Expert: Joe Norman - 9/23/2007

Question
 I have a very hard time with Christmas. It tells us nowhere to celebrate this and Jesus birthdate. Remember his death . Christmas is a man-made holiday. I am a member of coC, backslidder, and never remember the church celebrating this and now it seems they recognize. This to me, is adding also. I just can't participate. What should I do ?

Answer
I fully agree with you that this is a man-made holiday and is not commanded. Actually the origin is pagan. There is much you can find online that will go into detail all the origins of the Christmas traditions.

 The fact is that the early Catholic church could not get their pagan converts to cease from celebrating pagan holidays such as Winter and Spring Solstice. The Pope's solution was to turn these pagan holidays into Christian holidays.

 The best guess of historians is that Jesus was most likely born in March or April. None of that really should matter to true Christians though. When Jesus was born is never indicated as an important thing to celebrate for Christians. Our salvation is made possible by Jesus' death. We are admonished to proclaim His death until He returns. (I Cor.11:26)

 There is an unfortunate thing happening among many who call themselves a church of Christ. They are becoming more and more like denominations and practicing many things that are not scriptural. Fewer and fewer members are students of God's Word and this allows them to be carried away by every wind of doctrine. (Eph.4:14) Of course there is a danger in being too focused on being scriptural and forgetting that our salvation is completely dependant on God's grace. We must have a balance and stay humble.

 I could fill much more space talking about the problems that face the Lord's church today and the way things ought to be, but my focus should be just to answer your question.

 I do not thing there is anything wrong with celebrating Christmas as a secular holiday, or Easter or any other holiday. The problem comes when we celebrate it as a "Christian" holiday. I think it is definitely wrong for a local church to celebrate them as religious holidays. If I were you, I would voice my concerns to the elders of that church...unless you are not confident in your ability to stand up for the Truth. The only other option would be to find a church of Christ congregation that is true to God's Word. On a personal level, there is nothing wrong with celebrating secularly...unless it bother to your own conscience. I hope my advice is helpful to you. If you would like to stay in touch or ask more questions, please feel free to contact me at joetenor1066@gmail.com.

 Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to address your question and offer my advice. God bless you in your future walk in the light.

           In Christ, Joe Norman