Unwrapping the True History of Christmas: A Fundamentalist Christian Perspective
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, As a Bible-believing Christian committed to the authority of Scripture alone, I approach the subject of Christmas with both reverence for the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ and deep concern for the many traditions that have attached themselves to this holiday over the centuries. The birth of the Savior is the most glorious event in human history after the resurrection itself , yet the Bible gives us no command to celebrate it annually on a specific date, nor does it provide most of the customs we associate with “Christmas” today. In this blog post, I want to walk you through the historical development of Christmas celebrations—from the silence of Scripture and the early church, through the adoption of December 25, the incorporation of extra-biblical (and often pagan) practices, the godly rejection by Reformers and Puritans, the 19th-century revival, and finally to the thoroughly commercialized spectacle we see in our day. My prayer is that ...