Ask a Pastor Column

Q: Some people are totally against celebrating Christmas and Easter, saying it is wrong. Is it?

A: Different Christians each have different perspectives and approaches to the holidays. Some churches and believers make a big deal about the holidays, claiming these holidays are inherently Christian, and ought to be celebrated accordingly. Others point to pagan overtones and influences and claim that the holidays are corrupt and shouldn’t be celebrated. What do we make of this?

The first thing we must understand is that the Bible clearly grants each believer the freedom to choose for themselves whether or not they will celebrate a particular holiday and how they go about it (Romans 14:5). The one condition that the Bible gives us is to make our decision based upon what will bring the most glory to Christ (Romans 14:6). Since God grants that freedom to us, we must grant it to each other and agree to disagree if someone else feels differently about the holidays than we do.

Let me use Easter as an example. For many Christians, Easter is a chance to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Special church services, plays and musical programs all proclaim the risen Lord and celebrate the cornerstone of the Christian Faith. But there are other traditions and themes mixed into Easter that have nothing to do with Christianity: the Easter bunny, egg-hunting, and so on. These traditions come originally from pagan festivals which were celebrated at around the same time of the year as the Christian festivals.

Some look at the worldly influences surrounding the holidays and decide not to participate. Others celebrate the Christian aspects of a holiday and avoid the rest. Others look for ways to “Christianize” non-Christian traditions (like hunting “resurrection eggs” as a reminder of the empty tomb). Others participate in the festivities without any changes. When considering how to approach the holidays ourselves, we can consider these guidelines: make your decision based on what will be most honoring to Christ (I Corinthians 10:31), listen to your conscience (Romans 14:14), keep peace with other believers (Romans 14:13; Ephesians 4:3), live and let live (Romans 14:10-13), and remember that there’s nothing wrong with celebrating and enjoying the good things God has given us within proper moral boundaries (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)! 

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