NY Times Op-Ed: Christmas, God, And Faith

New York Times Op-Ed:  ‘The Miraculous Is Essential’: A Conversation About Christmas, God and Faith, by Nicholas Kristof:

This is the latest in my occasional series of conversations about Christianity, aimed at bridging America’s God gulf. Previously, I’ve spoken with the Rev. Timothy Keller, President Jimmy Carter, Cardinal Joseph Tobin and others. Here’s my interview with Beth Moore, an influential evangelical writer who broke with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2021.

Nicholas Kristof: Merry Christmas! This is my favorite season, but I’m skeptical that Jesus was born to a virgin. Do we need to accept miracles to celebrate the Christmas story?

Beth Moore: For people who believe Jesus rose from the dead, a virgin birth is not inconceivable.

Kristof: Most Christians today no longer believe that the Earth was created 6,000 years ago, or that Eve was made from Adam’s rib. So why hold on to the virgin birth, which, after all, is mentioned in only two of the Gospels and is omitted in Mark, which was probably the first to be written?

Moore: If we were to strip the Bible of its wonders, miracles and mysteries, we might have a religion left, but it wouldn’t be Christianity or Judaism. The miraculous is essential. But any place is a starting point: whatever draws us into the story. God uses all sorts of aspects to draw us into its center. ...

Kristof: One element of evangelical principles that I find at odds with that message of love is the notion that only people who have accepted Jesus will end up in heaven. I recoil at the idea of Gandhi, who was Hindu, writhing in hell.

Moore: There are things I obviously cannot explain. But I don’t believe anyone is getting into the presence of God except through Christ. That is the spine of my faith. I can’t work out exactly what that looks like, but I know the Savior is good. My best understanding of hell is eternal separation from God. I can’t say what Gandhi or anyone else is doing right now, but I believe to my core the way to God is through Christ.

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