Today on the Christian History Almanac, celebrate Christmas Day with the story of a popular Christmas hymn.

The God Who Stole Christmas. In this episode of Banned Books, we discuss Christmas Eve and Christmas Day readings, prayers, hymns, and traditions. We also have a lot of fun jesting and critiquing time-held hymns and traditions. We talk translations, history, worship, and why Christmas is the best time to embrace the enchanting absurdity of Jesus — the God-in-the-flesh, who’s come to be a Light in the darkness, a shield against sin, the world and the devil, and the Door opened and welcoming us into eternal life.

Today on the Christian History Almanac, we have a bonus Christmas mailbag with pickles, cherries, and an ancient hymn!

Weekend Edition for December 16-17, 2023

Weekend Edition for July 21-22, 2023

Weekend Edition for April 8-9, 2023

I’ve Got That Joy, Joy, Joy, Down in My Heart. In this episode, we discuss death, rebirth, and eternal life as examined and explained in The Joy of Eternal Life by Philip Nikolai.

Weekend Edition for January 28-29, 2023

Weekend Edition for January 14, 2023

Today on the show, we remember the publishing of the first hymnal with hymns in the vernacular in 1501.

Today on the show, we remember the life and faith of the author of “In the Bleak Midwinter,” Christina Rossetti.

Today on the show, we head to the mailbag to answer a question about congregational singing and an early hymnal.