Christmas used to be a religious holiday. But atheists and others who don't
like Christianity began a "war on Christmas" to remove religious references from public view. For decades, the city of Pawtucket,
Rhode Island annually displayed a nativity scene on the property of a local non-profit organization. In 1983 local grinches
filed a lawsuit asking the Christmas symbols to be removed. The grinches claimed that Americans in 1789 had adopted a
constitution which gave the federal government power to order a local town to remove religion from private property.
At that time, the Supreme Court did not have the guts to say "Christmas is unconstitutional." It ruled that the Nativity Scene was constitutional --
but for all the wrong reasons.
The reasoning was similar to an earlier federal appeals court which heard the challenge of an atheist to the phrases "In God We Trust" and "so help me, God."
The court ruled "against" the atheist by saying that the word "God" has no religious meaning, but is
purely "secular" and "patriotic." Of course, if it had been shown to be religious, it would be "unconstitutional." The same reasoning is used in the Ten
Commandments cases: if the display of the Ten Commandments presents the commandments as the Word of God, or something that viewers should actually obey,
then the display is "unconstitutional." But if the display presents the Ten Commandments as an out-dated historical relic that doesn't in any way cast contemporary
aspersions on the moral character of thieves, liars, adulterers, murderers, or anyone else in Washington D.C., then the display is all-American and "constitutional."
So the Supreme Court in the 1984 Pawtucket case ruled that the Nativity Scene ("creche") was "Constitutional" because there was also on display:
a Santa Claus house, reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh, candy-striped poles, a Christmas tree, carolers, cutout figures
representing such characters as a clown, an elephant, and a teddy bear, hundreds of colored lights, a large banner that reads "SEASONS GREETINGS," and the creche at
issue here. Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, at 671.
All these secular goodies diluted the religious impact of the creche enough that the display as a whole was sufficiently secular and commercial to withstand the challenge by the
atheists.
So there! Take that, you atheists you!
In 1989, a similar case returned Christmas to the Supreme Court, and this time the Court
said the Nativity Scene was "unconstitutional" because it was obviously trying to imply something naughty, like that Jesus Christ was a "Lord" and
"Savior." (The Menorah
was OK though.)
One might think that the "War on Christmas" would be over once the Nativity Scenes are all gone. Nope. Now those candy-canes, reindeer, and even the
colors red and green spark distant memories of a religious holiday of some sort, and so even these once-secular but now vaguely-religious things must be excluded in the name of
"inclusiveness," and freedom suppressed in the name of "religious liberty" and "the first amendment." Threats of lawsuits by well-funded ACLU-types
clearly have many school administrators in terror. "Christmas vacation" is now "winter holidays." Etc., etc.
Some people doubt that there is a war on Christmas at all; they say it's just the creation of the rumor-mills at FoxNews.
But when presented with the evidence, they retreat to "well, you don't have
to be Christian to find this more than a little silly," as if modern church-state doctrine is not horrifyingly contrary to the religious outlook of America's Founding Fathers,
but just something "silly" and inconsequential that people who believe in "Liberty Under God" shouldn't worry
about.
The "war on Christmas" is just a superficial symptom of the larger war on Christianity led by Washington D.C.
David Chilton (19511997) wrote a great essay for the Chalcedon Report
years ago entitled "Let's Keep Christmas Commercialized." You'll love it.
LET'S KEEP CHRISTMAS COMMERCIALIZED
By David Chilton
Every year about this time, there rises a hue and cry about the "commercialization" of Christmas, accompanied by impassioned pleas to get back to the "real
meaning" of the celebration. Too much time and money, we hear, are spent on the public side of the holiday -- the hustle and bustle of shopping, the lavish decorations, and
the often insincere displays of seasonal piety. Meanwhile, the true spirit of Christmas gets left behind. Some even argue that all public displays of Christmas are inappropriate.
Every Christmas season seems to spawn a new series of lawsuits charging that the First Amendment is imperiled by the appearance of manger scenes on civic property, or by the
singing of carols by the local high school choir. I recall hearing a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union claim that the very message of Christmas itself was being
violated by any public recognition of its existence. What we need, he said, is to remove Christmas from public life completely, and allow it to become once again a private,
personal expression of religious sentiment and family values.
To him, apparently, the essence of Christmas was like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting -- a household gathered around a piano drinking hot spiced cider and singing
"Here we go a-wassailing," while an apple-cheeked matron, her eyes sparkling with reflected light from the roaring fire in the hearth, loads the festal board with heaping
platters of roast beef, steamed vegetables, and candied fruit.
Nothing wrong with that, of course, so far as it goes. It just doesn't go far enough. While it would surely be a mistake to claim that commercialization is the essence of
Christmas, such a statement is rather close to the truth. From the very beginning, Christmas was regarded as a public event. It was never regarded as a private matter, still less
as the sentimental remembrance of childhood it has become. In its origins, Christmas was not only public, not only commercial -- it was downright political.
One of the most well-known scenes of Christmas, commemorated in countless greeting cards and church pageants, is the coming of the Wise Men to honor the baby Jesus. We should
note at least in passing the public nature of the occasion. The Wise Men were public figures, and the arrival of their caravan into the capital city of Judea caused a considerable
uproar. Far from treating their mission as an issue of private sentiment, they announced that the Child whom they came to worship was none other than the rightful ruler. (A popular
rumor held that a coming world emperor would arise in Judea; one Caesar took it so seriously he actually made plans to move his capital from Rome to Jerusalem.)
As for the issue of commercialization: it should be obvious that the Wise Men went Christmas shopping. Gold doesn't grow on trees, and frankincense and myrrh require human labor
to produce. Merchants have been capitalizing on the holiday since the very first Christmas.
But there's more. For the story of the Wise Men's visit doesn't end with their presentation of gifts. St. Matthew's account goes on to tell of King Herod's jealous rage at this
threat to his tyrannical rule (Herod had had several family members murdered, including his own sons, when he perceived them as rivals of his power). Herod realized the political
implications of Jesus' birth, and ordered the massacre of all male babies in the vicinity of Bethlehem. As we all know, Herod missed the One he was after; and the story ends
instead with the death of Herod and John the Baptizer's proclamation of Jesus as King.
The early Christians were much concerned with the public aspects of the Incarnation. Indeed, they were martyred in droves because they refused to privatize their faith. Even
their creeds, proclaiming Jesus Christ as the one and only link between heaven and earth, were far from being abstract theological treatises. That proclamation had a political
impact that shattered forever the old pagan pretension that merely human rulers were "divine." Christians and non-Christians alike have benefited immeasurably from the
resulting restraint on governmental tyranny that is unique to Western civilization.
I rejoice in the commercialization of Christmas. It signals the one time in the year when our world approaches sanity. The brightly lit houses, the evergreens garlanded with
bulbs, the carols that provide the musical background for even our most hectic shopping -- all creation comes alive with the message that the shift from B.C. to A.D. changed the
world forever.
So the heathen shall fear the name LORD, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory! -- Psalm 102:15
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My Holy Mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea! -- Isaiah 11:9
David Harold Chilton (19511997) was a pastor, speaker, and author of several books on economics, eschatology and Christian Worldview. He contributed three
books on eschatology: Paradise Restored (1985), Days of Vengeance (1987), and The Great Tribulation (1987). His book Productive Christians in an Age
of Guilt-Manipulators (1981) was a response to Ronald J. Sider's best-selling book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (1977), which promoted various programs of
wealth redistribution by the government. Chilton argued that the Bible either does not authorize such programs or explicitly teaches against them. His book Power in the Blood:
A Christian Response to AIDS (1987) was primarily dealing with the Church's relationship with the world.
And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and sit under their Vine & Fig Tree. Micah 4:1-7
This online celebration is sponsored by a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization called "Vine & Fig Tree."
Our offices were destroyed by a tornado a couple of years ago. We're requesting a $12 "cover charge" for this party. Your donation is tax-deductible. No donation is
required to participate in the "The 12 Days of Christmas."
If we get 100 people to donate $12, we'll be able to pay our bills this month.
Or mail your check to
"Vine & Fig Tree" P.O. Box 179 Powersite, MO 65731
The Program 12 Days Bringing to Mind The Most Significant Event in Human History
Each day you'll receive an audio for your morning commute to work, and another audio for your commute back home. The morning audio will look at Micah's Vine
& Fig Tree prophecy, and in the evening we'll show how that vision began to be fulfilled at Christmas two millennia ago.
Day 1 - Jesus is the culmination of thousands of years of meticulous genealogical records preserved by "the Chosen People," Israel.
Day 3 - Jesus will be given "the throne of his father David."
Luke 1:5-25 - John the Baptist prepares the way for the Messiah, as prophesied of
Elijah.
Luke 1:26-38 - The Angel Gabriel announces the conception of the Messiah:
"And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:33)
Luke 1:39-45 - the unborn John the Baptist leaps for joy when he encounters the
unborn Messiah. Planned Parenthood attempts to sell them both for body parts. (That last part is "not in the earliest manuscripts.")
Mary sings a song of praise composed of Old Testament quotations, saying that the real meaning of Christmas is good news for the poor and lowly,
and bad news for the rich and powerful:
50And His mercy is on them
that fear Him from generation to generation. 51He
hath shewed strength with His arm; He
hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He
has put down the mighty from theirthrones, and exalted them of low degree. 53He
hath filled the hungry with good things; and
the rich he hath sent empty away.
71That we should be saved
from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 79To
give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the
way of peace.
Day 6 - Matthew 1:18-25 - the Incarnation is explained to Joseph
"Jesus" means "salvation" "Immanuel" means "God with us"
The Prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Jesus'
parents lived in Nazereth. Therefore God predestined Caesar to issue a decree (probably relating to taxes) that would bring
Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem before Jesus was born. Evil empires serve God's purposes.
An army of angels announces the birth of the Messiah to lowly shepherds, saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on
earth peace to those with whom He is pleased!
The most important family on earth could not afford the top-level offering required by the law of Moses. They took advantage of a provision for low-income families.
Day 10 -
Luke 2:25-35 - Simeon had been told he would not
die before he saw the Lord's Messiah. He says Jesus is "The One."
Luke 2:36-38 -
Anna the Prophetess is another well-known Godly person who acknowledges that Jesus is the Child promised by the prophets. (Christianity offered a view of women which was quite
unlike that of the Empire that occupied Israel at the time.)
Day 11 - Wise men worship Jesus
Matthew 2:1-8 - "Wise men from the East"
(Babylon, perhaps) knew of Micah's prophecy that the King of the Jews would be born in Bethlehem.
When Herod got word of the birth of a rival king, he behaved in a perfectly logical way (for someone who wants to protect his power): he
massacred all male babies the age of Jesus. Herod recognized that Jesus was a threat to Herod's power.
Each day along the way, we will compare these historical accounts of Christmas with Micah's Vine & Fig Tree prophecy
predicting:
The message of the angels to the shepherds on the first Christmas:
And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. And suddenly there
was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And peace
on earth among men with whom He is well pleased. Luke
2:8-15
His lord said unto him, `Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over
many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.' Matthew 25:21
The Vine & Fig Tree Worldview
The phrase "Vine & Fig Tree" comes from the Old Testament Prophet Micah, the fourth chapter. You can find out
more about the Vine & Fig Tree Worldview on our home page:
During the next 12 days, you'll see the "real meaning" of Christmas in the Bible like you've never seen them before.
Many Christians today believe Jesus came to get us a ticket to heaven when we die. In the meantime, Satan rules the planet. Their story of the Bible goes like this:
God created planet earth;
God put man on earth to be a good steward, and transform the Garden of Eden into the City of God;
Satan tempted man;
Man rebelled against God, choosing to be his own god instead;
Satan now controls the world;
Jesus came to pay the penalty for this rebellion;
Things are going to get worse and worse;
Since Satan and man are not playing God's game by God's rules, God is soon going to take his cosmic football and go home.
In other words, Satan wins.
Pretty dismal story, isn't it?
Sure, God sent His Son, who died on the cross, so that some of the players can be forgiven for their rebellion and go home with God, but God's original purposes for man and the
creation were thwarted by Satan, the ultimate victor.
Some of George Washington's favorite passages of the Bible were those that spoke of every man dwelling safely "under
his own vine and fig tree." Other Founding Fathers also referred to this "Vine
& Fig Tree" ideal.
(George Washington would recommend that you enroll in The 12 Days of Christmas
program. He read the Bible for an hour each morning, and another hour in the evening.)
George Washington was motivated by the Vine & Fig Tree vision revealed in the Bible. Washington's Diaries are available
online at the Library of Congress. They are introduced with these words:
No theme appears more frequently in the writings of Washington than his love for his land. The diaries are a monument to that concern. In his
letters he referred often, as an expression of this devotion and its resulting contentment, to an Old Testament passage. After the Revolution, when he had returned to Mount
Vernon, he wrote the Marquis de Lafayette on Feb. 1, 1784:
"At length my Dear Marquis I am become a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac, & under the shadow of my own Vine & my
own Fig-tree."
This phrase occurs at least 11 times in Washington's letters.
"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree" (2 Kings 18:31).
Peter Lillback, author of a 1,000-page
study of Washington's life and thought,
has found more than 40 references to the Vine and Fig Tree vision in Washington's Papers. "Vine
& Fig Tree" is the original "American Dream."
The phrase occurs a
number of times in Scripture. These references are visual reminders of the Hebrew word for salvation, which means
peace,
wholeness,
health,
welfare, and
private property free from pirates and princes.
When today's Americans hear the word "salvation," they usually think about going to heaven when they die. When the writers of the Bible used the word "salvation,"
they wanted you to be thinking about dwelling safely under your own Vine & Fig Tree during this life -- much
more often than they wanted you to be thinking about what you'll be doing in the afterlife.
Vine & Fig Tree is also a phrase from the prophet Micah, the idea of everyone owning property and
enjoying the fruits of their labor without fear of theft or political oppression, of sitting peacefully under your "Vine & Fig Tree."
Hundreds of years before Christ, the prophet Daniel spoke of the first Christmas, the
birth of the Messiah in the days of the Roman Empire. That barbaric, debauched empire was destroyed, and the Kingdom of Christ began growing like a mustard tree, like leaven, like
a field (Matthew 13). The Emperor Justinian began Christianizing the Eastern Roman Empire, and in the West kings like Alfred and Ethelbert made the 10 Commandments the basis of new
legal systems. The "Common Law" began, with a Christian foundation, and eventually found its way into the Constitution of
the United States, "a Christian nation." From 12 dejected disciples, Christianity has spread across the
world, and billions of people claim to be Christian. Though there have been ups and downs, the progress of Christianity has been undeniable -- at least to those who have been
taught the facts of history.
Most Americans in the 21st century have not.
If you enroll in this Home Study Program, you will learn the story of the "Vine & Fig Tree." You will learn that the
Bible says the purpose of the first Christmas was that "the knowledge of the Lord should cover the earth as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah
11:9; Habakkuk 2:14). This has been going on for 2,000
years now. This is a wonderful story that isn't being told.
And the story is really just beginning.
You're invited to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Join our online party and accomplish the following over the next 12 days:
read the historical accounts of the birth of Jesus Christ
discover "the real meaning of Christmas" by comparing the Gospel accounts of Christmas with a neglected Old Testament prophecy (Micah 4:1-7).
The "real meaning of Christmas" is:
Peace on Earth (Luke 2:14).
Everyone dwelling securely under his own Vine & Fig Tree (Micah 4:1-7).
Jesus is the Christ ("Christ" means "messiah," or
"anointed King").
What we've already witnessed:
The prophet Daniel predicted that during the Roman Empire, a rock would crush the empire and turn into a mountain
and fill the whole earth. Jesus is the Rock. He has been reigning for 2,000 years, ever since He rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father. His Kingdom is
the Mountain, it's filling the earth, and the planet is being progressively Christianized. Before He rose from the dead, He had 12 dejected and confused disciples. Today
over two billion people claim to be followers of Christ. The empire that executed Jesus soon collapsed under its own depravity.
Christians began Christianizing the world. Early kings like Ethelbert made the Ten Commandments the foundation of the "common
law" legal system in Europe. At one time the United States Supreme Court declared that America was "a
Christian nation." "Western civilization" is Christian
civilization. There have been ups and downs, but the progress cannot be denied. The Mountain is filling the earth.
Controversy:
Christ's Kingdom advances peacefully through works of service, not the
sword. A non-military, "pacifist" Messiah was not the kind of Messiah expected by most Jews 2,000 years ago. (Nor
by many Christians today.)
There are two groups that oppose this concept of Christmas:
"Premils"
"Pinkos"
"Premils" are "pre-millennialists" who believe the "millennium" (described by Micah 4 and
other passages) cannot take place until after a Second Coming of Christ, when Jesus returns and sets up a strong, military, "police-state"-style
centralized government, with armed believers dispatched from a throne in Jerusalem to put down unbelievers. "Premils" believe Christmas only secured for believers a
ticket to heaven when they die, or a ticket on "the Rapture" if they live that long. Not
global transformation.
"Pinkos" are those who believe that Jesus is not King enough to bring about the "millennium"; we need strong centralized government for that. Pinkos
call us "anarchists."
During the next 12 days, we'll find out why the Premils and the Pinkos are both wrong, and why you and I can and should work to bring "Peace on Earth" so
that everyone can dwell prosperously and securely under their own Vine & Fig Tree.
For more about the "Vine & Fig Tree" vision, see our
home page.
,
has found more than 40 references to the Vine and Fig Tree vision in Washington's Papers.