An Annual Tradition

Devotees of my blog know that it was started to document and refute the various heretical ideas in many popular Christian books in order to inform my family of the things I wanted for Christmas. Since then, the annual clamor from my fans for a return of their favorite column has been impossible to ignore. So now, with the temperature once again falling towards the mid-60s, I present to you a tradition older than most of my friends' marriages: Steven Crawford's Christmas List.

(All items are hyperlinked for easy online purchasing!)

1. Category: Unrealistic

A. A marimba
B. 41-book Puritan Writings collection
C. Complete Works of Richard Baxter (see if you can find it anywhere!)

2. Category: Clothing, etc

A. Vibram FiveFingers Crazy Running Shoes (size: 39)
B. OXT Airflyte Running Pants (size: S)
C. REI Adventures Shorts
D. Outdoors shoes (currently getting some recommendations on this)
E. In Order to Fit In

3. Books

A. Some Jonathan Edwards
B. John Bunyan
C. Ecclesiology
D. Subscription to National Review, The National Interest, The Atlantic
E. Border's or Barnes and Noble gift card would be loved of course

4. Misc.

A. A two-person tent from REI
B. Masterpiece Mystery

Top Five Most Cringe-inducing Verses from the Message Translation of the Psalms

1. Psalm 1:1

How well God must like you— you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College

2. Psalm 84:12

He doesn't scrimp with his traveling companions.
It's smooth sailing all the way with God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

3. Psalm 27:1

Light, space, zest— that's God!
So, with him on my side I'm fearless,
afraid of no one and nothing.

4. Psalm 19:2

Madame Day holds classes every morning,
Professor Night lectures each evening

5. Psalm 29:4

God's thunder tympanic,
God's thunder symphonic.

Just saying

Part of me doesn't even want to say this, but I think I should. If you are a Christian, or indeed a person with a coherent residual sense of morality, then there is no possible way any policy, however dearly loved and hoped for, can outweigh the fact that 4000 people are killed everyday in this country in a legal way.

If you voted for a pro-choice candidate, like it or not, you are complicit in this. Think, Christians, think! This is death, this is murder. You cannot rationalize it away, and it is unjust. Whatever economic injustice exists in our country, the real death of 4000 innocents each day cries out like the blood of Abel. Do not think that God does not hear it.

Whatever you do or do not like about the rest of their policies, remember that.