'Gospel stories themselves tell of dislocation and danger': A historian describes the world Jesus was born into

The historian’s framing leans on a familiar move: take Christmas, drain it of comfort, then use the instability of ancient Judea as a mirror for today’s anxieties. That may be evocative, but it turns a specific story into a general mood board.

What gets missed is that the Gospel accounts are not just about “dislocation.” They are also about ordered authority, personal duty, and the limits of earthly power. Hard times do not automatically validate modern political restlessness. They clarify what societies need to survive.

Conservatives read that world and see the enduring case for rule of law, public trust, and secure borders that protect the vulnerable first. Peace is not a vibe; it is a product of stability.

If Christmas has a public lesson, it is that compassion works best when it is grounded in institutions that can actually keep a people safe.