Christmas reminds us again just how fractured the Christian community is. While many Christians fall somewhere in the middle, there are opposite factions pulling the church in different directions, and they see and celebrate Christmas differently.
The most visible form of Christianity in the US is comfortable with empire and sees American democracy and free-market capitalism as intertwined with white Christian America. They tend to see battles all around, most often with those who do not share their beliefs and values. Slogans such as “God, Guns, Guts, and Glory” reflect their belief that God has blessed our warring ways and is the source of our national strength and success.
Progressive Christians, on the other hand, value inclusion and believe that alliances with other countries can help us combat global issues such as climate change. These Christians share the Liberation Theology claim that God has a preferential option for the poor, and champion justice for those on the margins. They see the country’s increasing diversity as a strength, rather than a weakening of our national identity.
Both strains find biblical support. The Bible after all, is not one book, but dozens, written over 2000 years by poets, sages, priests, prophets, and proselytizers. These biblical texts describe the Hebrew and early Christian communities in times of triumph and plenty, as well as famine, exile, and enslavement.
Conservative Christians find biblical passages about a warrior God who enlists soldiers in a battle between good and evil. Jesus comes to bring not peace but a sword (Matthew 10:34), and describes a narrow gate by which few can enter (Matthew 7:13-14). Progressive Christians draw on passages in which God liberates slaves and cares for orphans, widows, and strangers. They see Jesus shunning earthly power, challenging empire, and overturning hierarchies with the admonition that the first shall be last and the last first (Matthew 20:16)
Both find expression at Christmas, the most visible Christian holiday. From the moment Jesus’ birth is announced to Mary, it is framed as good news for the poor. Mary recognizes her own lowliness and proclaims that in choosing her, God “has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:52-53) Jesus’ rustic origins include birth in a stable, which is proclaimed to outsiders – rural shepherds and sages from a distant land.
From these humble roots, Christmas has grown into a capitalist behemoth that takes over the last few months of the year and involves lavish spending on gifts, decorations, cards, and other seasonal paraphernalia. Originally a minor religious holiday, Christmas was commercialized in the late nineteenth century as merchants capitalized on the leisure time and disposable income of the growing middle class. Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, and extravagant holiday light displays replaced religious rituals for many Americans. 1
Not surprisingly, progressive Christians are drawn to the simplicity of the original Christmas story. They may use “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” in an effort to include those who do not celebrate Christmas. Conservatives decry such expressions as a “war on Christmas,” despite the fact that Christmas is the only religious observance that is a national holiday and is widely embraced by the secular culture.
In this year when spending and celebrating are curtailed by a pandemic, many of us will be observing a more reflective Christmas. Perhaps Christians can focus on the things that unite us, namely our belief that God took human form and became Emanuel, God with us. Looking for common ground can help the church to mend its own division, and thus aid in healing a deeply divided nation. According to Luke’s gospel, angels sang to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest and on each peace, good will toward all!”2 These words speak to this fractious time and can guide us in moving forward together. May it be so.
- For a fuller discussion of the commercialization of Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day, see Leigh Eric Schmidt’s book Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays.
- Interestingly, this passage illustrates how one stroke can alter the meaning of a biblical text. In the familiar King James Version, the angels conclude: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” In contrast to this inclusive greeting, modern versions rely on recently discovered manuscripts with a different form of the Greek word that is translated as goodwill or favor, resulting in a more selective view: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (NRSV).