The War on Christmas

by Steve Bastin

One would never guess from looking at my office that I do not like things that are untidy.  Clearly it is only some untidy things that I despise.  Like, for example, this war on Christmas.

When we were attacked on 9/11 it was important that we identify whom it was that attacked us.  We could not reply to the attack until the enemy was identified.

In this war on Christmas, just who are the combatants?  And, just exactly, what does it mean to wage war on Christmas?  What is Christmas?

By now you are probably hopelessly befuddled and have no idea where I am going with this one.  Just bear with me while I wade through some definitions.

Christmas is many things to many people.  To some it means exchanging gifts, decorating the house with lights and Christmas trees and angels and wreaths.  To others it means a holy celebration of Jesus’ birth.  To others it is some of both (the actual emphasis varying from one person to another).

There is no doubt that many people associate Christmas trees, “Merry Christmas” and such with the birth of Jesus.  I am not sure how this happened, but it has happened.  Certainly this association does not come from the Bible.  The Bible knows nothing of Christmas trees, manger scenes, wreaths and brightly colored lights as symbols of the birth of Jesus.  No apostle is ever on record as saying, “Merry Christmas.”  Paul’s letters are filled with greetings to various people, but he never greeted a fellow Christian with, “Merry Christmas.”

It is also clear that many people have engaged in a campaign to remove these symbols from public display.  In various communities, public property can no longer be used to display Christmas trees and other things that have become associated with “Christian” celebrations of Christmas.

Suppose there were laws passed that banned all displays of things associated with Christmas.  Then I would not put up a Christmas tree nor hang a lighted wreath on my front porch.  It would not affect my religion to refrain from displaying these things.  My religion is based on the Bible and I find no evidence that God requires such displays from me.  Nor is there any indication that I can draw closer to God by such displays.  My relationship with God is based on forgiveness through Jesus and holiness of life.

This whole war, from Christmas trees to Christmas greetings, seems to be a war over public use of symbols.  These symbols have nothing to do with the core values of the religion taught by Jesus.  In fact, these symbols have no relationship with Jesus at all.  They would appear as strange aberrations to first century Christians who have passed down no symbols at all in the record they have left us in the New Testament except for communion (the bread and cup representing the body and blood of Jesus).

When the Christian religion began (the early history is recorded in the book of Acts in the New Testament) there were no holidays nor special days of observance.  On the first day of the week the disciples met to remember Jesus by partaking of communion.  But this would often have

been observed either before or after their work day.

Christians had no say in the government, either the Roman government that was over everyone, nor in the local governments.  They did not depend upon government support for their beliefs and practices.  They obeyed God and suffered the consequences when the government declared their activities illegal.  They made no attempt to change the government.  They were intent on changing people through preaching the message about Jesus.

It was not until the time of the Roman Emperor, Constantine, that Christians were given power in the government.  When Constantine decided to make the Christian religion the religion of the empire, everything changed.  The heathens were out and the Christians were in.

People then became Christians because there were political advantages to be obtained by professing Christianity.

Power corrupts.  (Someone famous once made that observation.)  When power was placed in the hands of church officials they used that power to suppress the heathen religions and extend favors to the Christians.  Unconverted people then became, officially, “Christians.”  The corruption of the church was well under way!  There are even some rumors that the government bribed people to become Christians.

Ever since that time, Christians have looked to the government to sustain their cause.  For 250 years the Christian cause was sustained by the lives and preaching of those who believed in Jesus.  It was sustained by their faith and their willingness to sacrifice everything to follow Jesus.

Now Christians want the government to enforce their beliefs.  They want the government to appoint judges who will support their viewpoint.  They want to elect government official who will enact laws in their favor.  They even want preferential treatment for the self-proclaimed symbols of their religion, things like Christmas trees, Christmas greetings and the like.

I have no objections to Christians being a part of the government, be it judge, legislator or in the executive branch, but I deny that the Christian religion is dependent upon such influences in high places.

That is not God’s plan for changing the world.  He set up His church to preach the gospel not to enact legislation.  He established His church on the basis of Jesus’ death on the cross.  Peter tells us simply, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Christians do not need to defend their practices in a court of law.  They need to defend their practices by godly living and preaching the gospel to sinful people.  The world will not be converted by a Christmas tree!  The world will not be converted by saying, “Merry Christmas!”

Paul tells us simply, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’”

This is God’s plan for saving the world.  We need to believe and trust in His way.  It worked in the first century.  It will work today.