Today we talk about some of the simple things pertaining to Christmas. Personal traditions like cookies, a family member who gets up early on Christmas, good Christmas music and a favorite artist. At the same time of our celebration, we reflect on Charles Dicken's statement, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," and we acknowledge the tremendous suffering that exists for many people around the world. This prompts our guest to point out what Christ means in a world like this. A book comes to mind that was written by Joachim Jeremias, it's title is "Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus." Out guest briefly touches upon it. We discuss King Herod the Great and that he had a twisted, diseased mind. King Herod ordered the execution of all male children aged two and under in and around the town of Bethlehem. Just think about what all those parents had to go through. By contrast we mention the tremendous benefit of Christ to the world. Our guest is familiar with other religions and is not afraid to interact with them. Participants: Dr. John Vance, Dan Elmendorf