Episode #11 - Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?

Daniel Kolenda: Off the Record

Should Christians Celebrate Christmas? In the latest episode of OFF THE RECORD, Daniel Kolenda will discuss the controversial viewpoints surrounding Christmas by asking questions such as, “Is Christmas a pagan holiday?” “Where did the ideas of Christmas trees and Santa Claus come from?” and more! Watch or listen now as Daniel takes you on a journey of the historical context of Christmas since the reformation in various countries, the evolution of Christmas and early church traditions, if it even matters, and what revelation we can glean from Scripture on this subject. Show Notes: 0:00 Introduction 3:34 An overview of subjects to discuss 7:40 Four Winter Celebration 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 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.