Differing Christian Responses to Christmas

Differing Christian Responses to Christmas
By Ken Curtis

To Christians, the incarnation, the Son of God becoming man, is the most central event in all of history. All previous ages looked forward to the coming of Christ, and all subsequent history gains meaning from Christ's

coming. The Gospel writers Matthew and Luke carefully give us the historical setting to Jesus' birth -- under the reign of Caesar Augustus when Quirinius was governor of

Syria

and while Herod was ruling Palestine. Yet, the exact date of Jesus' birth is unknown, and the early Christians did not even celebrate Christ's birth. Birthdays and their celebrations had always been Roman feast days. The resurrection was the big event for Christian celebration.
By the fourth century, however, many Christian groups had begun to observe Christ's birthday, though the day chosen for the celebration differed from place to place. Christians in the East generally celebrated on January 6; those in the West on December 25.

Others set dates in March, April, or May. About 350 AD, Pope Julius set December 25 as the date of Jesus' birth. This corresponded with the Roman feast of Saturnalia, the festival of the Unconquered Sun. Since ancient days, people throughout the northern hemisphere had celebrated at this time when the daylight hours had reached their shortest and again began to increase. Temples were decorated with greenery and candles, there were feasts and parades with special music, and gifts were given to family and friends. Among the British Druids, mistletoe was worshiped, and the Saxons used holly and ivy in their winter religious ceremonies. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, many of the pagan customs and festivities of the winter solstice were absorbed into the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

The English Puritans and Reformed Protestants across Europe determined to purify religious belief and remove everything that was not directly commanded or described in the Bible. They believed the observance of Christmas on December 25 was pagan, taken from the Roman Catholic calendar. In 1644 the Puritans banned Christmas observance in England, but the ban was quickly rescinded when King Charles II took the throne. In America, however, the Puritans of New England continued to treat December 25 as just another day in winter well into the 1800's. By the 1830's Puritanism was being thrown off in New England, and people in the cities were beginning to celebrate Christmas with a mix of Dutch and English traditions. By the end of the century, most Americans were celebrating a Christmas with all the traditions of today -- lighted and decorated trees, Christmas cards, carols, fruitcakes, festive parties, shopping, and giving gifts.

How Christian is Christmas?

It can be as disappointing as a child's discovery there really is no Santa Claus finding out the Early Church didn't celebrate Christmas and had no interest in it. The Gospel writers didn't even bother to tell us the date of Jesus' birth. Ever wonder how Jesus looks at all the present Christmas fanfare? Is he flattered, embarrassed, angry, saddened?

Our secularized society frantically chases the celebration but isn't too keen on preserving the source. In polite company it is no longer proper to greet with "Merry Christmas." Better to say, "Happy Holidays." And the centuries old marking of time with BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domine -- In the year of our Lord) is no longer politically correct. The acceptable terms now are BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era), an astonishing disguise that pretends that there was no landmark event and definitive reference point for

marking time established and accepted for ages by Western civilization.
Perhaps Jesus does not lament the loss any more than the early Church would have. It's hard to imagine Jesus claiming title to the commercial orgy that Christmas so often becomes.

Yet, even a secularized Christmas still awakens something wondrous and out of the ordinary. Despite deliberate efforts to beat out any religious connotations to Christmas, when else do we see that glimmer of openness to the transcendent in the hearts of so many, the wistful lingering hope that we might live together in a better way, and joyful release of generosity of spirit and concern for others in need. Where does all this come from? That sweetest fruit of generalized "good feelings" comes from specific seed and soil -- the "good news" that "unto you a Savior is born."

Dr. Ken Curtis is the President of the Christian History Institute which is a non-profit non-denominational corporation seeking to serve the Christian and the secular worlds by increasing an awareness of the role of Christianity in the development of Western civilization and the cultivation of values, freedoms, and moral foundations that have enriched our society. They are also are involved in film and video production (Vision Videos), study tours, curriculum development, and book publishing. To receive a current catalog of Vision Video's productions and other resources, email your complete postal address to info@chinstitute.org or write them at Christian History Institute Box 540 Worcester PA 19490. Their phone number is 1-800-468-0458. You may also wish to visit their web site at http://www.gospelcom.net.