Politics

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Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays
By Chuck Johnson



I am struck by the lack of righteous indignation in the body of Christ today. We celebrate a birthday, with little or no mention of the celebrant. Here in the United States, where I reside, it is politically incorrect to advertise Christmas. Every year more and more stores refuse to allow the name of Christ in their advertising. The Salvation Army is banned from collecting donations for the poor and homeless outside many stores for fear they may offend. Imagine that someone fulfilling Christ’s admonition to clothe the naked and feed the poor (Matthew 25:35-40) would be offending someone. Jesus is called “The Rock of Offense”. Maybe, just maybe, we should throw more stones!

Webster’s dictionary defines “holiday” as “a holy day”. It is “a day of commemoration of an individual or an event”. In our country we celebrate July fourth as the day of our independence. May 31st is when we honor our fallen soldiers, Labor Day the American worker. We have Presidents Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, New Years Day and, of course, Christmas Day. Families celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions. We would never think of celebrating Veterans Day without mentioning the veterans who have faithfully served our country, or Presidents Day without mention of the leaders of our nation, and yet, more and more, society finds it palatable to celebrate Christmas without mention of Christ. You would find it absurd to celebrate your child’s or spouse’s birthday without mentioning her name. And yet we have Christmas without Christ.

The true celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, The Son of David began with the proclamation of the angels in Luke chapter two. As a Christian celebration it is thought to have been first observed around 98 A.D. December 25th was first observed as the celebration of the birth of Christ in 336 A.D. Our founding fathers brought with them from Europe the tradition of celebrating Jesus’ birth on December 25th. It has not been until recent years that people have decided that, where Christ is concerned, political correctness is the better part of valor. Hog wash! Choose ye this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).

In this Sunday’s paper there were approximately thirty advertisements, and not one of them advertised a Christmas sale. They were called “Holiday Blockbusters”, “Holiday Sale”, “Holiday Bonus Buys”, etc. If people just want a day of celebration, a day to say, “I love you” with the exchange of gifts, why this day? Why December 25th? Why not August 17th, or March 3rd, or February 27th? This day, December 25th, has for millennia been set aside as a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah. I am tired of retailers insulting and offending me and vilifying the name of Christ, all the while holding out their greedy little hands saying, “Open your wallet, checkbook, etc. and make me rich. Line my pockets. Make my stockholder gleeful.”

Now here’s the real crux of the matter. According to recent surveys, seventy five percent of the people polled in this country identified themselves as Christians. Now I believe the number is much lower than that. The reason is, that many people today use the term “Christian” as a title not as an identifying character trait. “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-17). The term Christian seems to carry even less meaning than the terms Republican, Democrat, or Independent. However, for argument’s sake, let us assume the polls are correct. Then the retailers are bowing in appeasement to the minority and insulting the majority. And yet, like lemmings, the “Christian” majority just silently follows along instead of speaking out in the only language the retailers understand, money. The Bible tells us that the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous, and yet the “righteous” continue to be poor stewards of Gods resources. With a smile on our faces we open our wallets and say, “Insult me all you want. Belittle my Savior. I’ll still patronize your establishment.” I believe that Christians must show a unified front and speak with one voice. Then, and only then, can we put an end to this politically correct insanity that has taken over so much of our government and society. Arise Church! Be salt and light and remove the leaven of complacency. If God be for us, who can be against us?

My wife reminds me that I am to “be angry, and sin not.” Well she’s right. I am angry. I am angry at myself for remaining silent for far too long and allowing this insult to continue and indeed increase. I am angry with the retailers that insult my Savior. I am angry at the rogue organizations that are clueless to the truth of our nation’s founding and the Founders’ intents, who would rather rewrite history than acknowledge and disagree with it. And I am angry with those that call themselves Christians and yet refuse to stand and make their voices heard for righteousness sake.

Call or write to the CEOs of these organizations. Let them know that they are wrong to insult Christians everywhere, and that their decisions to remove Christ will be to their own financial detriment. If there is no Christ in Christmas, then there is no Christmas, and it should be treated as just another day on the calendar -- no celebrations, no merriment, no reason to spend money on gifts.

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