Same Old Moldy Cheese

The secular Old Media will never learn. Time and Newsweek have trotted out the same, tired, old "it isn't really true" rhetoric in two feature articles just in time to cheer up folks for the Christmas holidays. Their basic conclusions are that the Gospel accounts of the Nativity are of (gasp!) doubtful historicity and were likely embellished legends constructed by the human authors of the books.

Mark D. Roberts and Albert Mohler Jr. promptly expose the sloppier and more biased Newsweek piece for what it is, in Mohler's words: "...not a serious and balanced consideration of the Christian truth claim, but a broadside attack packaged as a condescending essay of advice..."

The Newsweek piece is here. Follow with the Roberts and Mohler responses.

Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt where I discovered this issue, and who asks a very valid non-theological question as grist for a symposium of fellow bloggers:

"...write on the subject of what these articles tell us about the MSM's abilities and credibility on matters of faith and history, specifically, is the Newsweek article the religion reporting equivalent of Rathergate? What accounts for the appearance in a major news magazine of such a biased piece?"

Some responses are already up.