Description:  Every year, when Christmas rolls around, we hear once again the beautiful Christmas story. Despite how familiar this story is to all of us, we never seem to tire of hearing it. Events surrounding  the birth of Jesus are so well-known, little children can tell the story. Many of them have acted it out in church pageants. Yet, as is true with any biblical narrative, there is always more to the story if we just keep digging. This forum will probe deeper into overlooked details of the Christmas story to unearth unexpected aspects and overlooked participants in a story we all know as well as our own.  

Bio:  Carolyn Custis James speaks internationally and is an activist, blogger, and award-winning author. Her books include Finding God in the Margins, Malestrom, Half the Church, and The Gospel of Ruth. She is a consulting editor for Zondervan’s Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament and an adjunct professor at Biblical Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. She blogs at www.carolyncustisjames.com, Huffington Post/Religion, and as a Leading Voice at Missio Alliance. Her work focuses on the intersection between Christianity and twenty-first century cultural issues facing women and men globally and has earned her recognition by Christianity Today as one of 50 Christian Women Leaders to Watch.”