Why is Christmas the most Important Christian Holiday?
To anyone looking from the outside, Christmas would seem to be the biggest festival of the Christian year. It has the 4 week build-up with Advent, there are more carol services than you can shake a yule-log at, and the churches are packed with people who may not have even stepped inside a church since last Christmas! So is it really Christianity’s most important festival ?
Saint Sampson – A Superstar of his Time
It is St Sampson who is credited with bringing the Christian Gospel, to not only Guernsey, but the whole of the Channel Islands. He wasn’t just a local phenomenon but would have been regarded as something of a celebrity, a “rock star of his time”. We look at the the life and times of this remarkable man in this article.
The Bible – A Timeline of Key Events
Whether you agree with its message or not there is no denying that the Christian (and Hebrew) Bible has fundamentally shaped the world we live in today. And yet there is still much ignorance in general society as to what it is saying or the key events it covers. Getting a handle of the dates of the events covered can be difficult so in this article we look (briefly) at some of the key events and put a date to them.
The History of Shrove Tuesday
Modern Britain is a very secular society but there are many traditions that people still partake in that have a very religious significance without people really realising. Take for example ‘Shrove Tuesday’ – what exactly is the “shroving” bit about and why the obsession with pancakes on that day ?
Why Inn Keepers in the Nativity may have wrongly had a ‘bum rap’ for a long time
Every Christmas, innkeepers get a terrible ‘rap’. In schools, playgroups & churches up and down the land, Mary and Joseph duly arrive on their donkey in Bethlehem, only to be rejected by one or more innkeepers saying they don’t have any room at all in their inn. However it turns out this all revolves around the translation of 1 Greek word – kataluma – which can simply mean “guest room”. So whats the story behind this ?
How Should We Regard the Bible in the 21st Century?
The Bible can be a very pejorative term. Stirring good~bad~indifferent feelings But can we look at it through a different lens putting aside the baggage we bring? “How Should We Regard the Bible in the 21st Century?” … some thoughts & observations in this article
Monks on Herm
Christianity arrived in the Channel Islands during the 6th Century AD. It was brought largely by Welsh refugees escaping the tyranny of the Anglo Saxon invaders in their home areas. In this article we look at one of the smallest Channel Islands – Herm – and how monks came to the island
The History of the Christmas Pud
The “Christmas Pud” – in our opinion the most delicious of all the scrumptious winter fayre that helps make up the traditional British Christmas. However what we think of as Christmas Pudding, is not what it was originally like! In this article we look at “The History of the Christmas Pud”
A Brief History of St Patrick’s Day
The 17th March, St Patrick’s Day, is celebrated, certainly in the in the US, with a seemingly endless cornucopia of party like events, they even dye the Chicago River is green the Saturday before each St. Patrick’s Day. But what is the story behind the Saint and his relationship to Ireland where he is the official patron saint?
A (brief) History of Christmas – Part 2
A history of Christmas might sound like a fairly simple undertaking. From nativity, to church, to family, to commerce – a story of high beginnings, a cosy, warm middle and the chill of cold hard cash and commercialism at the end. However its not quote that simple – the type of Christmas we celebrate today has a very winding tale indeed.
A (brief) History of Christmas – Part 1
A history of Christmas might sound like a fairly simple undertaking. From nativity, to church, to family, to commerce – a story of high beginnings, a cosy, warm middle and the chill of cold hard cash and commercialism at the end. However its not quote that simple – the type of Christmas we celebrate today has a very winding tale indeed.
Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?
Since the early days of Christianity, Biblical scholars and theologians have offered varying interpretations of the meaning and significance of the gold, frankincense and myrrh that the magi presented to Jesus. The latest one is that the magi “from the East” may have presented Frankincense to the baby Jesus for its’ healing properties.
Christmas Carols – The Oldest ones are the best – Some Origins
Christmas carols are mostly a Victorian tradition along with trees, crackers and cards. In this article we look at why the popularity of Silent Night has never faded, why there’s always a place for Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, and why the British fondness of Good King Wenceslas has yet to subside.
How Was the Christian Bible Put Together ? Who Wrote it All ?
How Was the Christian Bible Put Together ? Who Wrote it All ?
Surprising Science : Would You Adam & Eve it … They DID exist!
Reality is sometimes stranger than we’d ever credit. Believe it or not but Scientists are actually saying that they can prove that Adam & Eve, that is a single set of ancestors, are parents to us all!
