Looking Back

Several Posts back I wrote about Christmas and I recently came upon Charles Stanley's following article which I thought was quite interesting. Therefore, I put it here for your consideration:

"The War Against Christmas"

Christmas is the happiest time of the year, but now it is the center of a cultural war as well. Some people insist that we replace “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays.”They ask us to remove nativity scenes and avoid the name of Jesus.We see our nation drifting away from its sacred and beloved traditions.

Hostility toward the meaning of Christmas has existed from the very beginning. Matthew 2:1-20 demonstrates how King Herod hatched a plot.

1 The war against Christmas is a religious war.

We speak of a cultural war, but the truth is that this is a war of faith. What is behind the war against Christmas is a desire to rid our world of any mention of God, Jesus, or the traditions of our faith. At the very least, these cultural leaders wish to intimidate Christians into silence, and into observing so many restrictions that the result is no freedom for the church and no persuasive voice in the moral decisions of our world.

2 The war against Christmas is an organized war.

There can be no doubt that this trend is no accident. It is not simply a vague tendency that has arisen. The war is a careful attempt to achieve its goals. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and other movements are intentional in their efforts.They are beginning to dictate to schools and organizations what words can be spoken, what programs can be held, and what traditions can be observed. When someone asks us not to say,“Merry Christmas,”We should ask,“Why? By whose decision?”

3 The war against Christmas is cloaked in its language.

As some seek to eliminate Christmas, their statements are cloaked in political language. Our laws ensurefreedom to worship as we please, but there is an effort to change freedom of religion to freedom from it.

4 The war against Christmas uses law as its weapon.

These are efforts to transform the celebration of the birth of God’s Son to a secular and commercial season. How is the war fought? The weapons are the law, its courts, and its cooperating judges.The newspapers offer many examples of people attempting to use the legal system to prohibit manger displays or the use of Christian symbolism during Christmastime. These are abuses of the law, for our constitution never had the intention of silencing the faith of our founding fathers.

Summary:
Scriptural Principles:
against Jesus at the very time of the Nativity. Then, when Jesus grew up and began His ministry, the Pharisees immediately began to oppose Him. There has always been anger directed toward the honor and glory of Jesus.Today we see it in a war against Christmas.Why? We discover that this isn’t simply a war against religion, but against a specific Person: Jesus Christ.

Key Passage: Matthew 2:1-20

A compassion for His lost children. Even so, He is attacked by those very children, from hearts that are twisted by confusion and anger. This war need not be won by the forces that oppose God. If we stand together as brothers and sisters in Christ, rather than giving in silently, the
leaders of our culture will take notice. If we speak through our words and our wallets, the world will be forced to listen. My prayer is for you to have a Merry Christmas, and to tell the world about it."