Jim Gash

Jim Gash is president of Pepperdine University.

People attend the lighting of a Christmas tree in Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem at night

Opinion

December 24, 2025

At Christmas, God fulfills His purpose — and gives us ours

Christmas reveals God's cosmic plan through Christ's incarnation, as Paul describes -- the pivotal moment when creation's hopes found new meaning.

The 33-metre-high Christmas tree, which came from the forest of southern Austria, is officially lit during a ceremony as it rains in St. Peter's Square, in front of Basilica at the Vatican December 13, 2008. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (VATICAN) - RTR22JUQ

Opinion

December 15, 2024

ADVENT 2024: As Pepperdine president, we learned through hardship Christ brings light to end the darkness

The third Sunday in Advent is a reminder that Christ brings light even our darkest times. Paul learned that our problems here on earth don't compare to the “eternal weight of glory."