Christianity revolves around virgin birth
Virgo ? the sign of the virgin and one of the largest constellations visible from Earth ? would have been the appropriate setting for the star that guided the magi to the Christ-child because it could be seen as God?s way of confirming Jesus? birth to a virgin mother, Cantrell suggests. None of this has anything to do with astrology, which is considered by many Christians to be contrary to Bible teachings, but should serve to remind believers of the essential tenet of the immaculate conception, he says.
Cantrell, who is also a certified public accountant, offered his comments yesterday on WCPI?s ?Focus? program. His argument was seconded by two other Bible students and pastors appearing on the weekly program, Roland Sharp of Locust Street Church of God and Christian Smith of Bates Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
None of the ministers in the radio interview found any special significance in the date of Dec. 25, and all expressed the hope that believers will devote every day of the year to contemplation of ?the coming of Christ and the fact that He will come again,? as Smith put it. ?I wish we could celebrate the Nativity from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31,? Cantrell added.
?We should put emphasis on the virgin birth and the fact that Jesus is totally God and totally man,? Sharp affirmed. The pastor said he was astonished and dismayed that Jesus? divine nature has been so widely questioned in recent years.
Sharp took particularly critical aim at the resurgence of Gnosticism, the largest and most potent of heresies disturbing the early Christian community. The post-World War II discovery of ancient papyrus fragments of the Gospel of Thomas, along with the recent emergence of other so-called Gnostic gospels such as those of Judas and Mary, tend to portray Jesus as a gifted preacher and prophet while diminishing or outright dismissing His divine nature.
Gnosticism, which was officially banned in favor of traditionalist orthodoxy early in the Fourth Century, has attracted widespread attention since a 1979 publication by professor and early-Christianity scholar Elaine Pagels. The cover story of a recent edition of U.S. News & World Report describes the ongoing theological controversy.
?I find it absurd,? Cantrell said of the challenges to Christ?s divinity and His virgin birth. ?Jesus is God-born ? He is divine seed,? the preacher declared.
WCPI?s pre-Christmas edition of ?Focus,? with volunteer radio producer Bill Zechman as host, will re-air tomorrow, Dec. 21, at 1:03 p.m. and again Friday at 1:03 a.m. Public radio WCPI 91.3 FM is owned and operated by the non-profit Warren County Education Foundation.