ARE CHRISTMAS TREES CHRISTIAN?

By Ken Gurley

Christmas is almost here. Bethlehem square will soon be filled with choirs, worshippers, and revelers celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Although we recognize that Christ was probably not born on December 25, this year will mark our recognition of the 2000th anniversary of Christ’s coming into the world. Sort of staggering, isn’t it?

Our celebration of Christmas, however, is troubling in a couple of areas. Any serious student of histo­ry will readily admit that little con­cerning this holiday season is Christian in origin. Christmas day itself is reckoned as the winter sol­stice in the Julian calen­dar. The 25th day of December is the day regarded by the ancient Romans as the nativity of the Sun when the day­light begins to length­en. From the holly-framed fireplaces to the dangling mistle­toe overhead, much of the traditional trap­pings of this season are probably pagan in origin. Even the venerable Christmas tree, the sym­bol of Yuletide cheer, has deep roots in worship alto­gether unchristian. 

Some scholars give the modern Christmas tree a relatively modest history, positing it as a New World practice of short duration. Others leap the continents and excavate precursors of the modern Christmas tree in the Druids’ fasci­nation with evergreens, especially during the winter solstice. Still other scholars opt for a more ancient root to these trees, attempt­ing to trace their origins to the Babylonian mystery religions, and even further back to the Egyptian worship of Isis or Ra. At the time of Christ, it appears that the Romans also trimmed trees during the same season with trinkets and toys. Besides Christmas trees, other sea­sonal activities such as candle-light­ing, caroling, gift-giving, and even holiday baking could be lumped into this esoteric hodge­podge of pagan Christmas lore. 

Are pagan origins enough to forbid a practice? Before we answer affirmatively, we might want to consid­er this carefully. Many things that we accept and utilize daily have their roots in paganism. Our solar system is a pantheon of planets named for pagan gods. Our calen­dar system, from the num­ber and the names of the months, is largely pagan. For exam­ple, the first month of the year is named for Janus, the two-faced Roman god. Even the days of the week harbor pagan overtones. From the gods and goddesses Tiu, Woden, Thor, and Fria, we arrive at the days named Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Yes, even Sunday originated as a pagan Roman holiday. Christians everywhere utilize the names of planets, months, and days without a twinge of discomfort regard­ing their origins. We recognize that all of these have long since lost whatever pagan overtones they once held. Other factors, then, determine whether something that is pagan in origin can be accepted and utilized by Christians today.  

Perhaps, what many Christians find disturbing about the Christmas tree is not only its purported pagan ori­gins, but also the Scripture references that seemingly teach against it. The prophet Jeremiah advised Israel to not learn the ways of the heathens since “the custom of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest...with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not” (Jeremiah 10:3-4). Studying the context of this pas­sage, we find that the finished product envi­sioned by Jeremiah didn’t have branches and ornaments, but appeared pillar-like as the trunk of a palm-tree (v. 5). Rather than discussing the merits of a Christmas tree, Jeremiah concerned himself with how Judah turned from the one true God to idols made of hands (Jeremiah 10:17-18). 

It appears that Jeremiah fash­ioned his message in the preceding paragraph from the more detailed passage in Isaiah 40-44, where Isaiah admonished Judah to turn from her idolatry. Isaiah says the practice of cutting down a tree was the first step in producing a graven image (Isaiah 40:20). The crafts of the carpenter and gold­smith were necessary to craft such an idol (41:7). Judah’s sin was not only in the fashioning of these images, but also in praying to them rather than to God (42:17). Judah’s faith was in vain since these gods could not hear, see, or answer prayer (44:17-18). The psalmist joins in a trio with Jeremiah and Isaiah decrying the fash­ioning of such idols and entrusting one’s life to them (Psalm 115:4-8). The practice described by these Scrip­tures is that condemned in the first and second com­mandments, specifically, in not having other gods before Jehovah and in the making of graven images (Exodus 20:3-4). It is doubtful that these Scriptures can be rea­sonably extended to cover a Christmas tree. 

Another approach people use to discredit the Christmas tree and the entire holiday season is Aaron’s calling of a feast (Exodus 32:4-5). Aaron’s call to worship a newly fashioned golden calf is synonymous in some people’s minds with any feast. To them, festivity is fri­volity. This was one of the Pharisees’ complaints against Jesus since our Lord apparently frequented certain fes­tivities (Matthew 11:19). Christ’s first miracle was at a wedding celebration in Cana of Galilee where such cel­ebrations were known to last a week (John 2:1-11). He also attended the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, an extra-biblical festival of lights that celebrated the victory of the Maccabees some two centuries prior. In that win­ter celebration that coincides with our Christmas sea­son, commemorative lampstands entwined with ever­green filled the Temple’s outer court. Jesus was no stranger to the spirit of celebration, even during the hol­iday season. 

As with our calendar, both time and the lack of direct scriptural prohibitions have washed away much of the Christmas tree’s questionable origins. There is room, however, for sincere differences of convic­tion on this issue. The apostle Paul felt that there was nothing wrong with eating meat once offered to idols since an idol is “nothing” to a Christian (I Corinthians 8:4). However, the apostle recognized that a Christian with a weak conscience might find the practice objectionable. Out of brotherly love, not necessity, the apostle yielded his strong convic­tions on the matter to those with weak consciences. “If meat make my brother to offend,” Paul boldly stated, will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (I Corinthians 8:13). If a fel­low believer has a weak conscience regarding Christmas trees due to their associations with paganism, other Christians should accept this and not seek to offend in this area. On the other hand, those with weak consciences in this area should not seek to be offended (Romans 14:21-23). 

Earlier, I mentioned that there were a couple of trou­bling things about our celebrating of Christmas. To me and probably to most everyone else, the commercializa­tion of this season is obvious and very disturbing. Christians should make every effort to be good stewards of their time, energy, and finances during this time. Frivolous expenditures, slothfulness in supporting of church and mission programs during this time, and a “family first, God second” attitude toward the holidays prove spiritually hazardous. Any time God is placed sec­ond, He’s placed dead last. He must come first in every purchase, every visit, and in every family. 

There are several practical ways that our family resists the spirit of the season. We hold off purchases that we’d normally make earlier in the year and make them at Christmas time, so that no additional funds are spent. To resist impulse-buying, we make a pledge to Christmas for Christ or some other worthy program prior to our holiday shopping. Finally we give ourselves to others through volunteer work. For the past eleven years, one of the greatest fundraisers for our church has been wrapping gifts at a local mall. Everyone who works is a volunteer, and it’s amazing how inured one gets to spending when he sees the wasteful expenditures made by others. Other volunteer efforts like food pantries, community serv­ice, church Christmas plays, and holi­day meals are worthy endeavors. 

Christmas is for Christ. In this 2000th anniversary of His birth, where would we be without Jesus? Let’s keep that foremost in our minds during this time. Of greater signifi­cance than a Christmas tree is an old rugged cross upon which He offered His supreme sacrifice. Let’s gather about that tree in the holidays and worship God together.

Ken Gurley is Pastor of The First Church of Pearland, a member of the Texas District board, and the author of two books. This article appeared in the Apostolic Sentinel, December 2000.