Good News Beyond Church Doors

Who observes Christmas in our country? About

nine-in-ten Americans (92%) as well as a big majority

(81%) of non-Christians in the US  also celebrate

Christmas . This includes 87% of people with no religion

and even about 3/4s of (76%) and Hindus (73%)! Half

of Americans overall say they celebrate Christmas as

more of a religious (rather than merely a cultural)

holiday.

And who really believes the story? 73% say that

Jesus was born to a virgin  and 81% believe he was laid

in a manger, while 74% believe that an angel announced

his birth to shepherds.

In an article in Christianity Today magazine, Tim

Larson reflects: I have good news for you: Christmas is

your ally in the tussle between faith and unbelief. Our

culture is amazingly interested in the Christian aspects

of Christmas.

As a scholar of the subject, I can tell you confidently

that, by and large, atheists love Christmas. They see it as

Christianity at its most inviting. Unbelievers often feel

closest to the faith at Christmastime.

I have a friend who was once a zealous Christian.

He left the church and became quite comfortable saying

he no longer believed in God. Yet a few years ago, he

told me rather sheepishly that he had gone back to his

old church for its Christmas Eve service. Christmas

draws even skeptics toward the faith rather than pushing

them away.

Our culture is amazingly interested in the Christian

aspects of Christmas. The Christmas season takes up

10% of the year! Many churches gather their largest

congregation of the entire year at Christmas. A

Christian sacred day is also a federal holiday. For six

weeks during every year, even pop stations sometimes

play songs that proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ.

Our entire culture is geared up during the holiday

season to make it easier to talk about Jesus.

An inviting place to introduce Jesus into a

conversation might be at the beginning of the story! A

good time to invite a friend or family to church might be

at the end of the year. A gift likely to be well-received

could be a high-quality Christmas album. The true light,

who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world

(John1). So may this season mark a renewal of hope and

joy for you and those around you.

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