A Full Christmas
A cause for hope: it looks like the “Happy Holidays” push is dead-on-arrival this year; most retailers are returning to “Merry Christmas” lest they provoke the wrath of the majority of Americans who consider themselves at least nominally Christian. The people who run the retail stores like our money more than they hate our Savior. And they really hate our Savior, so that tells you how much they like our money.
On the flip side, I hear of some people rejecting the cultural side of Christmas, including Christmas trees, presents, Santa Claus, etc. I think that’s a tad overreactive- Christmas is a unifying celebration of our common religion and culture, and while there was a definite secularizing push in the 20th century (complete with Christ-free carols and the retailization of the holy day), that does not mean that any extra-Biblical Christmas themes are inherently wrong, just overpromoted by the usual suspects. Similarly, sex is over-promoted in our culture, but this does not mean it is wrong in the proper context.
We need to remember the “golden mean” that our wise Greek forebears taught us- let us neither slavishly follow the culture nor slavishly react to it, but rather enjoy our freedom in Christ to the fullest. Or as another wise man put it, all things in moderation.
There’s enough room at Christmas-time for the Nativity and the Christmas tree.
November 20th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
Tom,
I’m not sure you’re showing the courage of your convictions here, buddy.
I would argue that context is the lion’s share of the argument.
Leave us not forget our buddy Mr. “O” and his subversive religion. If you will allow that the Bible pretty much defines everything as either 100% God’s or 100% Satan’s, everything — that is, everything — is a game of inches.
So if you’re [generic you] going to reject Hallowe’en celebrations as derivative of their pagan roots, you pretty much have to reject all cultural manifestations of the Nordic-Germanic pagans’ Yule celebrations — from gift giving and candle-bedecked trees to the sacrificing of a fattened pig (Christmas ham) to Freyr.
I have expressed to Georgia my disgust with the modern incarnation of the “Holiday Season” and its focus (as with virtually all other aspects of American culture) on personal gain and instant gratification. Dr. Luke, the storyteller, spent a lot of effort on telling the Christmas story. But after the actual birth was over, the Bible doesn’t much mention the manner of or reasons for Christ’s birth. But there seems to have been a great deal of time and effort spet to point out how and why Jesus died, and to prove the truth of his resurrection. So my question is why do we, as Christians, give into the worldly celebration of Christmas (a holiday fabricated to facilitate conversion of northern European pagans by the catholic Church[capitalization intentional -- as the only Church in Europe at the time, it was universal and therefore catholic]) and then –oh, yeah… what was that other thing in April or something? — when that’s the hingepin of the Christian faith?
I really think we should (I’m speaking of our family here) remove virtually all emphasis on Christmas and focus more on Easter (despite the questionable claim of ties to a pagan fertility goddess — this one, at least, is tied to Passover and therefore Biblically verifiable) because Jesus entered the world much the same as anyone else — prophecies aside — but man! What an exit!
Of course, I have been vetoed on the ixnay on the istmasChray thing. But not on Santa Clause (I’ll take my victories where I can get ‘em).
Brian
November 20th, 2006 at 4:37 pm
P.S.
I thought that was “All things in moderation — except giving glory to God.”
B
November 20th, 2006 at 4:44 pm
Brian,
I simply disagree. The Bible is silent on a lot of things, so the idea that everything we do must be explicitly permitted by the Bible is not correct. Unless specifically prohibited, we have freedom in Christ.
Your analogy to Osteen doesn’t apply here because in that case we are talking about the Gospel itself- the most precious thing we have, and we cannot tolerate those who cheapen it lest we lose its essence and therefore its efficacy. I am not arguing that Santa Claus or a Christmas tree is saving anybody from eternal damnation. So it’s not a game of inches because there aren’t eternal stakes involved.
Halloween is explicitly a Satanic holiday, though I don’t believe it’s necessarily wrong if practiced innocently as most people do it. My family won’t celebrate it because I know what it’s about, but for most people (except actual Satanists or those into the occult), it’s not a sin because there is no knowledge of the nature of the holiday. We could have “go get candy from our neighbors and dress up in costumes day” on March 27th and I’m sure you wouldn’t argue it a sin, so I don’t see a huge issue with people who are innocent as to the nature of the holiday participating in it. Of course, we should work to educate them, but to call it a sin is another thing entirely.
Christmas is not a pagan holiday- yes, it may include pagan elements but it is not practiced as such. And many wise and holy Christian men have celebrated Christmas, so to call it a sin is a bit presumptuous IMO.
I think it’s great that people are starting to make their own decisions about Scripture and seem to be taking things more seriously, but I think a dose of humbleness would do us good. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I choose to rely on the wisdom of our forebears, men much holier and smarter than me. Basically, the way I look at things is that REALLY smart and REALLY holy people have been studying scripture for a REALLY long time; the Bible wasn’t written yesterday and the odds of my discovering some great new truth are pretty low. Only a very few theologians have rejected Christmas, and so if we come to that conclusion we ought to question it pretty heavily- there is nothing new under the sun and anyone who starts advocating something radically at odds with standard Christian practices in place at the height of our civilization (say 1861, give or take a few years) ought to be severely scrutinized and treated with suspicion. In fact, the only group I can think of that rejected Christmas were marginal extremists like the Puritans.
Like I said, I think the rejection of Christmas is reactionary. I am encouraged by the new conservative trends in the church, but I want to caution against excessive fanaticism. Let us not forget that the fanatical Puritans burned out their faith pretty quickly and cursed the world with the New England liberal (still just as fanatical, unfortunately) within less than 200 years. I don’t think the two are coincidental.
Give me an aged Christian culture like that of the South over a bunch of Yankee fanatics anyday. Christmas is part of our full and rich heritage, and we should embrace it.
November 20th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
That’s a big “roge” on the freedom in Christ thing. I don’t advocate living in a cave and coming out only on the Old Testament holy days and triple-coupon Thursdays.
Forgive me for stating my case the way I did. I was attempting to provide a little salt for conversation and maybe helping out someone with the next trivial pursuit game they play.
I’m not suggesting celebrating Christmas falls in line with celebrating the dark mass at midnight on Samhain. But I think the commercialization of Christmas is so pervasive that the true meaning of the holiday is lost, or nearly so. As with the governement, I will vote with my feet — or checkbook, in this case — if I have to.
And I think that things can become evil, even though they seem innocuous, when they conflict with God’s law. Modern Christmas celebration does this so very often. By promoting a spirit of greed and begging the question “what can I get?” we as Americans promulgate this mindset. And I must respectfully and lovingly disagree with you on this one point, Tom: everything in life is a game of inches. I think your characterization of Osteen is perfectly applicable to any facet of life. If the Enemy can cause me as a believer to stumble, and I am an openly professed and self-described Christian, then what effect does that have on those around me that may not be saved? I know what the right answer is, and I know that God is a just and loving God with grace in abundance; I won’t lose my salvation because I sin.
It’s the same as why baptists don’t drink (around other baptists, anyway). I like beer. One of the telling points of a civilization is the development of the ability to brew or distill some form of alcohol. Jesus drank wine. Paul told Timothy to drink wine for his stomach problems. So why (excluding the sophomoric explanation that Hebrew wine in the first century had almost no alcohol content) don’t baptists allow drinking? Because my drinking might cause another to stumble.
I respectfully submit for your consideration a comment made by a Pentacostal friend of mine: I know the possibility exists that I may be doing more than is required; but when I’m standing in front of God, I would rather hear him say “You know, you didn’t have to do this much” than “You should’ve done more than that.”
The part of Christmas we as believers should reject is the over-commercialization of it, not the holiday entire. Like I said, the reason for the birth was the death and resurrection. Shouldn’t the “birthday” kind of take a back seat?
November 22nd, 2006 at 2:14 pm
But, on a much more ’simpleton’ note - isn’t the birth of Jesus wonderful? Isn’t it exciting that HOPE is here? Aren’t all the things that the birth symbolizes - expectation finally fulfilled, hope awakened, and God’s interaction with man on an intimate level - aren’t these things that deserve to be celebrated?
There would have been no death without the birth, either. I think it’s just a wonderful time - an amazing remembrance of hope and joy. And I won’t pass up the chance to celebrate this not only with my immediate family, but my extended family and the rest of the country as well. It’s such an amazing testament to the power of God that His hope and joy can permeate a culture that denies His very existence. But it’s here at Christmas time for everyone to see.
Think, too, of Easter where everyone goes to church for cultural reasons: You’re “supposed” to go to church on Easter. Does this mean that those of us who know the true meaning of Easter should a)not go b/c it’s become “just a tradition” or, b)not let those come in who aren’t there for truly spiritual reasons? That would be ludicrous.
In the same way, I think just because Walmart has taken Christmas and made it a retail holiday, just because the world has taken gift-giving to an extreme, and taken the symbol and meaning of Santa Claus and made it something it was never intended to be - just because the world has done this with my Christmas holiday doesn’t mean I’m just going to let them have it. It’s something precious to our family, and we will celebrate it.
We do have to fight materialism - but then, we have to fight that at birthdays, when we go grocery shopping, and every time we turn on the TV. This is a fact of life, and we talk to our kids about it every chance we get.
Anyway there’s my ‘humble’ opinion. =)
November 22nd, 2006 at 5:33 pm
Christmas is such a wonderful time of year! Children can better understand God, as he sent us Jesus Christ, in the form of a helpless baby. As a mother, this is something that I find incredible in a whole new way now that I have children. The humble beginnings of His birth give me such awe at God’s plan to send our Savior as an infant.
I find teaching about Christmas and baby Jesus much easier with my toddler than speaking of Easter and of Christ’s death and resurrection. Yes, that is essential, but for now, her concept of death is nonexistent. She understands “born” - as her sister was “born” and friends’ siblings are “born.” To cease celebrating this season of hope is not something I plan on doing.
Setting gift-giving boundaries within your family and with extended family is certainly something that should be considered if you are worried about the materialism aspect over-taking the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
On another note, as society continues to degrade, I refuse to give up my cultural traditions, such as a Christmas tree, just because others insist upon calling it a “Holiday” tree. I feel as though I have so few traditions to pass on to my children. I do not want to lose the few we do have, just because the world is celebrating them in another context.
November 22nd, 2006 at 11:12 pm
amen!