What’s Wrong with “Away in a Manger”? Unbelievable Christmas Bonus with N. T. Wright

Unbelievable?

Premier Unbelievable?

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 24 December 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Bad theology, great tunes - who cares? We bring you the truth about Christmas carols in this festive bonus from Ask NT Wright Anything, theologian Tom Wright and host Mike Bird take a playful yet thoughtful look at our favourite (and not-so-favourite) Christmas hymns. Many people love singing carols even if they’re unsure what they believe, but are some beloved hymns actually theologically misleading? Recorded during Advent in London, this conversation explores which carols richly express the biblical meaning of Christmas and which may drift into sentimentality, confusion, or even quiet heresy. From the beauty of O Come All Ye Faithful to the problems lurking in Away in a Manger, Tom explains why words matter and how hymns shape what Christians believe about incarnation, salvation, and the future hope of God’s new creation. A festive and surprising Christmas treat, rather like Christmas pudding! SOCIAL LINKS Twitter: https://twitter.com/unbelievablefe Facebook: / https://facebook.com/premierunbelievable Instagram: / https://instagram.com/premierunbelievable Tik Tok: / https://tiktok.com/@premier.unbelievable 👉 Get bonus content, updates, fascinating articles, and early access to new episodes—absolutely free! Join now at www.premierunbelievable.com 🎉📢 • Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://www.premier.plus/unbelievable • More shows, free eBook & newsletter: https://premierunbelievable.com • For live events: http://www.unbelievable.live • For online learning: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training • Support us: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donate

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	My dad died when I was nine years old and it broke something in me.
0:05.0	I spent lots of times homeless, causing even bigger rifts in the family.
0:10.0	I was out of control.
0:12.0	Green Pastures is a Christian charity providing homes and support for people facing homelessness across the UK.
0:20.0	As soon as I walked in that place,
0:21.6	I knew there was something different about it.
0:23.6	Through Green Pastures,
0:25.6	Andy found a home,
0:26.6	freedom from addiction,
0:28.6	and a new beginning in faith.
0:30.6	It's the best thing I've ever done.
0:31.6	It released me from that 23 years of addiction.
0:35.6	And now I'm senior support worker here at Green Pastures Derby.
0:39.9	Find out more at greenpastures.com.uk.
0:45.9	Hello, unbelievable listeners.
0:48.1	Mike Bird here from the Ask Antirite Anything podcast.
0:51.7	We've got a little Christmas cracker for you.
0:54.6	This is a taste of another show you might enjoy Ask Ante Right Anything, a show where listeners
1:01.3	bring their toughest nitty-gritty Bible questions to the one and only Tom Wright.
1:07.0	Now, many skeptics and atheists tell us that they still love singing Christmas carols, even if they're not sure that they believe them.
1:14.6	So while I was with Tom in London recently, I asked him a slightly mischievous question.
1:20.6	Are some of our best-love Christmas carols actually saying things that are, well, theologically dodgy.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 3 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Premier Unbelievable?, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Premier Unbelievable? and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.