Feuding Monks, Nativity Scene Shock, and a Dangerous Christmas in Indonesia

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Ted Olsen

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Feuding Monks, Nativity Scene Shock, and a Dangerous Christmas in Indonesia

Compiled by Susan Wunderink

[ posted 12/22/2006 12:34PM ]

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Christmas:

• Somber services mark 'Blue Christmas' | There were no jolly Christmas carols at the Cannon Memorial Chapel. No brilliant poinsettias or festive branches of holly. No smiling faces or hearty wishes of happiness. (Associated Press )

• Charity offers animal donations as gifts | Instead of waiting in line with hundreds of others for a chance at nabbing the year's hottest Christmas gifts, Food Network chef Alton Brown decided on an intangible alternative for the people on his list — a donation to Heifer International. (Associated Press)

• Don't trim the tree with guilt | Now is the season to celebrate not just a birth in Bethlehem but also the joys of being a consumer (The Australian)

• Dreaming of a green Christmas | At Christmas, people go through tonnes of paper, packaging, food and trees in the name of celebration. (BBC News)

• In your name: Holiday donations on behalf of those with plenty | Are the mixed blessing of receiving the gift of a charitable donation on the rise these days? (The New York Times)

• Mixed-faith families celebrate the holidays together | The Christmas Tree or the Menorah? Or both? For about 2.5 million families of mixed-faith marriages, the holidays are about respecting each others' traditions and balancing the needs of their faiths. Audio. (NPR's Morning Edition)

• Queen's Christmas speech on podcast | Queen Elizabeth II's traditional Christmas speech will be available as a podcast this year for the first time. A download can be ordered in advance for free on the British monarchy's Web site http://www.royal.gov.uk, royal officials said Friday. (Associated Press)

• Rare Christmas carol discovered | A rare recording of a "carol plygain" - the traditional ...

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Weblog

Launched in 1999, Christianity Today’s Weblog was not just one of the first religion-oriented weblogs, but one of the first published by a media organization. (Hence its rather bland title.) Mostly compiled by then-online editor Ted Olsen, Weblog rounded up religion news and opinion pieces from publications around the world. As Christianity Today’s website grew, it launched other blogs. Olsen took on management responsibilities, and the Weblog feature as such was mothballed. But CT’s efforts to round up important news and opinion from around the web continues, especially on our Gleanings feature.

Ted Olsen

Ted Olsen is Christianity Today's managing editor for news and online journalism. He wrote the magazine's Weblog—a collection of news and opinion articles from mainstream news sources around the world—from 1999 to 2006. In 2004, the magazine launched Weblog in Print, which looks for unexpected connections and trends in articles appearing in the mainstream press. The column was later renamed "Tidings" and ran until 2007.