Black Santa and the War on Christmas

The catastrophic threat posed by Penguin Santas cannot be overstated.
Be warned:  their cuteness is only a cunning ruse to deceive us!

Christmas is under attack. And even though the war of the atheist agenda has been waging for years, now it's serious. It's gotten so bad that historical revisionists are attempting to suggest that Santa could be black, or even a penguin. All to coddle those who can't deal with the fact that the fictional figure loosely based on a real person, whose depictions for the last hundred years have been mostly a result of a successful advertising campaign by Coca-Cola, is a white, wholesome American. It's yet another affront to the Judaeo-Christian culture that we hold dear. The best we can do against such assaults is to stand behind Fox News, close off our minds to all ideas from the surrounding culture, and affix our “Keep Christ in Christmas” bumper stickers with pride. 

As you might be able to guess from the sarcasm of the above paragraph, the so-called War on Christmas doesn't worry me much. If we're thinking of the war as many religious and social conservatives see it, it's already been lost. Christmas in America is a largely secular holiday and has been for a long time. This is even more so in most of Europe. As an American, part of me is glad of that fact. At its best, our country is an inclusive, pluralist society. Non-Christian celebration of Christmas, by atheists, agnostics, and adherents of other religions, is a welcome step toward that ideal. The holiday season, I believe, can bring Americans together in a way that few other traditions are capable of. Of course, there is a dark side of Christmas, and a great danger posed by commercialism and materialism. (One has only to go to a Walmart on Black Friday to get a glimpse of it.) 

But in general, to those who have become distraught and feel that their belief system is being attacked by the secularization or marginalization of Christmas, I say:  lighten up. Take a breath and think about God. The Jesus whose birth we are celebrating (probably not even in the correct season) doesn't need defending. As we rant about how our society is being destroyed from within, he is seated as King at the right hand of the Father. He can take care of himself. His Kingdom can proceed with or without “proper” celebration of his birth. Disciples can be made and lives drastically transformed by the Gospel. Nothing can undo the victory of his cross and resurrection. And the holiday that celebrates these crucial events, Easter, is still firmly in the Christian camp (in spite of the attempts of the gay Easter Bunny agenda). 

It is true that, as Christians, we don't belong to this world or the elements that rule it. We belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. But how can we act as the light of the world if we close ourselves off from it entirely and allow our paranoia to shut out our compassion? Or, for that matter, our holiday cheer? So, to quote the jolly black man himself, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” Not just to devout Christians, but to everyone. Have a Merry Christmas!