The star of Bethlehem. Out for last year's Christmas season, this may be worth your time to read over the coming holidays. Why would it be important for the average Christian? One way to look at it is contextualization. In the spirit of the apostle Paul's becoming all things to all men, this age fancies itself enlightened through science. If so, your friends will be interested in factoids about cometography and the reasonableness of seeing the star as a significant natural phenomenon. Why suggest it was a natural phenomenon? It could be a way to direct conversation to God's control of nature, one element of an apologetic argument.

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The Great Christ Comet: Revealing the True Star of Bethlehem by Colin R. Nicholl on Amazon (hardcover | Kindle) on Barnes and Noble (hardcover | Nook)