Post 139—Wishing people “Merry Christmas"

Post 139—Wishing people “Merry Christmas"                            

Jim Denison somehow has switched the banner under which he writes and now does so under the Denison Forum. Anyhow, he has an interesting take on whether or not to wish people “Merry Christmas” that I am sharing with you today. A relevant topic for this pre-Christmas week, don’t you think?

He wisely ends without giving you a definite “yes” or “no.” So, here it is and think it through with him. Instead, he asks you to think through your motive for your “yes” or “no,” trusting the Spirit of God to guide you.  That’s a great way to avoid any semblance of legalism like Yes! Or No!

Dr. Denison, you have the floor….

Should we wish others a "Merry Christmas" this week? Americans are deeply divided on the issue. According to a new survey, 47 percent of us think we should greet each other with "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" out of respect for those of different religious faiths; 46 percent of us disagree.

As we will see, the issue is larger than it seems.

I can understand the case for being inclusive. Christians are to defend our faith "with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15) by "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). We want our beliefs to be respected, so we should respect the beliefs of others.

In addition, Christmas is not a holiday mandated by Scripture. It was not celebrated by the church until the fourth century after Jesus' birth. Nowhere does the Bible require us to wish others "Merry Christmas," an expression that did not become popular until the early twentieth century.

Why, then, shouldn't we broaden the holiday to include everyone regardless of their faith (or lack thereof)? Consider three questions.

One: What about other religions?

If "Merry Christmas" might offend non-Christians, could Ramadan offend non-Muslims? Could Hanukkah offend non-Jews? Could Vesak (the celebration of Buddha's birthday) offend non-Buddhists? Should any religious holiday that might offend any person who is not part of that religion be abolished or amended?

Two: What about the sentiments of Christians?

Requiring Christians to say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" feels to many believers like a depreciation of their Savior and their faith. If we should avoid offending non-believers, why is it acceptable to offend believers?

Three: Should the minority dictate to the majority?

Some claim that Christian holidays are unique among religious traditions in America because they are so ubiquitous. You can ignore Ramadan or Hanukkah if you wish, but it's hard to avoid the Christmas season. Thus, Christians, more than those of other faith traditions, should be made to honor the sentiments of non-Christians.

By this logic, however, the minority would always be able to dictate behavior to the majority. This logic would extend even to heaven and hell. In The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis exposes what is behind the claim that none in heaven should be happy if souls are perishing in hell: "The demand of the loveless and self-imprisoned that they should be allowed to blackmail the universe: that till they consent to be happy (on their own terms) no one else shall taste joy; that theirs should be the final power; that Hell should be able to veto Heaven."

So, how should we approach the "Merry Christmas" debate? Here's my advice: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how he wants to use your words and witness in engaging non-believers today. Ask for the sensitivity to respect the beliefs of others while stating your beliefs clearly and boldly. If the Spirit leads you to wish someone a Merry Christmas, do so with sincerity and grace. If he leads you to defer, be sure you do so only out of sensitivity to them and not from a lack of commitment on your part.

Here's the larger lesson behind this simple subject: We are called to be Jesus' witness in the power of the Spirit every moment of every day (Acts 1:8). When we fulfill our calling, those who accept the Christ we proclaim will have a Merry Christmas, indeed.

Post 71--Born Again—What Is It?

It’s theology time! The term “born again”  has a long history, something to be expected, since Jesus introduced it two millennia ago. It has undergone a long process of definition and redefinition, also something to be expected, since Jesus himself associates it with the Spirit and His unpredictable directions. 

The more “professional” theological term is “regeneration,” which may be defined as “that divine act by which the sinner is endowed with new spiritual life and by which that new life is first called into action.” Or, more simply, “implanting of the new life in the soul.”  It brings about “a radical change of the governing disposition of the soul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit”  (L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, pp. 467-469). 

My favourite American theologian and late friend, Gordon Spykman, wrote that  regeneration “refers to a profound change in our condition, its fundamental redirection, the starting point of a renewed life. It is born of the overpowering initiative of the sovereign grace of God.”  It is a “decisive turnaround” that “is a result of the unfathomable work of the Holy Spirit.”   That Spirit “makes us new creatures—our old nature has been buried with Christ and we are now raised with Him to newness of life. The life-renewing Spirit enlightens our blinded minds. He liberates our enslaved wills.”  Once this has happened, “we can never be the same again.”  “Regeneration may be an undateable event. Its time and place may escape us. Yet it marks the dawn of a new day. With it comes a new lease on life. Like a seed sown in the ground, it may remain hidden for a while, but eventually it germinates and bears fruit. Rebirth (Boer: a “delatinized” version of the word) therefore is a total…renewal of the whole person,… the decisive change of the direction….”   (Reformational Theology: A New Paradigm for Doing Dogmatics, pp. 488-489).

The question is: Why born again? What’s the reason? The answer is already embedded in the previous paragraph.  Did you notice “our blinded minds” and “our enslaved wills?”  Over against these stand “newness of life” and enlightenment.

The New Testament (NT) says:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world … gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3).

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins (Colossians 2:13).

The above are only a few of the many verses in the Bible that describe our desperate situation. We are dead in our “transgressions and sins.” That’s a pretty ugly situation. That’s the short and long of it. It’s something we don’t like to hear or consider. 

But that’s not where it stops. That’s not the last word and not even the most important word. Being born again means that, according to the above verse, “God made us alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.”  It doesn’t get better than that. There’s no better news than this.  That’s why we need to be reborn, regenerated. It enables us to live the new life, the life that is guided by the standards of the Kingdom of God.

I am bold and grateful to say that I am born again.  God has reworked me. Put a new life and mind in me. The posts of this blog are kind of an illustration of such a person, along with the mistaken thoughts that still occur, for we are still surrounded by worldly standards that sometimes creep back into our minds.

I am very conscious of continued shortcomings, but that does not depress me or make me sad. My main emotion or attitude is one of joy and gratitude for forgiveness and the new life given me. Those are the final words: forgiveness, and therefore joy and gratitude. 

This is all very short about a profound reality. If you wish to pursue it further, scour the internet for books on the subject. There should be plenty. But let me tell you: Being born again is a great experience that’s with you for ever.  And it has nothing to do with the scornful caricatures we come across in the media. It has everything to do with seeing the world and your neighbor with new eyes and new values.

In closing for the day, here’s a joyful and grateful sound in the NT from one who experienced this rebirth—I Peter 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

That’s how the more formal New International Version puts it. A more informal translation is that of Eugene Peterson’s The Message:

What a God we have!  And how fortunate we are to have Him…! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts right now.

And then he goes on:

I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime.

I’m tempted to keyboard the rest of that joyful passage for you, but you can find it in any Bible. Go, read it, and you’ll notice the joy and laughter this born again thing produces in its happy recipients, the citizens of the Kingdom of God with its new ambitions, new values, new hopes and new visions—a completely new and upbeat life for which people throughout the centuries literally give up their lives. Taste and see that the Lord is good!