Saturday, December 10, 2011

The Annual Christmas Controversy

The Annual Christmas Controversy

(My reply to brother Matthew Allen regarding an article he wrote with the above title. Below, I give my thoughts under each point he raised in the article. This is not meant as an attack on Matt, but an attempt at giving an alternative viewpoint in meekness and concern for truth and souls, both his, mine, and others.)

MA: It’s that time of year again. You know, the time of year where we have our annual discussion within churches of Christ about exchanging gifts,

TB: Do brethren really engage discussions about whether we can exchange gifts?  Not that I have ever heard.  I have never heard brethren argue that it is wrong to exchange gifts.

MA:  the existence of Santa Claus,

TB: Do brethren really engage discussions about the existence of Santa Claus?  Not that I have ever heard.  So, we can see right out of the box that this article is not going to give a fair analysis of what the discussion is really about.

MA:  putting up a tree, hanging lights, wearing red, and anything else associated with the national holiday that comes around each December 25.

TB:  I don’t recall anyone saying that you cannot do these things on Dec.25 as a national holiday.

MA:  There are strong opinions on both sides.

TB:  I don’t think I have ever heard strong opinions about the above items listed and it being done as part of a secular national holiday.

MA:  (I got reminded of that earlier this week when I waded into the thick of two Facebook discussions). But did you notice the key word I just used? The issue centers around one’s opinion. That’s right, this matter is an issue of judgment for each Christian – just like participation in every other cultural celebration.

TB:  If one of the Facebook discussions was on my list (Matt waded into that one), then you AGREED that we are not to sing that Jesus was born on Dec.25, and that we are not to pretend that He was.  You also admit that it is not merely an OPINION that the church should not corporately sing and pretend that Dec.25 is Jesus birthday.  So, this more than a mere personal issue that calls for Romans 14 to encourage individuals to believe what they want to about Dec.25.

MA:  While there is no scriptural authority for the church to engage in a religious observance celebrating December 25 as Jesus’ birthday, there certainly should be no prohibition for an individual Christian or family to say a prayer of thanks and sing songs of praise for Jesus’ birth – two Sundays from now – or on any day of the year.

TB: No one has said that you can’t personally thank God for Jesus’ birth every day including Dec.25. But, you cannot just sing and pretend that Dec.25 IS the birthday of Jesus, nor to recklessly lend your influence and support to those who have already swallowed that error.  Lets us thank God for Jesus birth always while clarifying to those who have been misled that Jesus birth is being misrepresented in a number of ways.

MA: While we know December 25 is most likely not the day Jesus was born, we do know He was born and should be thankful for it. After all, we couldn’t have had a death and resurrection without a birth, right?

TB: That is true, but that is not the issue. Never has been the issue.

MA:  And, we certainly should take advantage of the opportunities we have this time of year to share not only the story of the birth of Jesus, but the salvation that comes through His victory over sin and death on the cross. While people in the world are thinking more about Jesus than at any other time of the year – shouldn’t we joyfully share the greatest story ever told – instead of wearing a frown and sternly preaching that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25 and that Christmas was a Catholic adaptation of a pagan holiday?

TB: We should joyfully share  the story at all times of year and endeavor to correct the errors that are commonly promoted. We should do that year round including this season.  You admitted that Jesus was not born on Dec.25.  Should you not joyfully share that information?  And, since it is true that Christmas was a Catholic adaption of a pagan holiday, shouldn’t you joyfully share that information?  Can you really be happy with the lies being promoted, and just ignore that, and then speak up reproachfully when brethren tell the truth?

MA: Do we realize how we sound? That to some, we often speak in a language they don’t understand? And do we realize that instead of opening up doors of possibility that God gives us – we could very well slam some doors shut?

TB: We “sound” like a cult to others on the issue of baptism.  Should we cease preaching the truth about baptism because the ignorant deem us to be a cult?  Remember that Jesus and the early Christians “sounded” weird to the ignorant masses.  We don’t teach them the truth by merely pretending that we agree with their misguided conclusions.  We should be warm and friendly, but we do not help them by compromising the truth.  We “speak in a language they don’t understand” (biblical language) to help them start understanding the Bible on the Lord’s Supper, Baptism, the time of reformation says to give up the incense and instrumental music, etc.  Do we just go along with their practices for fear of not speaking their language?  Where does speaking God’s language come in?  I’m for being tactful and harmless and wise, but not for compromise of God’s truth.

MA: How we come across is extremely important. Sometimes I wonder if some people out there could more closely associate some of us with Jehovah’s Witnesses or even Atheists than Jesus Christ.

TB: The problem is that they don’t know the right Jesus (2 Cor.11:3-4). They have been taught “another Jesus”. Our job is to “cast down imaginations”(2 Cor.10:4f) and “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ” (the real one).  In the first century, those in darkness associated the early Christians with atheism and cannibalism and “the sect of the Nazarenes”, a group “everywhere spoken against”.  We should be more concerned about whether people can learn enough about the real Jesus to associate us with Him.  Our only concern about “how we come across” is that we strive to come across as harmless as doves and as wise as serpents, but obviously devoted to telling the truth and correcting error.

MA:  A few years ago a sister I know attended a choir concert at a local school. While the performance was going on, there were a number of kids who stood off to the side and did not participate as a few Christmas songs were sung. A member of the local community who was not a Christian commented that it was sad to her to see how atheism was spreading to such young children. While the parents of those kids and maybe the kids themselves understood what was going on – the world didn’t – and just associated it with something that was not even close to the truth.

TB: So, would you have recommended that these young kids join in the singing with instruments and sing along with lyrics that do not speak the truth?  If the lady had talked to these kids, she may have found out that her assumption was far from the truth.  These young people believed in Jesus enough to represent His story correctly and without the instruments.  We cannot always help how people in darkness perceive of us.  But, those kids are to be commended for abiding by their conscience. Those in darkness do not understand a lot of things. Those in the light understand, and God understands and appreciates the conviction to stand for the truth conscientiously.



MA: These are just a few random thoughts I have. I understand there are many angles to this discussion. I understand that there are many discrepancies between cultural traditions, various church narratives and celebrations, and the biblical record. And, I do think that we can use our best judgment and discretion to take advantage of opportunities to politely set the record straight. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person, Colossians 4.5-6.

TB: I agree that we should strive to politely set the record straight. But, we do not set it straight by singing error with instrumental music just to fit in and not be thought of as an atheist.  Our lives should testify of faith in Jesus daily so that people who know us know that we believe in Jesus, the right one.

MA:  And also, I know many readers will disagree with some of my thoughts above. That’s OK. That’s your judgment on this matter – and you are free to come to your own conclusion. But just remember: the one who chooses not to participate in the cultural observations of Christmas is no more spiritual than the one who does. As with other matters of judgment within the church, we should apply the principles of Romans 14.

TB: I agree that there are cultural, fully secular aspects of the Christmas season that we can engage. But, we must not promote error regarding the Biblical story of Jesus birth, life, teaching, death, or resurrection.  Romans 14 would apply to the secular stuff that does not matter to God one way or the other.  Romans 14 does not allow that we can promote error regarding Jesus’ birth.



MA: Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.  One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God, Romans 14.5-7.

TB: It seems that you passed judgment on the conscientious students who did not want to misrepresent Jesus in songs about His birth and likely with instrumental music.  If you are going to use Romans 14, be sure that you are using it correctly in matters that don’t matter one way or the other to God.  The truth about when Jesus was born and what really happened is a matter that matters to God.  I would feel compelled to judge that those caught up in the lies of the Christ-mass story are likely not right with God on a number of other crucial Bible topics.  Decorating a tree and exchanging presents does not matter to God one way or the other. But, singing lies about Jesus and making Dec.25 a holy day to God, confirming to others that the lies they believe are true, is not a Romans 14 issue.

MA: And as we go forward, let’s resolve to heed something else Paul wrote concerning matters of judgment: Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God, Romans 14.10.

TB: Let us be careful not to misuse Romans 14 to justify promotion of error.  The secular aspects of the season do not matter to God, and on those things we should not judge our brethren.  But, the errors of Jesus’ birth that are promoted in songs and manger displays need to be avoided and corrected. These are not Romans 14 issues. They are Gal.1:6-10 issues.  To brethren who are willing to pervert the gospel of Christ, we are to try to persuade them of the truth, and if they will not be persuaded, we are to let them be accursed. 

MA: Maybe instead of passing judgment on each other, we’d do better to focus on the mission of Christ & reach the world with the life changing power of the gospel.

TB: This sounds noble on the surface, but this is not what you were spending your time doing when you wrote this article.  From my point of view, when we try to correct error in regard to Jesus’ birth, we are trying to “reach the world with the life changing power of the gospel (the unaltered and unadulterated gospel of Christ).  We must try to do that in as harmless a way as we can, but not so gentle that we never confront error with truth.  I hope that we are brought closer together as a result of understanding coming out of this exchange.  Terry W. Benton