The Bible speaks of the devil “walking to and fro” or “prowling” with the intent of finding ways of getting
into mischief. I thought about that when I read an article chastising Christians for decorating for
Christmas, saying such decorations are pagan symbols. I began wondering what kind of victory Satan
wins when I put wreaths on my windows. I wonder if the devil rubs his hands together and laughs at me
when I place the last ornament on my tree.
Here is where I think his victory lies: Christians argue and quarrel and point fingers at each other as the
harmony of the church is shattered. Also, we waste time arguing about something that is of little
consequence: “swatting at gnats while swallowing camel”.
Christmas has come to be celebrated in two distinct ways. The religious meaning (the most significant
and important) and the secular celebration. When someone uses the term “pagan” referring to the
secular celebration I believe they are misusing that word. When we think of something as being pagan
we most frequently mean that it involves worshipping the wrong gods or denying God altogether.
When we tell stories of Santa Claus, or reindeer, or elves or snowmen we are not claiming deity for
them. We are not worshipping them as a god…we’re not even saying they are real! Neither are we
denying Christ, demeaning the Father, nor blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Not all secular events are pagan,
even if they use decorations that used to mean something else to other people in antiquity.
Enjoy the holidays, enjoy the family, give God the glory!
Say good things about your Savior and about His Church on the Bluff.

Bro. Tony

It’s Christmas time again and with that comes the discussion about whether Christians should celebrate
Christmas. I have seen several posts on Facebook and have received a couple of emails from religious
organizations trying to convince people, one way or another, that Christmas is related to pagan
celebrations: No good Christian should take part in it. Let me share my take on that.

Have you ever read the Thanksgiving proclamation from President George Washington? Though many
today claim a “wall of separation” between church and state, God’s influence and reverence for Him,
was clearly a vital part of our nation’s collective thinking. As such it molded and shaped our political
leaders' beliefs and thus their government’s direction. The following is that proclamation (the italics are
mine).

Have you ever read the Thanksgiving proclamation from President George Washington? Though many
today claim a “wall of separation” between church and state, God’s influence and reverence for Him,
was clearly a vital part of our nation’s collective thinking. As such it molded and shaped our political
leaders' beliefs and thus their government’s direction. The following is that proclamation (the italics are
mine).

I finally answered “yes” to God’s call for me to become a pastor when I was 31 years old. I enrolled in a
college that was founded for the very purpose of teaching men called later in life how to pastor a
Southern Baptist church. Because of that unique purpose I met many people with a variety of life
experiences. One was an OTR truck driver.

When I was working at a television station, we had a farm program that aired each weekday morning.
The host was a great guy named Gene Reagan. One morning he told us that a farmer had called him to
complain about Daylight Savings Time. He claimed that the extra hour of daylight was killing his
tomatoes!

If you love someone you accept them as they are. Right? That’s the explanation we hear from churches
and denominations that embrace the LBGTQ+ lifestyle. After all, they say, God is love. 1 John 4:8 does
say emphatically that God is love. However, those who use that line of reasoning have it backwards.
They define love with human, carnal understanding. They then use that faulty understanding to define
God. In essence, they are making “love” their god. That’s not how it works.

I read an interesting article about what are called “Reformed Baptist” churches. Those are Baptist
churches who embrace Calvinism or “reformed theology”. As they preach and teach Calvinism, they
publicly tout their theology. There church sign, website, and printed material will tell you they are
Reformed Baptists. I looked them up online and discovered that in the Alabama association of
Reformed Baptist churches there are 38 member churches. That’s not a lot.

I follow a Facebook page called “The Holy Nope”. A man posts videos from church/revivals/conferences
that are almost unbelievable. Some are just so silly that I laugh at the absurdity of the preaching. Most,
however, contain serious fallacies up to, and including, outright heresy.