What Does It Mean to Have the Christmas Spirit? J.I. Packer’s Answer

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“We talk glibly of the ‘Christmas spirit,’ rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity on a family basis. But … it ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the temper of him who for our sakes became poor at the first Christmas. And the Christmas spirit itself ought to be the mark of every Christian all the year round.” - JI Packer

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The Scandal of Evangelical Empathy: How Did We Even Get Here?

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“the nation apparently continues to suffer from a lack of empathy, a deficit exemplified by, among other things, fresh waves of antisemitism …. a growing movement of evangelicals has a different take. To them, the nation suffers, not from a deficit of empathy, but an excess of it.” - C.Leaders

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A Christian response to immigration

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“Immigration, particularly unauthorized immigration, presents complex challenges. Our laws need compassion, clarity and enforcement…. Laws help maintain order and safety in a society. However, much of the rhetoric dominating conversations and social media is unproductive and divisive.” - Baptist Press

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Benefits of Being a Good Neighbor

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“during the Plague of Cyprian in the third century…. Christians stayed behind in the cities to provide medical care, community support, and God-centered conversation for sufferers. Pagans ran away from their neighbors. Christians moved near.” - TGC

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The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Faith-Based Poverty Work

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“Bruce Pilbeam said the phrase ‘compassionate conservatism’ was mostly dead ‘thanks to its association with an administration that lost popularity in its second term even among conservatives.’ He concluded, though, that the concept at local levels will have an ‘enduring legacy.’ I agree.” - Acton

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Overcoming Compassion Fatigue in Ministry, Part 1

I was describing the emotional toll that ministry takes on pastors while they are encouraging and counseling people who experience especially difficult times. The person I was speaking to had received training for this very thing as an emergency medical technician. He said, “That’s compassion fatigue.”

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