“The month of December does not just belong to religion or Christianity.”
Those were the words of Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation—the organization responsible for erecting the letter A next to the nativity scene and Menorah in front of Chicago’s Daley Plaza this Christmas. Even though the Plaza’s Christmas symbols have been maintained over the years by private groups and not the government, Gaylor’s organization maintains that allowing the letter A to stand in addition to the traditional symbols allows a more inclusive representation of the atheist and agnostic community during Christmas time.
Obviously, Gaylor’s words could leave many of us Christians befuddled over the need for a non-religious group to be recognized during a religious season. They could also leave us concerned about what seem to be the serial attacks on this country’s established Judeo-Christian roots. Whether it be the recent judicial order to remove the 43-foot cross that has sat atop the national war memorial in San Diego or the attempt by the ACLU to remove the privately-funded ten commandments on Oklahoma’s capitol grounds (or to alternatively allow a Satanic emblem also on the grounds), it seems that any meaningful display of the Christian faith in today’s modern world fundamentally rattles and ultimately rallies those with an ax to grind into the public square.
Before we Christians get too despondent over what could be viewed as the increasing secularization and political correctness suffocating America’s foundation, perhaps we should consider the Gaylor’s words differently. Perhaps we should consider for a moment that her words actually ring true.
Certainly, December would certainly be more harmonious for us if every candle, colored light, and song illuminated the promises of the Christ child. But that would be a Pollyanna view of Christianity and would not actually represent the true meaning of Christmas.
The truth is that Christ himself never promised paradise or uninterrupted harmony to Christians on this side of eternity. The reality of this fallen world is that evil, pain, contradiction, cruelty, and apathy towards the one true God all exist. (In fact, Gaylor’s organization’s motive has less to do about feeling included and more to do with trying to discourage any recognition of religion in the public square.) Christmas reminds us, though, that God sent us a solution to this fallen reality: his son Jesus Christ. People can choose despair and empty promises, or they choose the love and mercy of God’s only begotten son. And that truth does, in fact, belong to all people in December and every month that follows.
Gaylor might think she has taken on this country’s Christian roots, but she has only matched the problem of non-belief with its solution. And just as Goliath proved no match for David, any contrived 8 ½ foot letter A will prove no match for Jesus Christ.
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