The real issue is the utter failure of secular pluralism to live up to its' own hype. The only way for the secular world to 'celebrate diversity' is by neutering everyone's beliefs to fit into a very narrow spectrum. In other words, for Kwanzaa, Christmas, and Hannukah to all co-exist, anything that's particular or could be construed as offensive has to be removed. The only way to enter into secular diversity is for all authenticating and unique aspects of each culture/people group/religion to be gutted, leaving a wet washrag of a shell behind. Woo-hoo! Let's celebrate!
Several years ago, Kenny, an African-American InterVarsity student of mine at VCU, led our chapter through his families' celebration of Kwanzaa. He talked about how Kwanzaa isn't really a religious celebration but a harvest celebration. His family had appropriated the celebration as a part of honoring Christ as Lord, life-giver, and provider. This is great stuff. The early church did this with Christmas and Easter, both of which were originally pagan holidays that the church grabbed a hold of and redeemed.
This is the call to Biblical pluralism that the church has abdicated. The Christian church was one of the first cross-cultural movements in the world. Everywhere the early missionaries went, they looked for signs of God's movement already present in the culture. When they found them, they grabbed a hold of them and redeemed them. Over time, we gave up that role and work and started exporting American culture along with the gospel (see New England-style churches built in the middle of the Amazon Rain Forest), and so secularists have filled the vacuum. Their pluralism is only a shell of what was intended by Christ when he called his disciples to go to the ends of the earth.
Today, when I talk with my students about intentionally moving across racial boundaries, they think I've bought into a the politics of political correctness. In reality, the sad thing is that most of them don't know that this was Biblical before it was political. Where we've failed in our mission to be church, others have taken up the fight but without any redemptive power or purpose.
Hence, 'the war on Christmas.' I think we actually fired the first shot with our cross-cultural silence.
3 comments:
yeah... when is that first book coming???
Funny Dabney and Anna should mention the book. I finished up my very hypothetical book called "Starting Well: Lifelong Leadership for Beginning Leaders" over Christmas. It's currently sitting on submission editor's desks across the country! Willow Creek, Zondervan, and a web site that acts as a clearing house for evangelical Christian publishers. If you've got any strings, be sure to pull them!
Good thoughts! I commented on the Saturnalia/Dec 25th timing of Christmas over at Kith&Kin.
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