Bitemybible

Know Your Nativity

After a festive rash of media nativity surveys, The Times hit on a bright idea - quizzing the nation on its knowledge of the Christmas story. Unsurprisingly, most people's knowledge of the story is drawn from flashbacks to school nativity plays - rather than a close familiarity with the Bible itself. Nevertheless, most people do know the plot in broad outline.

However, many details from the nativity story in the popular imagination - such as Mary travelling on a donkey or angels 'singing' in the sky - are actually creative additions to the biblical narrative. This comedy nativity animation by Igniter Media gives a great overview of some of the popular misconceptions and will help you know your nativity better this Christmas.

Gordon's Gospel

 
Amid blanket media coverage of Gordon Brown's biblical rejoinder to Rowan Williams over the economy, I thought I'd do a little digging on Brown and his use of the Bible. The reference to the Parable of the Good Samaritan by 'Moses' Brown in his dig at the Archbishop is, it seems, pretty typical of his approach to the biblical text. Although he seldom refers to it in public, when he does take a leaf out of the Good Book, he almost always turns to passages that advocate being kind to the poor or the needy (Photo: World Economic Forum).

DIY Bibles are the new black

 
The latest trend, it seems, is for DIY versions of the Bible. Not content with the original, a whole host of characters seem to be rushing out new, 'improved' versions onto the market. First, it was Jeffrey Archer's version of The Gospel According to Judas. Then, very recently, it was the gay-friendly Princess Diana Bible. And the news just in, is that A Final Testament of the Holy Bible is currently being written by controversial author James Frey, in which Jesus will perform a gay marriage.

Jesus was a Gemini?

   

More nativity news, as the media cast around for stories with quirky Christmas angles. Both The Telegraph and the Daily Mail have run with a story that claims that Jesus was actually born in June, based upon new research by an Australian astronomer, Dave Reneke. Reneke has calculated - using complex computer software - that the Christmas star seen by the 'three wise men' actually shone in June, rather than December, which would mean that 'Jesus was a Gemini'. But does this finding really mean that the December date is badly wrong? Photo: c.a. muller

And then Three Come Along at Once...

   
This year's Christmas campaign has just been unveiled by the Churches' Advertising Network. Bus Shelter Nativity, by renowned painter Andrew Gadd, will feature on over 1,000 bus shelters across the UK this December.

Relocating the holy family to a snowy bus shelter, rather than a stable, the advert hopes to encourage people to think about what the birth of Jesus means to them. Personally speaking, I think the idea of featuring the image of the bus shelter on bus shelters themselves is absolutely brilliant. No wonder the story has already been covered by the media.