Should Christians Celebrate Christmas? | Daniel Kolenda: Off The Record
- Preacher
- Daniel Kolenda
- Tradition
- Pentecostal — Evangelist
- Published
- Length
- 1:34:43
About this sermon
In the latest episode of OFF THE RECORD, Daniel Kolenda will discuss the controversial viewpoints surrounding Christmas asking, “Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?”. While the question strikes some as curious (after all, why wouldn’t they?), others point to the holiday’s pagan influences, borderline worship of commercialism, and historical inaccuracies as reasons enough for true Christ-followers to eschew the celebration. In his candid, casual, and no-holds-barred style, Daniel tackles the topic head-on. In the show’s opening, he points out that “it’s obvious that a lot of people are deeply passionate on this issue, one way or the other. I actually have a good friend who was a pastor, very beloved by his congregation, and who was recently ousted by the elders because of some areas of disagreement over doctrine. And one of the main areas of disagreement was that these elders believed that Christians should not celebrate Christmas, and the pastor wanted to take advantage of the Christmas Holiday season to reach out to their community evangelistically… this is a kind of dogmatism that needs a response.” An engaging, well-researched, and even-handed conversation follows – replete with scriptural insights and no small dose of levity. Daniel traces the evolution of Christmas from the birth of Jesus through the Roman era and reveals how contact with pre-Christian European tribes and modern-day capitalism brought us the hodge-podge of religious and secular observance we now call “Christmas.” If you’re curious about how customs emerge, interested in history, or looking for your own answer to the controversy, this is a not-to-be-missed episode. #danielkolenda #offtherecord #christmas 0:00 Introduction 3:34 An overview of subjects to discuss 7:40 Four Winter Celebrations in the 4th Century Roman Empire 8:10 Saturnalia (#1) 9:54 Sol Invictus (#2) 13:02 The birth of Mithras (#3) 13:29 Kalends (#4) 15:23 Influences on Christmas traditions today 20:47 Christmas replaces pagan holidays 24:00 Why December 25th was chosen for Christmas 31:41 The risk of parallelomania 34:22 Christmas from the Reformation to today 36:10 Christmas in Germany 38:29 Christmas in England 44:58 Christmas in Early America 47:52 The Modern Evolution of Christmas 51:29 From Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus 59:57 Christmas Tree Traditions 1:05:49 Traditions of mistletoe, holly and poinsettias 1:07:52 Recapping and the dangers of superstition 1:21:24 Paul's example in Scripture for avoiding pagan practices 1:29:55 The Mystery of the Magi 1:33:08 Conclusion We have seen over 88 Million Salvation Decisions for Christ! For more information about the Ministry of Christ for all Nations and the most up to date salvation numbers please visit: www.cfan.org Subscribe to CFAN to receive our latest messages: Email: https://cfan.org/subscribe SMS: Text CFAN to 94090 Contact us anytime at (407) 854-4400 To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: https://cfan.org/donate Stay Connected Website: https://www.cfan.org Christ for all Nations YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/cfanusa Christ for all Nations Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cfanusa/ Christ for all Nations Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfanusa/ Christ for all Nations Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfanusa Evangelist Daniel Kolenda Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evangelistkolenda/ Evangelist Daniel Kolenda Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evangelistdanielkolenda/ Evangelist Daniel Kolenda Twitter: https://twitter.com/danielkolenda MB019ECOH2LRHOD
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