Christmas is an intriguing and agreeable story: The tale of an unwed mother and an ostracized family, angelic messengers, noble shepherds, magi from the East and a tyrannical king. But, Christmas has a prequel; it only makes sense within the context of the larger story of what God is doing in the world.

Habakkuk, God’s prophet, questions why God has not judged Judah for its idolatry, corruption and immorality; God’s answer is surprising.

Mary Eberstadt, senior fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute, has challenged us to think about the cause of the cultural disruption we have witnessed in 2020. “The explosive events of 2020 are but the latest eruption along a fault line running through our already unstable lives. That eruption exposes the threefold crisis of filial attachment that has beset the Western world for more than half a century. Deprived of father, Father, and patrium [filial piety], a critical mass of humanity has become socially dysfunctional on a scale not seen before. Six decades of social science have established that the most efficient way to increase dysfunction is to increase fatherlessness. And this the United States has done, for two generations now. Almost one in four children today grows up without a father in the home. For African Americans, it is some 65 percent of children.”

Although Jonah obeys God and preaches His message, Jonah is upset that God showed mercy and compassion to Nineveh.

In a recent article in The Atlantic, columnist David Brooks commented on the necessity of personal security for human flourishing to occur. Correctly, he observes the multi-faceted nature of “security.” It involves financial, emotional, social and personal identity categories, each of which demonstrates how complicated human beings are when it comes to what produces security in their lives.

From the belly of the “great fish,” Jonah confesses his rebellion, repents and worships His God.

Commanded by the LORD to go to Nineveh in ruthless Assyria, Jonah goes in the opposite direction, openly defying His God.

How Americans view their history is important, for that narrative is what is taught in our schools and informs how we view current issues in their historical perspective. Until fairly recently, there was a consensus among most Americans about that narrative. No longer. There are at least two competing narratives that dominate America’s educational curriculums and the various media outlets.