. Lawson-Jones discusses how he came to write this book. Mark has always loved Christmas caroling and leads several dozen services a year that feature these seasonal songs, and it was fortuitous one year that he was approached by a book editor to write a short history on carols. We talk about the deep history of caroling, how various songs were used during pageants during the Middle Ages and how St. Bonaventure is thought to have penned one of the oldest carols, “Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful),” which Mark reveals has an interesting “call to arms” behind its meaning. We discuss other features of carols, including the strong Christmas association with holly and ivy, how many festivals in the Middle Ages were overlays on the Saturnalia celebrations of the Roman Empire, and how rural residents would bang on trees and pots and pans to wake their orchard up in the darkest nights of winter so that they would have a bountiful harvest in the coming year. Wassailing is also discussed, both as a festive celebration of singing about town as well as a creating an alcoholic brew carried around in large bowls that usually accompanied these celebrations. The specific Welsh celebration of Mari Lwyd, and how revelers will boisterously come up to houses and be invited in or chased away all in song, is also discussed. Mark shares some of his tales of caroling in pubs, a practice that he notes is essential for building community. The conversation then takes a dark turn as we learn how the Puritans almost killed off Christmas celebrations in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, but fortunately the tradition of joyous singing survived into what Mark calls the “Golden Age of Carols” (circa 19th century). It is in this period, spurred on by the Victorian culture of rejoicing in family, that some of the best known hymns we still sing to this day were written. At this point, we review the history of several well-known carols including: The Coventry Carol, The Holly and the Ivy, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, and Good King Wenceslas (one of Tony’s favorite even if he cannot easily pronounce the king’s name). We conclude this review with The Twelve Days of Christmas and Mark answers the eternal philosophical question about that bird in that fruit tree. He also reveals that this song appears to have originated in a children’s book as a memory game that parents played with their kids. What does this have to do with Mark making breakfast for his children? Well, he tells you that too! We finish with some thoughts on the importance that caroling has in reminding us of difficult times, as well as the joys of the season, and how singing in groups builds strong communities. Mark also shares some of his own thoughts on what he has learned through his study, and singing, of carols. Recorded: December 12, 2017.

Note: Rev. Lawson-Jones didn’t get an opportunity to talk about one of his favorite carols — In the Bleak Midwinter — which was one of the earliest carols written by a woman, Christina Georgina Rossetti, who he pointed out should have been a poet laureate if not for her gender back in less enlightened times.

The Little Book of Wales, by Rev. Mark Lawson-Jones.

Mission to the Seafarers (where Rev. Lawson-Jones serves as a chaplain).

The Church in Wales.

A traditional recipe (one of many!) for wassail and wassail recipes.

RELATED PODCASTS

The Research on Religion Christmas Series (including episodes on St. Nicholas, It’s A Wonderful Life, a Christmas Carol, and Krampus).

Robert Coote on the 27 Most Popular Hymns and Amazing Grace.

Ryan Habig on Music Ministry and “With Us.”

Jim Houser on the Christian Music Industry.

Adam English on St. Nicholas of Myra, the Real Santa Claus (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 09:00:08 +0000

Who was St. Nicholas? Did he really exist? And how did he become the “Santa Claus” that we know today? Prof. Adam English, associate professor in the Department of Theology and Philosophy at Campbell University, opens up his latest book The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus and tells us the story of this fascinating early Church leader. We learn that St. Nicholas of Myra lived in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries in the area that is now southwest Turkey. Nicholas grew up in a wealthy family, allowing him the luxury of pursuing an education and becoming a clergy member in the fast-expanding Christian Church at a time when persecution of Christians was common. Prof. English relays Nicholas’s most famous act of charity that earned him the reputation as a charitable gift-giver. The story involves Nicholas tossing three bags of coins, on separate days, through the open window of a destitute man on the verge of having to sell his daughters into a less than desirable life. Although meant to be anonymous (something unusual for the times), Nicholas’s generosity is discovered and becomes the stuff of legend. We explore how this legend was transformed over time to become the image of Santa Claus that we know today. Adam describes how St. Nicholas, a celebrated saint in The Netherlands, was used by Dutch-Americans to “tame” the rather raucous celebrations that came in early winter. We then follow the transformation of Nicholas’s imagery as artists such as Thomas Nast and Haddon Sundblom paint him as the jolly and rotund figure decked out in red and white that we know today. Irrespective that contemporary imagery, we continue to discover what type of man Nicholas was. While not a major player in the Church around the turn of the 4th century, we do see how Nicholas suffered persecution (literal torture) yet remained stalwart in his faith. As bishop of Myra, he was a strong advocate for justice and lower taxes, as well as becoming known as someone who cared for children. Throughout this discussion we pick up a number of interesting tidbits of information about St. Nicholas including his interesting relation to moneylenders and pawnbrokers, and Tony provides his own modified rendition of T’was the Night Before Christmas! Prof. English finishes with his thoughts on whether or not devout Christians should celebrate the legend of Santa Claus, and informs us where you can find a recipe for one his favorite Christmas cookies (link no longer active). A fun, educational, and tasty podcast indeed! Recorded: December 17, 2012.

The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus, by Prof. Adam English.

Christmas: Theological Anticipations, by Prof. Adam English.

Theology Remixed: Christianity as Story, Game, Language Culture, by Adam English.

The Possibility of Christian Philosophy: Maurice Blondel at the Intersection of Philosophy and Theology, by Adam English.

RELATED PODCASTS

Tara Moore on Christmas Traditions … and Krampus.

John Reynolds on A Christmas Carol.

Jon Sweeney on It’s A Wonderful Life.

J Warner Wallace on Cold-Case Christianity and Christmas.

Brian O’Neel on Saint Who? Some Holy Uknowns.

Jim Papandrea on the Early Church Fathers.

Tara Moore on Christmas Traditions

tonygill — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 09:00:53 +0000

People often celebrate Christmas in different ways, but there are some common traditions that have developed over time. Where do these traditions come from, and how have they changed? Prof. Tara Moore, a part-time instructor of English at Penn State University – York, takes us on a joyous exploration of Christmas past and present, revealing little tidbits of historical information that she dug up doing research on her two books, Christmas: The Sacred to Santa and Victorian Christmas in Print (see below for links). This is definitely a podcast that you will want to listen to so as to impress your family, friends, and colleagues during the annual Christmas celebrations.

Our investigation begins with Prof. Moore herself, finding out how she came to write about Christmas. Faced with the choice in graduate school of writing a dissertation about Victorian-era nuns or Victorian-era Christmas, the nun route looked pretty grim and so she chose to write on the merry holiday of Christmas. Tara also notes that her historical studies have led her to celebrate Christmas in a more “low electricity” 19th century style and, at times, to feel the need to correct some folks regarding their misunderstandings of traditions including a play written about her church’s first pastor celebrating Christmas in 1774. Given her Presbyterian background, and her historical training, Tara noted that Presbyterians would not have been celebrating Christmas in that era, but she nonetheless performed in the play.

We then turn the first Christmas with Tony noting how lucky it was that Jesus was born on that day. Dr. Moore quickly sets Tony right and we enter into an interesting discussion about the birth of Jesus, thinking about when the birth actually did occur (which would more likely have been springtime). Tara reviews how we have settled on a late December date for Jesus’s birth, being a symbolic choice for nine months after the assumed date of the Annunciation. She further notes that Christmas was not a major holiday in the early centuries of the Church and only becomes an official holiday in 336 A.D., and not becoming more universally celebrated until 350 A.D. Tara provides other interesting observations about the birth narrative of Jesus, discussing the role of shepherds and wise men, and also pointing out that while Romans celebrated birthdays, Judeans typically did not.

The early medieval celebrations of Christmas tended to be periods of fasting, particularly within the Eastern Orthodox tradition. The celebration of the holiday in Western Europe started in Rome and gradually spread to other parts of Europe by the 9th century. Early gift giving during this time was centered around food and the noted 12 days of Christmas (which ran past the December 25th date in early celebrations) was all about preparing feats. A tradition also developed early on with respect to reversing social roles. At first, the rich would provide food to the poor, but eventually it became a “topsy turvy” part of the calendar when peasants would dress as royalty, and choir boys would get to play the role of bishops. At one point, the upending of social roles and customs became so raucous that King Henry VIII ended the practice of role reversals. All of this leads to a discussion of the raucous nature of the holiday, and Tara recounts that in many ways it was a rather adult holiday with drunken carousing (giving way eventually to more tame caroling) and all sorts of fascinating local practices. She notes that in Haverford, England, local residents celebrate by putting a cake on the horn of an ox, and at other times splash animals with beer! As print media began to spread throughout Europe, many traditions became more standardized, though local idiosyncrasies persist until today.

This then prompts Tony to ask about a number of the more popular traditions and characters associated with the season. We start with the Christmas tree, and Dr. Moore explains that the origin of this tradition is hard to trace. While Romans were known to decorate trees in imperial days, and trees did figure into miracle plays, it wasn’t until the 1700s that trees became a centerpiece of Christmas celebrations. (Interestingly, the use of trees led to some problems of deforestation and the Salzburg town government had to ban the removal of trees from local forests.) We talk about the origins of ornaments a bit, noting that they started as cookies and in some places Christmas trees were hung from the ceiling upside down to prevent rodents from going after the baked goods dangling from the limbs. Of course, we discuss the origins and development of Santa Claus, with Tara recounting the historical details of St. Nicholas of Myra, how he was one of the most popular saints in the 1500s, and then how the Santa arose from this. While not directly related to St. Nicholas, Santa Claus comes from a variety of sources and tended to start out as a “wild man” of Europe that only became tamed in the mid-19th century with the painting of him done by Thomas Nast and the famous poem by Clement Moore. This invariably leads to Krampus and the Scandinavian Nisse (woe be unto farmers, we find out).

Our conversation ends with discussion on when and why Christmas was banned at various times and places, as well as some of Tara’s thoughts on commercialization and how Christ has come back into Christmas in recent times. Prof. Moore shares a few of her favorite family holiday traditions to close us out. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Recorded: December 8, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

Christmas: The Sacred to Santa, by Tara Moore.

Victorian Christmas in Print, by Tara Moore.

RELATED PODCASTS

John Mark Reynolds on Dickens and “A Christmas Carol.”

Adam English on the Real Santa Claus.

Jon Sweeney on “Its a Wonderful Life.”

J. Wallace Warner on Cold-Case Christianity and Christmas.

Pamela Edwards on Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Michael Foley on Religion and Booze.

John Mark Reynolds on Dickens and “A Christmas Carol”

tonygill — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 09:00:51 +0000

A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens, is probably one of best known stories of modern times. With over 100 different cinematic and television versions, not to mention the countless references in sitcoms and other shows, it is hard to not encounter this story in one form or another every year around this time. But how much do you really know about the author of this novel and the nuanced details of its content? Prof. John Mark Reynolds, provost at Houston Baptist University, talks about his year-long immersion in Dickens, what he learned about this prodigious author, and provides a few interesting tidbits about this timeless story.

Following a short discussion of how Prof. Reynolds became interested in studying Dickens, we dive right into the life and times of this author who John calls “a maker of the modern mind.” He notes that the 19th century was a pivotal moment in human history and argues that a person who lived in 1800 would be much more comfortable living in the Roman Empire than someone in 1900, who would be more at ease in our contemporary world. The hundred years between 1800 and 1900 witnesses a dramatic shift in human culture and helps us understand the thought process and mindset that Charles Dickens brought to his work. John makes the claim that Dickens’ work gave England a “way out” of this cultural turmoil that prevented revolution and social upheaval.

We spend some time examining Dickens’ life, noting that he experienced a “genteel harsh poverty” early in his youth that left an indelible mark on him. John points out the fascination with money, fear of poverty, and importance of social status that runs through Dickens’ corpus of work. Several characters in A Christmas Carol reflect this mindset, most notably Ebeneezer Scrooge and Mr. Fezziwig. As for religious background, John notes that even though Dickens had a distrust of organized religion and showy piety, and led a troubled married life, he wrote a story about the life of Jesus for his children. John cautions us about accepting the notion that Dickens “secularized Christmas” and understand that religious faith was woven throughout his work. Moreover, John explains that given that religion was part of the general atmosphere of the Victorian era, Dickens expected his readers to be familiar with religious themes and thus it doesn’t come out as overt preaching.

Our conversation covers Dickens’ influence on the literary and publishing industry. In many ways, Dickens created a new genre of writing by writing serial novels in magazines and newspapers, and ended up creating the modern novel. John notes that in addition to creating serial plots, one of Dickens’ greatest attributes was vivid characterization. We also talk about some of the dominant themes that stretch throughout his works, from The Pickwick Papers to A Christmas Carol to Hard Times. John lists four important common themes including: 1) the fragility of life; 2) jolliness (one that is important in A Christmas Carol); 3) the notion that Christians can always improve themselves; and 4) the importance of money, wealth, and power. We also discuss a number of Dickens’ lesser known Christmas tales, such as A Cricket on the Hearth, that was highly regarded by readers in the Victorian period but are almost forgotten today. The vision of a happy family ruled by a benevolent paternalist father was ever-present in his Christmas stories as well, something that Dickens seemed to cherish. John also indicates that joyful parties also popped up in Dickens’ writings, particularly his Christmas stories indicating his jovial and optimistic nature.

We then turn to A Christmas Carol, the story that helped cement him as the “Christmas writer.” John explains that while Victorians did not consider this particular work to be among their favorites, its ability to translate well into theater and film — with a classic tripartite division of scenes — made it very enduring for our modern times. It is at this point that Tony asks John if he has a favorite cinematic version and, much to Tony’s surprise, John notes that it is A Muppet Christmas Carol, starring a stuffed frog. John supports his choice by noting that this version is entertaining, yet not ponderous, but still covers all the major themes of the story. Again, this bolsters John’s claim that Dickens’ wrote during a period of immense change and hardship but retained an optimistic and joyous view of the future.

We spend the last half of the interview discussing the themes and characters of A Christmas Carol. While the story is well-known to everyone, we do not survey the plot but instead start with examining any of the religious themes that are in the tale. John discusses that the religious themes are not overt since Dickens was assuming that all his readers were steeped in Christianity, something that may be lost on more contemporary readers. He then discusses a number of other themes including the love of money is the root of all evil and that it is never to late to repent. Interestingly, this was not just individual repentance, but one for society as well, something that John sees most clearly in the Ghost of Christmas Present when he opens his robe. We also review several of the characters of the story, including the lesser known characters of Joe, Mrs. Fezziwig, and Mrs. Cratchit. The significance of the ghosts are discussed, including some of them that people might have forgotten. Prof. Reynolds concludes with some of his thoughts on what he has learned from the story and what things we contemporary folks should take away from it. Recorded: December 5, 2014.

Against All Gods: What’s Right and Wrong about the New Atheism, by Philip E. Johnson & John Mark Reynolds.

Three Views on the Creation and Evolution Debate, by John Mark Reynolds, et al..

When Athens Met Jerusalem: An Introduction to Classical and Christian Thought, by John Mark Reynolds.

Towards a Unified Platonic Human Psychology, by John Mark Reynolds.

The City Online, a podcast from HBU.

RELATED PODCASTS

John Sweeney on “Its a Wonderful Life.”

Adam English on the Real Santa Claus, St. Nicholas of Myra.

Art Carden on Christian Ethics, Charity, and Economics.

J Warner Wallace on Cold-Case Christianity & Christmas

tonygill — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 09:00:54 +0000

What could a homicide detective, who was an ardent atheist early in his life, tell us about the historical veracity of The Bible? We invite J. Warner Wallace, a real-life detective and author of Cold-Case Christianity, to explain how he came to applying police forensics to the study of Christianity and how it affected his life.

Following a bit of chatter about college football,* as both Jim and Tony are alumni of UCLA, we dive into Jim’s personal history focusing initially on his career as a homicide detective. He talks about his family’s history of being police officers and how he gravitated to detective work and cold cases. A number of his investigations have been shown on shows such as Dateline. Jim talks about a few recent cases he investigated for all of you murder mystery fans (like Tony). Our conversation also covers Jim’s conversion to Christianity beginning around the age 35. While an atheist, he attended church with his wife every now and then, but he started to become curious about the historical nature of Jesus and began employing his investigative skills to look at the evidence not of whether Jesus ever existed (which he did accept), but about Christ’s divinity. Jim notes that his journey to Christianity was a gradual process and he notes some of the barriers he had to overcome to finally yield to belief and become a church planter. We share some general speculations on why some atheists become religious.

We then move into how Jim wrote his book Cold-Case Christianity and some of the contents therein. Jim mentions a few of his influences including Lee Stroebel, and Sean McDowell. This is the part of the interview where we go over what it takes to be a detective and the different kinds of evidence that are needed to convince a jury in a legal proceeding, with an emphasis on indirect (or circumstantial) evidence. We cover several of Jim’s ten important lessons for every detective and how they relate to Christianity. Jim discusses how conspiracies are difficult to maintain and how his examination of both the authors of the Gospel and the Church Fathers would have had a difficult time keeping their stories consistent. We talk about the pressure on individuals to recant their stories about Jesus and how their refusal factors into Jim’s overall body of evidence. He then applies this methodology to the “birth narrative” — i.e. the Christmas story. While noting that Jesus probably not born on December 25, he nonetheless says there is reasons to believe that many aspects of the story are true including an interesting rhetorical reference about the “son of Mary.”

Our interview concludes with what Jim has learned over the past two years following the writing of his book. He shares some thoughts on the importance of communication and challenging individuals to really interrogate their religious beliefs and not just accept them as true because of how you were raised. Recorded: November 10, 2014.

*Tony asks Jim for his prediction of the 2014 UCLA-USC game and he forecasts a Bruins win. He must be a good detective since the final score was 38-20 in favor of the team from Westwood!

Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels, by J. Warner Wallace.

Alive: A Cold-Case Approach to the Resurrection, by J. Warner Wallace (e-book).

RELATED PODCASTS

Jim Papandrea on the Early Church Fathers and Patristic Exegesis.

Russell Kleckley on Religion, Science, and Johannes Kepler.

Robert Barr on Quantum Physics, Religion, and the God Particle.

Adam English on the Real Santa Claus

tonygill — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 09:00:35 +0000

We learn that St. Nicholas of Myra lived in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries in the area that is now southwest Turkey. Nicholas grew up in a wealthy family, allowing him the luxury of pursuing an education and becoming a clergy member in the fast-expanding Christian Church at a time when persecution of Christians was common. Prof. English relays Nicholas’s most famous act of charity that earned him the reputation as a charitable gift-giver. The story involves Nicholas tossing three bags of coins, on separate days, through the open window of a destitute man on the verge of having to sell his daughters into a less than desirable life. Although meant to be anonymous (something unusual for the times), Nicholas’s generosity is discovered and becomes the stuff of legend. We explore how this legend was transformed over time to become the image of Santa Claus that we know today.

Adam describes how St. Nicholas, a celebrated saint in The Netherlands, was used by Dutch-Americans to “tame” the rather raucous celebrations that came in early winter. We then follow the tranformation of Nicholas’s imagery as artists such as Thomas Nast and Haddon Sundblom paint him as the jolly and rotund figure decked out in red and white that we know today. Irrespective that contemporary imagery, we continue to discover what type of man Nicholas was. While not a major player in the Church around the turn of the 4th century, we do see how Nicholas suffered persecution (literal torture) yet remained stalwart in his faith. As bishop of Myra, he was a strong advocate for justice and lower taxes, as well as becoming known as someone who cared for children.

Throughout this discussion we pick up a number of interesting tidbits of information about St. Nicholas including his intersting relation to moneylenders and pawnbrokers, and Tony provides his own modified rendition of T’was the Night Before Christmas! Prof. English finishes with his thoughts on whether or not devout Christians should celebrate the legend of Santa Claus, and informs us where you can find a recipe for one his favorite Christmas cookies. A fun, educational, and tasty podcast indeed! Recorded: December 17, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Adam English’s biography at Campbell University.

The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus, official webpage with cookie recipe and Prof. English’s blog.

Theology Remixed: Christianity as Story, Game, Language Culture, by Adam English.

The Possibility of Christian Philosophy: Maurice Blondel at the Intersection of Philosophy and Theology, by Adam English.

RELATED PODCASTS

Brian O’Neel on Saint Who? Some Holy Unknowns.

Tracy McKenzie on The First Thanksgiving.

Jim Papandrea on the Early Church Fathers.

Jon Sweeney on It’s A Wonderful Life.

Jon M. Sweeney on “It’s A Wonderful Life”

tonygill — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:00:18 +0000

Every December, millions of people tune in to watch the quintessential Christmas classic, It’s A Wonderful Life. The iconic scenes of George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) running through the town of Bedford Falls wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, and the ending where we hear an ornamental bell ringing to tell us that the hard-luck angel Clarence has finally received his wings, are familiar to almost everyone. Some critics have tagged the film with the moniker of “Capra-corn” in reference to its director — Frank Capra — and its over-the-top sentimentality. But is it more than just a movie that shamelessly pulls at our heartstrings? Is there a darker side to the movie? And are there deep spiritual lessons to be gleaned from the film. Author Jon M. Sweeney who recently penned the e-book, The Spiritual Life of George Bailey, joins us to answer these questions. We explore the films origins in a short story written by Philip Von Doren Stern that was sent out as a Christmas card in 1943 and quickly put upon the silver screen by Capra in 1945. And then it is off to stroll through the streets of Bedford Falls, looking at a variety of critical scenes in the film that highlight both the important characters in the film and hint at what is to come. We meet critical players such as George’s father, Mr. Potter, Mary, and Sam Wainwright. Regular viewers of the movie will be familiar with the story, though Jon spices up various points of the plot with his own insights about human nature. We are then treated to Jon’s fascinating interpretation of the second-half of the film as he shows us how the themes of temptation, resurrection, and salvation play out through the story. Jon then reveals a suprising detail about the ending of the film that will shed some new light on how you watch the last ten minutes. We don’t want to reveal any spoilers, so you will have to listen to the end of the interview. Jon finishes with a brief discussion about what the Capra classic might tell us about our own lives in contemporary times, reflecting upon our need for community and connectedness. He may have even convinced Tony, who is a devoted Die Hard fan, to watch the movie for the first time in at least ten years. Recorded: December 10, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Jon M. Sweeney’s biography.

The Spiritual Life of George Bailey: Turnkey Moments in Frank Capra’s Christmas Masterpiece, e-book by Jon M. Sweeney (available for $2.99)

The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation, by Jon M. Sweeney.

Verily, Verily: The KJV – 400 Years of Influence and Beauty, by Jon M. Sweeney.

The St. Francis Prayer Book, by Jon M. Sweeney.

Born Again and Again: Surprising Gifts of a Fundamentalist Childhood, by Jon M. Sweeney.

Beauty Awakening Belief: How the Medieval Worldview Inspires Faith Today, by Jon M. Sweeney.

Almost Catholic, a blog by Jon M. Sweeney.

George Bailey’s prayer (on YouTube).

It’s A Wonderful Life ending with the ringing bell (on YouTube).

RELATED PODCASTS

Michael Medved on Religion & Hollywood.

Corey Olsen on Religion, J.R.R. Tolkien, and The Hobbit.

Jon Sweeney on the Pope Who Quit.