Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  Zechariah in the Temple/ Bing Public Domain Zechariah Punished with Aphasia In Luke’s version of the Christmas story, Zechariah is punished with the loss of speech (aphasia) for asking what would seem to be a reasonable question. I study the psychology of religion and have conducted many neuropsychological examinations as a psychologist so the description of the impairment struck me as looking like the results of a mini-stroke. Check out the features of stroke in the story from Luke 1. Zechariah, a Jewish priest, and his wife Elizabeth had a reputation for being faithful to the law. As my friend Martin Mittelstadt, known for his scholarly study of Luke , points out, Luke presents his gospel in several contexts including recurrent biblical themes. We see a record of angelic announcements and divine intervention in cases of older barren women in the Hebrew Bible. Perhaps Luke is presenting the new Christian tradition emerging from the womb of an elderly and barren Elizabeth in ...

The American St. Nick The Men Who Restored Christmas A great Christmas story combines warmth, kindness, generosity, traditions, and a memorable event—especially one that brings hope against the backdrop of an evil empire. A true story describing how a few soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division restored Christmas for the children of Wiltz, Luxembourg ranks with the best. In late 1944, the allies had the German soldiers on the run. By December, some men were sent to Wiltz, Luxembourg for a much needed break. The townsfolk were grateful for the liberation from five years of Nazi rule including the ban on their Christmas tradition. This year they planned to restore the celebration of Saint Nicolas (Klees’chen) on 6 December but they were at a loss for gifts and treats. Jewish Corporal Harry Stutz meets with the local priest, Father Wolffe, and other town leaders to see what could be done. He then plans a party with help from fellow soldiers who cook...