Great white shark nearly beheads diver

A great white shark nearly took off a salvage diver’s head in South Africa, according to a now-viral video. Carson Wentz, the Philadelphia Eagles’ phenomenal quarterback (and very committed Christian), has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a knee injury.

And the wildfires in California have destroyed over a thousand structures as of this morning. An anesthesiologist lost his home to fire in Santa Rosa last October. Then a second home in Ventura, which he was renting to members of the military, burned down last week.

What do these stories have in common?

Shifting themes: A terror attack struck a bus terminal near Times Square yesterday morning. The would-be suicide bomber was reportedly inspired by ISIS attacks on Christmas markets in Europe. Reuters is reporting that Russian-language hackers have stolen nearly $10 million from at least eighteen banks, fifteen of them in the US.

And the New England Patriots played without Rob Gronkowski when they lost to the Miami Dolphins last night. The All-Pro tight end was suspended for the game as punishment for an illegal hit on a Buffalo Bills player last week.

What do these stories have in common?

Great white sharks may be “top tier predators” in nature, but their hunting behavior is obviously amoral. Pro football players may occupy a similar rank in athletics, but the hit that injured Carson Wentz was both legal and typical for the sport. The latest California wildfires are being blamed on natural causes such as dry conditions in the region and the state’s Santa Ana winds.

However, Islamic terrorists, cyber-hackers, and football players who blindside other football players are clearly making immoral choices. What’s more, they illustrate a larger narrative I’d like to explore and relate to the grace of Christmas today.

“You have never talked to a mere mortal”

If our culture embraced the sanctity of human life, we would believe that every person we meet is worthy of our deepest…