LEAWOOD, Kan. — A Baptist pastor thinks he has a solution to
the dilemma about whether it’s more appropriate to say “Merry Christmas” or
“Happy Holidays” in secular settings like department stores. _ÑŒMike McKinney
submits that tensions that flare between Christians and secularists this time of
year aren’t about “taking Christ out of Christmas,” as some religious observers
believe, but rather because Christians have allowed their holiday to become too
secularized by blending the celebration of Christ’s birth with non-religious
symbols like Santa Claus. _ь
McKinney, pastor of Leawood Baptist Church in suburban
Kansas City, is calling for a “reformation” of Christmas by separating secular
and sacred aspects of the holiday. _ь
McKinney says Christians and non-Christians alike would
benefit from recognizing they are in fact celebrating two different holidays —
one a religious commemoration of Christ’s birth and the other a winter festival
marked by hustle and bustle with secular roots. _ь
McKinney wrote the booklet titled Fixing Christmas for Everyone:
A Plea for the Reformation of the Christmas Season proposing an un-blending of
the “winter holiday” and “birth of Christ” traditions. _ÑŒ
“It is simply not right to sing ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Jingle
Bells’ as if they belong to the same holiday,” McKinney says. “It is not right
to honor the birth of Christ the Lord and to celebrate the arrival of Santa
Claus the jolly old elf within the context of the same holiday.” _ÑŒ
McKinney says there is nothing wrong with singing “Rudolph
the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “Frosty the Snowman” in December — in fact he enjoys
much about the season — but they simply don’t have anything do to with Jesus
Christ. _ь
He says he is alarmed at how comfortable that both
Christians and non-Christians have become with how Christmas is observed in
America. _ь
“Lots of folks are comfortable with blending Jesus with
Santa, the Nativity with the North Pole, Angels with Elves, and Shepherds with
Reindeer,” McKinney says. “I am not!” _ÑŒ
He says the mingling of secular and sacred is behind the
conflict that arises every year over holiday greetings in the marketplace. The
word “Christmas” is technically a religious title associated with the Christian
faith, he reasons, so non-Christians can rightfully ask what winter shopping
has to do with Christianity. _ь
McKinney says for centuries Christians have commemorated the
birth of Jesus Christ in their homes and churches with traditions, carols and
Bible stories. Until fairly recently, he says, many Christians began their
holiday on Christmas Day and followed it with 12 days of festivities ending
with Epiphany on Jan. 6. _ь
Many of the images now associated with the Christmas season
didn’t come along until the last century. The story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer appeared as part of a Christmas promotion in 1939 by Montgomery Ward
and became even more popular when Gene Autry released it in song in 1949.
Frosty the Snowman joined the Christmas lexicon in a song written and performed
in 1950.
A 1957 book by Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas
introduced another character now affixed to the holiday. _ь
In fact, he says, the phrase “Merry Christmas” no longer
carries religious connotations in the public marketplace, but rather refers to
a massive winter holiday season celebrated by people of all kinds. _ь
“We truthfully have two separate and distinct holidays,” he
writes. “We should admit it and do something about it!” _ÑŒ
“I suggest we separate the ‘Winter Christmas’ traditions
from the ‘Christian Christmas’ traditions,” he suggests.
“I believe the two traditions can be ‘unblended’ without
harming either. They can exist side-by-side in ways that can affirm both.”
McKinney says people of all faiths would benefit from a
clear distinction between a non-religious winter holiday and a highly religious
Christian Christmas. He proposes the term “Christmas” be used only by
Christians in a religious sense, while the secular celebration be renamed a
“Winter Holiday.” _ÑŒ
The Winter Holiday would continue to begin many weeks before
Dec. 25, enjoy the non-religious elements now associated with Christmas and end
with post-Christmas sales on Dec. 26. _ь
The Christian Christmas would follow preparation through
Advent, begin Christmas Day, and continue into the New Year.
McKinney said Leawood Baptist Church is learning to think
of Dec. 25 as the beginning of the Twelve days of Christmas. _ь
The church brings out decorations on Christmas Eve and
leaves them up through Epiphany. Many small groups and Sunday school classes
have their Christmas parties after Dec. 25. _ь
“We strive to think of Dec. 25 as the beginning of our
sacred holiday and with the idea of spiritual renewal carrying the spirit of
Christmas (Christ) into the New Year,” McKinney said.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Allen is senior writer for Associated
Baptist Press.)