I think that we (the church) should give the world back their holiday.
After studying early church history and the history of "Christmas" in both the church and the world, I have to ask myself, "how can an honest Christian want to be part of any of this man-made and man-centered holiday?".
There is nothing wrong with celebrating the incarnation; but, to mix that celebration with this holiday is more than just compromising, it is hypocrisy. I think we kid ourselves when we think that we can avoid mixing our affections for Christ with our affections for all the other things that this holiday offers; and, that would include family. I think, if we are honest with ourselves, we like the things about Christmas that feed the flesh and we really do not want to give those things up, so we justify it. We love the "feeling" we get; we love the gifts under the tree; we love the idea of family being all together; we love the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. Nothing at all wrong with that; but, we are dividing our affections between those things and Christ--probably with Christ taking second or third place on the list, whether we admit it or not.
You want to test my theory? Ask any professing Christian, "How was your Christmas?" and see what they talk about.
NOTE: Please do not comment unless you have done your homework. I don't mean reading websites and other men's points of view. I mean, legitimate, somewhat reliable, historical truths. Unless and until you are familiar with the earliest "church calendars" (prior to 300 a.d.) and have read the historians accounts (who actually lived during each phase of history) and are familiar with how Santa Claus got pushed to the front, etc., I am not interested in how you "feel" about it.
If we want to celebrate the incarnation of our Lord and Savior, can we please pick a different day. I am under no delusions that this will happen during my lifetime, if ever; but, I did feel this was worth expressing outloud.
After studying early church history and the history of "Christmas" in both the church and the world, I have to ask myself, "how can an honest Christian want to be part of any of this man-made and man-centered holiday?".
There is nothing wrong with celebrating the incarnation; but, to mix that celebration with this holiday is more than just compromising, it is hypocrisy. I think we kid ourselves when we think that we can avoid mixing our affections for Christ with our affections for all the other things that this holiday offers; and, that would include family. I think, if we are honest with ourselves, we like the things about Christmas that feed the flesh and we really do not want to give those things up, so we justify it. We love the "feeling" we get; we love the gifts under the tree; we love the idea of family being all together; we love the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. Nothing at all wrong with that; but, we are dividing our affections between those things and Christ--probably with Christ taking second or third place on the list, whether we admit it or not.
You want to test my theory? Ask any professing Christian, "How was your Christmas?" and see what they talk about.
NOTE: Please do not comment unless you have done your homework. I don't mean reading websites and other men's points of view. I mean, legitimate, somewhat reliable, historical truths. Unless and until you are familiar with the earliest "church calendars" (prior to 300 a.d.) and have read the historians accounts (who actually lived during each phase of history) and are familiar with how Santa Claus got pushed to the front, etc., I am not interested in how you "feel" about it.
If we want to celebrate the incarnation of our Lord and Savior, can we please pick a different day. I am under no delusions that this will happen during my lifetime, if ever; but, I did feel this was worth expressing outloud.
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