Nativity plays and their theology

The latest essay for my DMin is just finished! I've done a cultural studies type analysis on nativity plays and their embodied theology. I learnt so much, but only scratched the surface of all the reading I could have done, even though that meant over 25 references in the bibliography. It left me realising 2 things:
1. To do this DMin, I am having to get up to doctoral standard in at least 6 theological disciplines, with a bare 3 months to do so for each. I'm looking forward to the end of this year when my 6 assignments are done, and I can focus more in one area.
2. It's very clear that there is a dearth of empirical research in many areas of church life, and practically none at all about nativity plays.
Would I have chosen to look at these if I hadn't attended two last Christmas? Mmm - probably not. (see below)

Still, it was all good fun, and very mentally stimulating, so much so that now I feel as if my mind has turned into goo. One of my colleagues suggested that I start an Abingdon mystery play cycle since I had to learn so much about them for the essay. What an exciting idea! Then reality kicked in - perhaps I should start gently by finding a mystery play cycle to attend before tackling such a mammoth enterprise!

Getting your message across.

The freedom of speech dance continues. Christians are officially free to proselytise in the UK (see blog posting below) and now, the latest from The Guardian website is that atheists have raised £140,00 to pay for an advert to go on bendy buses in London and other places, saying that "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life". Interesting. It looks as if even atheists aren't certain of their position. It seems to me also that the people who designed the ad (atheists themselves?) are showing a tendency towards the kinds of things they criticise Christians for, in this case, telling people what to do! Mm. I wonder if a bendy bus communicates a distorted message?

Christmas stamps

I saw a letter in the Church Times from one of my students today. Helen Chamberlain was writing about trying to get religious stamps for her Christmas cards. She had the same problem that my husband Julian experienced - the Post Office said they didn't have any. On enquiring further, Helen discovered that her local PO did have them, but hidden away under the counter. She bought some, but was told by the counter assistant not to tell anyone else that she had the 'Jesus' stamps. She went out thinking that what she wanted to do was tell everyone she had Jesus, and not keep quiet about it. Quite right too! What Christian minister can keep quiet about his/her reason for being?!!

Coincidentally, the same copy of the Church Times (19th Dec. 2008) had another article that said that the Charity Commission accepts that evangelism is OK, stating that 'proselytising is of benefit to the public'. So Christians aren't meant to keep quiet about Jesus - it's official!

I wonder if we all wrote to the PO and complained, that they would take us seriously for a change? After all, the Church is a seriously big lobby if we exercise our moral muscle.