Lee Habeeb tells the story at National Review online about how Charles Schultz’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” almost never came to be. The sticking point was Linus’ reading of Luke 2:8-14 near the end of the story (see video above). In short, network executives and even the voice of Snoopy (Bill Melendez) thought that Linus’ reading from the King James Bible would make the program a flop in the ratings. As we all know by now, they turned out to be very wrong. Here’s a snippet from Habeeb’s article:
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Christmas Music – Pop
This third category is a bit of a catch-all. In short, the “Pop” category includes recent-ish holiday tunes that we have come to enjoy. Some of the items in this category are well-received by a wide audience and are on their way to moving into the “traditional” list. Some of the others may never make it there, though we still really enjoy them around our house. Once again, each album cover links to an Amazon.com page where you can order or download the music.
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Tim Hawkins on “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
Gotta love Tim Hawkins.
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Herman Cain says he is “reassessing” his candidacy
Robert Costa reports at NRO that Herman Cain told his senior staff today that he is “reassessing” his candidacy. Cain says he will make a decision over the next several days whether or not to stay in. I think it is all but certain that Cain will have to pull out of the race. All the smoke suggests to most people that there is fire somewhere, and he is losing key support. I have already said in this space that I don’t think he’s qualified to be president, affairs or no affairs. So I will be glad when he leaves the race. Having said that, this is all very sad.…
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Albert Mohler on Herman Cain’s Alleged Affair
Yesterday, a Georgia woman alleged that she has carried on a 13-year affair with presidential candidate Herman Cain. Cain’s lawyer responded with a public statement arguing that a candidate’s private sexual life was a not a legitimate subject for public scrutiny. Albert Mohler disagrees: It is sheer nonsense to state that no candidate for public office (or public official) “should be questioned about his or her private sexual life.” Reporters did not just ask these questions out of the blue — they came only with public accusations. Once such an accusation is made, it must be answered. In a situation like this, the public’s interest is not lurid, it is…
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Is it a child or a fetus?
Darren Carlson gives a chilling personal account of how people euphemize the evil of abortion. He writes: My wife is five months pregnant. Last month we went for an ultrasound to see the baby and have the doctors check to make sure everything was progressing nicely. We had done this three times before and were excited. As we met with the doctor and ultrasound technician they referred to what they saw as “your child.” They must have said it 50x during the ultrasound as they referred to “your child’s hand,” “your child’s heart,” etc. But then something changed.
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Alcohol and Christian Freedom
I’m a teetotaler; Tim Challies is not. Nevertheless, I think that everyone should read what Tim has to say about alcohol and Christian freedom. He notes a subtle contempt that the “young, restless, and reformed” sometimes exhibit toward their more scrupulous forebears. He writes: This older generation sees the younger crowd as celebrating freedom by rubbing it in their face. They hear us saying, “We are liberated by grace; you are bound by law.” They are convinced that instead of respecting them and honoring them, we are sneering at them and looking down at them. Instead of using our freedom in love and respect, we are using our freedom carelessly…
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One More Reason To Believe Paul Was Married
A few months ago I made the argument from 1 Corinthians 7:8 that the apostle Paul was not a lifelong bachelor but a widower. I received a good deal of feedback on that post–some of it disagreeing with my reading of the text. About a month after that post, Bill Mounce expressed his misgivings about the idea that Paul was a widower. Still, I haven’t seen anything yet that would persuade me to read this text differently, and I think the case that I originally made still stands. (If you haven’t done so, I encourage you to read what I wrote in the original post before reading any further.)
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Christmas Music – Traditional
Here is the second part of my post from yesterday. The main criterion for being included in my “traditional” category is the music’s ability to evoke nostalgia. Some of these are sacred music, but some of them are not. Once again, I am eager to hear what music you would have included on this list. Tomorrow we’ll finish with “pop” favorites.
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Christmas Music – Sacred
Music is so much a part of this season of the year that I thought it would be worth a few posts to talk about the music that my family listens to most at Christmas time. I’m certain you’ll find some items here that you are already well-acquainted with. Perhaps there will be some other items that are new to you or that you had forgotten about and are glad to be reminded of. So for what it’s worth, here it goes.