(upbeat music)
- Good evening, andthank you for joining us
for this special Christmasedition of Faith Nation.
I'm Jenna Browder.
Well, World War I was calledthe War to End All Wars.
In the classic novel, AllQuiet on the Western Front,
the German author and veteran wrote
that the war caused theannihilation of all human feeling.
Yet, out of that same conflict
came a legendary Christmas celebration
that reminds us of theamazing depth of humanity.
John Jessup reports.
- [Andrew] To the glory of God--
- Each year, Andrew Hamilton lays a wreath
at the World War I monumentin his small English village,
a tribute to thegrandfather he barely knew.
What do you remember of him?
- I just remember an oldman who shouted a lot
because he was deaf,
and he had lost his hearing really
during the First World War,
so he was really quite frightening,
and then when I read his diaries,
I was amazed, I supposed, at the--
The life that he had been involved in.
This one is the original one,
which he would havekept in his top pocket.
- [John] As Hamilton writes in his book,
Meet At Dawn, Unarmed, his grandfather,
Captain Robert Hamilton, kept diaries
from 1913 to 1950.
Most years were fairly mundane,
with one remarkable exception, 1914.
- Wednesday, the 5th of August,
wire to mobilize at 5:30 a.m.
- [John] Hamilton waspart of the initial wave
of British troops in what came to be known
as the First World War.
The general consensus at the time
was the fighting wouldbe over by Christmas.
(explosions)
Just one day earlier, Germantroops had invaded Belgium,
and then, England joined the fight.
Ironically, the leadersof the opposing sides
were first cousins,Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II
and King George V of England.
Caught in the middle, thetiny country of Belgium.
- This very provincial,rural area of Belgium
was almost at the centerof the world attention.
I grew up listening to stories
of elderly people in my village
that had to do with the war.
- [John] German troopscut a path of destruction
through Belgium into France.
Allied forces stoppedthem outside of Paris,
pushing them back, but only so far.
A stalemate ensued, with bothsides digging in, literally.
(gunfire)
Trench warfare on theWestern Front had begun.
- [Andrew] September the18th, several men killed
and wounded in the trenches by shell fire.
This was without exception
the most miserable night ever spent.
I stood all night inwater up to my ankles,
and the rain pouring down.
- This is one of the original trenches
from more than 100 years ago,
two parallel zigzagging lines
built by the German and Allied forces,
stretching more than 450 miles.
In some places, the opposing armies
were only 50 yards apart.
- Both parties have dug in,
and the coldness is coming in,
and so all of a sudden, the first enemy
is not your opponent to theother side of the no man's land,
but it's the cold.
- [John] By the end of November,
there were over 1 1/2 million casualties
on the Western Front.
As the stalematecontinued, it became clear
the war would not be over by Christmas.
The outside world pushed foran official Christmas truce,
including Pope Benedict IV, who asked
"that the guns may fall silent,
"at least upon the night the angels sang."
British General HoraceSmith-Dorrien, however,
issued a directiveforbidding fraternization,
saying it "destroys theoffensive spirit in all ranks."
- [Andrew] December the 24th,we marched up to our trenches,
a little downhearted tospend Christmas Day in them.
- [John] Artist Bruce Bairnsfatherwas machine gun officer
in Captain Hamilton's RoyalWarwickshire Regiment.
He recounted his warexperiences in the book,
Bullets & Billets.
- [British Man] Iremember at the time being
very down on my luck about this,
as everything in the natureof Christmas Day festivities
was obviously knocked on the head.
- [John] But the Germans didn't let war
stop their celebration.
They displayed Christmastrees in their trenches,
and on December 23rd,held a church service
in a bombed out sugar refinery.
Schoolteacher, Kurt Zehmisch,
served in the 134th Saxon Regiment.
Like Hamilton, he kepta diary during the war.
- [German Man] We sangthe song, This is the Day
That the Lord Has Made.
The celebration moved many to tears.
- I think Christmas in those days
was much more an important
festival in the German culture
than it was in French or Belgian,
or Anglo-Saxon countries.
- [German Man] I ordered mymen that on Christmas Eve
and on Christmas Day, noshots were to be fired
from our side if it could be avoided.
- [John] Then somethingextraordinary happened.
- [German Man] No sooner hadwe settled into the trenches,
we and the Brits tried todraw attention to each other.
♪ Silent night ♪
♪ Holy night ♪
- [British Man] The spirit of Christmas
began to permeate us all,
and we tried to plot ways andmeans of making the next day,
Christmas, differentin some way to others.
("Silent Night" sung in German)
- [German Man] An Englishmancalled over to our trenches,
"I wish you a merry Christmasand a happy New Year,"
to which I replied tohim and his comrades,
"Thank you very much, Iwish the same to you."
- [British Man] After months of vindictive
sniping and shelling, this little episode
came as an invigorating tonic
and a welcome relief to thedaily monotony of antagonism.
On Christmas morning, I awoke very early.
It was a perfect day, abeautiful, cloudless day.
- December the 25th,
a day unique in the world's history.
I met their officer, and wearranged a local armistice
for 48 hours.
As far as I can gather,
this effort of ours extended itself
throughout the whole line,
as far as we could hear.
It's Christmastime, thesoldiers under his command
have had a rotten time, and he was
deeply Christian himself,
so it was natural to allow it to happen.
- [German Man] So startedthe Christmas celebration,
the celebration of love,
when enemies becamefriends for a short time.
- [British Man] Herethey were, the actual,
practical soldiers of the German army.
There was not an atom ofhate on either side that day.
- [John] Although fighting continued
on most of the Western Front,
the unauthorized truceextended along virtually all
the 27 mile length of the British line.
Both sides helped bury their dead.
They exchanged gifts, likefood, tobacco, and buttons,
and in some sectors,they even played soccer
in no man's land.
- It makes them happy becausethey feel human again,
whereas the industrial warfare
often reduces them to cannon fodder,
often reduces them to killing machines.
- [German Man] This was allso beautiful yet strange.
I will never forget thisChristmas celebration.
- [British Man] The last Isaw of this little affair
was a vision of one of my machine gunners,
who was a bit of an amateurhairdresser in civil life,
cutting the unnaturally longhair of a docile German.
- [Andrew] A very merry Christmas,
and a most extraordinary one,
but I doubled the sentries after midnight.
- There would be three more Christmases
on the Western Front beforethe war came to an end,
but nothing quite like thiswould ever happen again.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle later described it
as one human episodeamid all the atrocities
which have stained the memory of the war.
John Jessup, CBN News,reporting in Flanders, Belgium.
- All right, thank you very much, John.
Well, let's go inside the White House
for a look at this year'sspectacular Christmas decorations.
First Lady Melania Trumpselected every detail personally,
and she said it paystribute to the majesty
of the United States.
Here is White Housecorrespondent, Ben Kennedy.
- America the Beautifulis this year's theme,
as the Trump familycelebrates their 4th Christmas
at the White House.
It's beginning to looka lot like Christmas
at the White House, and it all began
with the arrival of thistree from West Virginia.
The 18 1/2-foot Fraser fir
traveled from Dan and BryanTree Farm in Shepherdstown
to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
(light Christmas music)
(upbeat Christmas music)
The official White House Christmas tree
sits in the Blue Room,
with decorations fromstudents across the country,
who were asked by theNational Parks Service
to highlight what captures thespirit of their home state.
First Lady Melania Trump tweeted,
"Together we celebrate this land
"we are all proud to call home."
(soft Christmas music)
A team of volunteers helpeddeck out the People's House
with 62 trees, 106 wreaths,
1200 feet of garland,3000 strands of light
and 17,000 bows.
The trees include thisone in the Red Room,
decorated to recognize first responders
and frontline workersbattling the pandemic.
Another in the East Winghonors gold star families.
It pays tribute to Americanheroes and their families
who walk beside them in service.
Ribbons honor individualswho gave their life
for this country.
The White House Library is decorated
in recognition of thisyear's 100th anniversary
of the 19th Amendment, which granted women
the right to vote.
The First Lady wrote, "Thetrees are adorned with ornaments
"featuring notable womenin our nation's history."
The State Dining Roomfeatures the traditional
gingerbread White House,
which took 400 pounds ofdough and icing to complete.
For the first time, itincludes the Rose Garden,
recently renovated by the First Lady.
Even cookies will be waiting for Santa
when he stops by.
Now the First Lady deciding the theme
dates back to 1961,
when Jacqueline Kennedydecorated the White House
in a Nutcracker Suite theme.
Ben Kennedy, CBN News.
- [Jenna] Thanks Ben, andjust ahead on Faith Nation,
a look at the truth andthe accuracy of the Bible.
(light upbeat music)
- [Announcer] Come home tothe sounds of Southern Gospel
from CBN Radio.
You'll enjoy a richsouthern blend of bluegrass,
classic gospel, andsouthern gospel favorites
like the Gaithers, the Crabb Family,
and bluegrass sounds like Mountain Faith.
So make yourself at home
with the all-new CBN Southern Gospel,
now available at CBNRadio.com.
(bluegrass music)
- [Announcer] It's about the competition.
- I kinda put that pressure on myself,
and I think people had expectations.
- [Announcer] It's about overcoming.
- We use this phrase allthe time, keep chopping,
keep practicing hard.
- [Announcer] It's aboutgoing the distance.
- You know, I think as a father,
it's my job, you know, to lead,
just be the best husbandand father I can be.
- [Announcer] Watch Goingthe Distance with Shawn Brown
Saturday night at 7:30
on the CBN News Channel.
- [Announcer] Life.
It's meant to be lived fully.
(soft music)
Jesus said it, I came to give you life,
life to the fullest,
life in your family,
life in your finances,
life in your body, mind, and spirit,
life in your every day.
(soft music)
At CBN.com, we're takingwhat Jesus said seriously.
(soft music)
We're here to help you discover life.
(soft music)
Life.
Live it fully.
CBN.com.
(soft music)
- Christians everywherecelebrate the miracle
of the virgin birth on Christmas Day,
but in a growing secular society,
more Americans thanever deny such miracles.
They also question theaccuracy of the Bible.
Paul Strand spoke with three experts
with evidence thatbelievers have it right.
- [Paul] These days many Christians,
especially college age students,
find their faith in Godand the Bible questioned,
if not downright assaulted.
- Sometimes they'll have a professor
that's gonna outright challenge
why they believe whatthey believe and say look,
what you believe is actually a fairy tale.
- [Paul] Not so, accordingto three of the world's
top biblical experts, who told CBN News
there's good reason tohave faith in your faith.
- The faith is very, very defendable.
That's why it's lasted for 2000 years.
- [Paul] They point to howeven respected non-believers
wrote about Jesus.
- 16 total historiansapart from the Scripture,
and everything else that reference Christ.
Almost everything aboutChrist we can find out
without ever going to the New Testament.
- The fact is, survivingmanuscripts we have
for almost any ancient writings
were produced hundreds of years
after those original writings.
Jonathan Morrow tells studentsat the Impact 360 Institute
there's more evidence thatJesus lived than Julius Caesar,
yet no one doubts Caesar existed.
Also, a rule is the closer in time
the writer was to events,
the more likely his account is accurate.
Peter, John, and James lived with Jesus.
- John said, "What our eyes have seen,
"what our ears have heard,what our hands have handled,
"is what we're declaring unto you."
In other words, we wereeyewitnesses, we were there.
- [Paul] And Morrowpoints out Paul and Luke
interviewed them and knew many others
who witnessed Jesus' life,death, and resurrection.
- When you're doinghistory, you want early
and you want eyewitnesses,
and the gospel writers give you both.
They investigated everything carefully,
they have the ring of truth to them.
They include embarrassing details.
- [Paul] Another understandingamongst scholars...
- What the age does, theyfind the closer the manuscript
to the original, lesschance of error or miscopy.
- [Paul] But McDowell explainsno original copies exist
of the most well respectedand accepted ancient works.
- When you look at Greekand Roman historians
like Herodotus and Tacitus and Livy,
those are hundreds of years later,
500, 600, 700 years after the fact.
- [Paul] Bible manuscripts, though,
get closer to the originalwork than any other.
- We've got manuscriptsand fragments that show up
within 35, 40 years of thetime when they were written.
Why does that matter?
It means there's not enoughtime for error in mythology
to corrupt the messageof what's going on there.
- Second, the more manuscripts you have,
the easier it is toreconstruct the original.
- [Paul] Here, thesurviving ancient copies
or pieces of the Bibleway outnumber all others.
- 66,420 some manuscripts and scrolls.
- [Paul] McDowell says secondplace is Homer's The Iliad
with just 1800.
- We do trust Homer, howmuch more so should we trust
the New Testament documents?
- [Paul] With so many more copies,
no surprise there'd be occasional errors,
and critics claim thereare some 400,000 mistakes
or variants in the Bible.
Well...- 99% of those 400,000
or so number evaporate,simple spelling errors,
word order.- Like H-O-N-O-R,
H-O-N-O-U-R.- But none of those texts
that are in questionaffect any central teaching
of Christian doctrine or practice.
- [Paul] And Bock andMorrow explain to students
many of the so-calledcontradictions in the Bible
are just different waysof telling the same story.
- And difference doesnot equal contradiction.
It's just difference.
- Doubters have a hard time believing
that the Bibles we're reading today
could accurately reflect the actual words
written by the authorsso many centuries ago.
But McDowell explainshow for Jewish scribes
copying books like Genesis and Exodus
was holy work and strictly controlled.
- 4000 regulations thescribe had to follow
to guarantee accuracy.
- [Paul] Monks had tightrules for copying as well.
Another reason to trust the Bible,
archeology and relatedresearch have time and again
shown the Bibles trueand Bible skeptics wrong.
- Archeology has probablycleared up already
over half of all what appeared to be
alleged discrepancies in the scriptures.
- [Paul] Skeptics would saythere's no record of a Nazareth,
so the New Testament can't be true,
and no record of the Hittites,
so the Old Testament can't be true.
Well, archeology and associated research
shows both existed.
- But now, you can go toHarvard or anywhere else,
and study the Hittite language.
- [Paul] Finally, there'sthe proof of logic.
The Apostles kept sayingto their opponents...
- You know what I'm talking about.
You were there.
- [Paul] McDowell points outthat's a crazy thing to do
if you're making the whole thing up.
- They appealed to theknowledge of their opponents
for the facts of which they talked about.
To me, that's one of the besttests of truth historically.
- [Paul] Bock asks what betterproof the earliest disciples
weren't making it all up than the fact
they almost all were martyred for it.
- You don't die knowingly for something
that you know you made up.
- [Paul] Paul Strand, CBN News.
- [Jenna] Fascinating, thanks, Paul.
But still ahead, nuns knownfor some really great cheese,
and their heart for prayer.
An update on the Goudanuns, their famous cheese,
and dedication to prayin these difficult days.
(upbeat music)
- [Announcer] Too often wecarry baggage from our past.
You know what it's like.
It affects everything andeveryone in our lives.
It's always there, weighing us down,
and keeping us fromachieving true happiness.
But do you know God never meant
for us to be trapped in the past?
You can be free of your baggage.
Learn how God's forgivenessleads to changed lives
and new beginnings.
Call The 700 Club.
- [Efrem] I'm Efrem Graham,and this is Studio 5.
Cruise with me as I discoverthe good things happening
in the world of music, sports,television, and movies.
- The fact that Ryan Cooglerwas gonna be directing the film
I knew that somethingspecial was gonna happen.
- [Efrem] We'll chat withartists at the forefront
of entertainment, andexplore the connection
between popular culture and faith.
- I asked my pastor, Isaid well does that mean
I'm supposed to be a preacher?
He says well no, youalready have a pulpit.
- [Announcer] Watch Studio5 Wednesday night at 9:30.
- [Announcer] Tikkun Olam.
- [Woman] This is our nature as a country.
- [Announcer] To makethe world a better place.
- Literally we felt the earth shaking.
- [Announcer] The ChristianBroadcasting Network presents
To Life: How Israeli Volunteers
are Changing the World.
- This film needs to be seen by everyone.
- I was in tears.
- [Announcer] Now you canown the inspiring documentary
To Life on DVD.
- There is blood on our hands if we know
and we walk away.- I'm so grateful
that this film was made.
- [Announcer] To Life can be yours
for a gift of $10 or more.
Call 1-800-700-7000
or log on to CBN.com.
- [Man] We know that everyminute counts to save a life.
- It'll bless Israel.
It'll also bless allthe friends of Israel.
- [Announcer] Discoverthe untold story of how
Israeli volunteers are makingthe world a better place.
Call 1-800-700-7000
or log on to CBN.comto get your copy today.
- Welcome back.
Well, a few years ago,CBN News introduced you
to a group of nuns whodo two things very well.
They pray and they makeGouda cheese of all things.
Well, in 2020, they're still at it,
and as Heather Sells shows us,
they have a special burdento pray for those serving
and suffering in this pandemic.
(singing)
- [Heather] This is the heart
of this cloistered Trappist nun community,
gathering for worship andprayer seven times a day,
starting at 3:15 in the morning,
and this is the cheese barn,
where the 12 sisters atOur Lady of the Angels
make close to 20,000pounds of Gouda every year.
Most of their quartermillion dollar business
is mail-order, although some local shops
drive out monthly for thecheese their customers crave.
- The flavor's great, it's on the mild end
in terms of intensity,
but it's delicious and youknow, really versatile.
You can use it for cooking
or you can just nosh it withsalami and olives and bread.
- When they started, the nuns knew nothing
about how to make cheese.
Today they literally cannotkeep up with the demand
from food connoisseurs around the country.
- It sort of sells itself.
People get it as a gift, and they call,
and they say could Iorder some of this cheese?
- [Heather] Sister Barbarais one of the original six
who was sent by a largemonastery in Massachusetts
to start anew on thisgorgeous piece of land
near Charlottesville, Virginia.
The goal followed the centuriesold rules of Saint Benedict
by building a life based on prayer,
and engaging in manuallabor to support themselves.
Happily for the sisters,the property they bought
already featured a cheese-making facility.
- We were so naive, wethought it would be so simple.
You have some of this equipment here,
and you just get somemilk and a few lessons
and just make some cheese.
- [Heather] But the sisters persevered,
and they got it right, really right.
They allot 30 some daysa year to make the Gouda
and everyone pitches in.
Sister Maria is thedesignated cheese cook.
She must manipulate some 6000pounds of pasteurized milk
with a little culture and rennet
into several hundred wheels of cheese.
It looks easy, but like any good recipe,
it's all about precision,
getting the correct temperature,
cutting the curds atjust the right moment,
heating them, then draining the whey
and finally, pressing the cheese.
Over the years, the sisters have not only
perfected their technique, theyhave never bungled a batch.
That's almost unheard of.
The sisters say prayer isa big part of their work,
from making the cheese to sending it out.
- While I'm doing it, I'mreally praying for the people
who are gonna eat that cheese.
I mean, I know every family,every person have problems.
- For every five cheeseorders that come in the mail,
at least one, maybe out of every four,
one will have a request for prayers.
- [Heather] Prayer is alsothe reason the nuns say
they won't grow their business.
- People will come in and saywell, you sold out last year
so you're gonna make morenext year, aren't you?
- [Heather] What is happening here,
a seeking after the Lordthat is visibly discernible.
- It's fun to see the nuns,
and they're so kind and calm and mellow.
It sort of slows you down a little bit.
- [Heather] When they're not in the chapel
or making the cheese, the nuns do admit
to eating it, often,
and there is a preferred method.
- You toast a piece of bread
so that the bread is kind of crispy,
and then you put a couplethin slices of cheese on,
put it in the microwave for 25 seconds.
- [Heather] Flash forward to 2020,
and the sisters say the pandemic
has made them even more conscious
of the need to pray.
They're especially mindfulof healthcare workers
and those who have lost a loved one.
A new puppy, Skippy, hasadded joy to their lives,
but otherwise, their days continue
as they always have, full of prayer,
and ministry opportunities in simple,
two-pound wheels of cheese.
Heather Sells, CBN News.
- [Jenna] Thanks, Heather,a holiday tradition
with a COVID twist.
That story next.
(light upbeat music)
- It's the new Superbook Bible app.
It's packed with games, activities,
and Superbook episodes thatyou can watch for free.
Go now.
There's trivia, a fun daily devotional,
and answers to your Bible questions.
Plus, an easy to understand Bible
the whole family will enjoy.
You can even create yourown Superbook character.
Ta-da.
It's the new Superbook Bible App.
Free downloads on iTunes,Google Play, and Amazon.
- [Announcer] On the Homefront.
- Thanks for joining usfor CBN's On the Homefront,
where we highlight what the men and women
of America's military doto defend our country.
CBN honors the men andwomen in our military
with an initiative calledHelping the Home Front.
It partners with churchesacross the country
to meet the needs oftheir military families
from repairing homes towiping out medical bills
for wounded veterans.
- [Announcer] Watch On theHomefront today at 2:30.
- [Announcer] Get Protect Your Sleep,
and discover how to improvethe quality of your life.
A free DVD or booklet
from the Christian Broadcasting Network.
- If you're not a great sleeper,
you can do things to makeyourself a great sleeper.
If you're already a pretty good sleeper,
you can enhance yoursleep and be even better.
- [Announcer] Five leadingexperts help remove the obstacles
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- [Announcer] Call 1-800-700-7000
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- Everything you do, you do better
with a good night's sleep.
- [Announcer] You'll discoverhow food affects your sleep,
how to put insomnia to rest,
explore effectiveremedies for sleep apnea,
and much more in Protect Your Sleep.
Wake up to your best life andget Protect Your Sleep today.
Call 1-800-700-7000
or go to CBN.com to getyour free DVD or booklet.
- Finally tonight, the pandemicmight be putting a hold
on normal holiday traditions,
but it didn't stop the NewYork Metropolitan Opera
from performing a Christmas concert,
though it looks a littledifferent from years past.
♪ And he shall reign forever and ever ♪
♪ And he shall reign forever and ever ♪
♪ He shall reign ♪
♪ And he shall reign forever and ever ♪
♪ And he shall reign forever and ever ♪
♪ And he shall reign, he shall reign ♪
♪ Forever and ever ♪
- Members of the Met OperaChorus donned face shields
and followed guidelineson social distancing
to perform a pop-up concert on the steps
of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Some sounds of the season,
and that does it forFaith Nation this evening.
We want to wish you a very merry Christmas
from all of us here atFaith Nation and CBN News.
Have a great night.
