If you tuned in to the news during the past weeks, you most likely heard the words Christmas and war used in the same sentence—something you might not have thought possible before. Essentially, the debate is about being “politically correct” by no longer naming Christmas as such but calling it “holiday” so as not to offend adherers of other religions.
Some who advance this viewpoint argue that America is a pluralistic society and one should not impose the views, traditions and beliefs of some, even if they are those of the majority of people on others. Traditionalists argue that the Republic of the United States was founded upon Christian principles and traditions and we should not succumb to the advances of people with other or no religious beliefs of their own and let them dictate to us what we call one of our most important days of the year.
As much as one would like to view Christmas as a day of peace, happiness and family, a look back at the first Christmas shows that it was anything but a peaceful day and time. Jesus’ parents had to flee to a foreign country for fear of their lives. Herod, the king of Israel had all male children less than two years old killed in order to eradicate the potential threat to his throne. In this sense, Christmas wars are nothing new. Jesus himself later said that he did not come to bring peace to earth, but a sword. (Matt. 10:34). In other words, Christ and his claims always have the air of conflict associated with them because he is calling everybody on his terms. This of course runs afoul with our desire for independence and being the masters of our destiny. We do not want to recognize the claim of Christ on our lives—so we aim to remove him not only from Christmas, but also from our conscience. Whether we replace Christ with an X as in X-mas or whether we try to rid ourselves of the word Christmas altogether, it reeks of our attempt, futile as it is, to shake the message of Christ.
You may ask what a Christ-like response to this issue should look like. Should Christians stand up and fight the attempted removal of Christmas and its replacement with a nondescript holiday?
My opinion on this question is that we take a firm but loving stand, saying that no one is forced to celebrate Christmas or even call the day by that name. However, the origin of Christmas is historically verifiable. Although it most likely is not the literal birth date of Christ, the day has been celebrated as such for hundreds of years. Our way of counting time begins with it. It seems to me that historical fact should not be altered to mean something else.
However, what is much more important than winning the argument is that we who call ourselves his followers live our lives in a Christ-honoring way. Even the best facts and arguments will not often change an opponents mind, but a life forgiven and changed, made joyful by the person who Christmas is named after will speak powerfully for itself.
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