I have been confronted many times for my position on the subject and even accused of being a heretic because I love to celebrate Christmas.
I have been asked, “How can you say that you believe in the inerrancy of Scripture and celebrate Christmas? Don’t you understand that it comes directly out of paganism?”
Next they remind me, “God said, ‘You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree’” (Deuteronomy 12:2 NKJV).
Then they explain how the Roman Catholic Church established the Christmas celebration mixing Babylonian paganism with Christianity.
I understand where these good people are coming from.
It would probably surprise my children and grandchildren to learn I actually taught these things early in my ministry.
I did not always love to celebrate Christmas because of some very negative memories of the Christmas holiday, as a child.
Promises not kept; alcohol abuse and angry arguments fill much of my Christmas memories from childhood. So when decorations went up and the carols started playing in the stores I became depressed.
Wanda and I been married three years, our first child was ten months old. Walking through a shopping mall with carols playing I was in a cloudy mood.
Suddenly the music and the words broke through my negative thoughts.
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.
I heard the Lord gently speak to my heart, “Will you allow the memories of sinful behavior by your dad and stepmother cloud out the true meaning of the celebration?
Over the next two weeks the music and the decorations took on a brightness they had not had before. That was a wonderful first Christmas with our daughter and some dear friends.
A whole new perspective of Christmas began to grow in my heart until I read a teaching in the late 1970’s explaining the paganism of the holiday.
Again, my attitude changed and I began teaching the paganism about Christmas.
I loved how the Christmas carols clearly told the Gospel story and I loved the Nativity displays.
Deep inside something was not reconciling. The spirit of Christmas, the biblical stories, the historical data of those who taught Christmas was pagan had a measure of incongruence that caused me to dig deeper.
My first discovery was the origin of putting lights on the Christmas tree did not come from pagan practices but the heart of the Reformation leader, Martin Luther.
While walking home one winter evening, with the words of a new song running through his mind, Martin was captured by the beauty of the stars twinkling on the boughs of the snow flocked evergreen trees. The beauty filled his heart so much he went home and wired candles on the branches of hi
