Merry Christmas! In celebrity conversion news, Denzel Washington got baptized at his church in Harlem just days before his 70th birthday and became a licensed minister, and New York Times columnist, David Brooks, has written about his surprising journey from agnosticism to Christianity. What do these stories tell us about our culture’s ongoing hunger for God? On the other side, David French explains why some Christians now think cruelty is acceptable. New Testament scholar, Nijay Gupta, is back to talk about what the Gospels actually say about Jesus’ birth, and what our Christmas pageants get right and very wrong about the story. Also this week—an airport in New Zealand bans hugs longer than three minutes

Sponsor - Logos Bible Study App: If you want to simplify your study and go deeper into Scripture, visit www.logos.com/holypost. You can get started for free with an exclusive extended 2-month free trial.

Sponsor - Hiya Health - Go to www.hiyahealth.com/HOLYPOST to receive 50% off your first order

Sponsor - Faithful Counseling - This episode is sponsored by Faithful Counseling. Give online therapy a try at https://www.faithfulcounseling.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off

Links Mentioned in the News Segment

Is this airport’s 3-minute limit on goodbye hugs ‘inhumane’? https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/10/22/max-hug-time-three-minutes-new-zealand-airport-goes-viral-for-limiting-goodbyes#:~:text=Three%20minutes%20was%20%22plenty%20of,and%20serotonin%2C%20De%20Bono%20said

Denzel Washington Gets Baptized and Becomes a Minister During Live Streamed Ceremony: 'It Took a While but I'm Here' https://people.com/denzel-washington-gets-baptized-and-becomes-minister-during-live-streamed-ceremony-8765639

Opinion | The Shock of Faith: It’s Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/opinion/faith-god-christianity.html