Saving Kirk's Christmas

  
 

    So me and my wife Just got done watching Kirk Cameron's"Saving Christmas". I started out with irritation because we had a gift card and the movie theater wouldn't accept the card because we switched companies :( So Now I am out $20 :( and I am not aguy with a lot of money either. :(
  Anyways..  Kirk starts off in a tacky over decorated Christmas living room.  He is sporting a really poorly grown beard and he discusses how there are people out there who are against Christmas.  That He wanted to use the film to make it his mission to bring the Christmas spirit back.
Now when I had listened to Kirk plug his movie on "The Mike Gallagher Show" one would assume that the majority of the movie would be focused on the leftist out to destroy Christmas.
  But in the movie the only time the idea of a leftist Christmas exile is brought in the form of a ridiculous goof ball Christians privately giving whackjob conspiracy theories.
So then the right-winger who is destroying Christmas is His whack job Brother in law who is quiet and doesn't want to enjoy the party but sits outside. Kirk Cameron decides to embark on a quest to avenge his sisters loneliness.  He confronts his brother in law in the car and sets forth His case.
He focuses on 3 issues
1. the manger scene
2. the Christmas tree
3. Santa Claus
1.  Kirk comes up with a creative typology of the manger and the "swaddling clothes" being symbolic of the burial garments At Christ death.
Luke 2:¹⁶ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
I find no text necessitating that the Babe was in a cave.  This is a possibility, but not necessary.  If the text does not demand we have such a scene then it begs the question if it intended the parallel.  But this is not a dangerous conclusion or anything.
2.  the defense of trees I find deceptive.He shows various typologies in the bible leading us to trees.  The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil  The Tree of Life and the Tree of the cross.
These are all fine.  Yet kirk even after he has heard the accusation does not bring up the fact that the Bible warns against tree idolotry.
Jeremiah 10:

10 Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel.

² Thus saith the Lord: “Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

³ For the customs of the people are vain; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.

⁴ They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

⁵ They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not; they must be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”

 

We have to be careful to warn against this type of idolatry even if we do not feel we are committing it.

3. Santa Claus: Kirk reveals the factual of account of "St.Nicholaus of Myra" he shows the story of how Nicholaus punched out Arius.( I am not certain if this story has a little legend in it.  But I know this is possibly a factual story.)  However, though I am proudly trinitarian I do not hold to the Nicene Creed for it's false teaching of baptismal regeneration and others.   The Nicene Creed was not simply theology.  This creed was used as a tool to shed blood and became part of the catholic tradition of using theology for tyranny.  Santa was far from the last Bishop to use such meetings for physical violence against other "ministers".

The modern imagery and tales of Santa Claus carry with it aspects of pagan mythology.  Such as the sleigh riding Norse god "Odin".    

   Odin                 St. Nicholaus of Myra

When people celebrate Santa Claus are they really acknowledge a bishop as their role model or participating in religious worship of a spirit? teaching there children to offer the spirit, cookies.

   However, Kirk does not deal with what the Santa stories have become.  Roman and eastern orthodox Catholic tradition has this man canonized as a Saint in which case  people around the world pray to him much like Mary. 

Deuteronomy 4:¹⁶ lest ye corrupt yourselves and make you a graven image: the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,"

Acts 10: ²⁵ And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶ But Peter took him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself also am a man.”

Revelation 19:10 " ¹⁰ And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said unto me, “See that thou do it not! I am thy fellow servant and one of thy brethren, who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”"

1 john 5: ²¹ Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

So kirk encourages his brother-in-law to repent of not celebrating Christmas.   So He leaps into the Christmas presents and after a heart felt apology as opposed to kissing his wife.  Breaks it down into a hip hop dance-a-thon where kirk Cameron does the worm one of the dancers shows why her sweater is not appropriate for this dance at church, and even the white-boy brother can now "kick it".

Don't worry I believe in dancing before the Lord!

Psalm 149:3       21st Century King James Version (KJ21)

³ Let them praise His name in the dance; let them sing praises unto Him with the timbrel and harp."

    I only wish they could come close to bringing my swag.

   

The Bible also teaches religious liberty in our worship.

Romans 14:⁴ Who art thou who judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth; yea, he shall be held up, for God is able to make him stand.

⁵ One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

 Here is  the problem though we should as christians use our liberty in a wise and defensive manner.  Not using it as an occaision to sin.   Kirk is ignoring the fact that there is an unbiblical and sinful way of approaching Christmas and some people will be weak in the faith.

1 Corinthians 9:4Concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but One.

⁵ For though there be what are called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many “gods” and many “lords”),

⁶ yet to us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things, and we by Him.

⁷ However, there is not in every man that knowledge; for some, with conscience of the idol until this hour, eat it as a thing offered unto an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled."

"

¹⁰ For if any man see thee, who hast knowledge, sitting at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols,

¹¹ and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

¹² For when ye sin so against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

¹³ Therefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." 

  At the end of the day, this movie seems to be used as a way of protecting the Christmas industry.  Which I can understand why Christians would not want to loose hold of of as their influence in society dwindles.  And if that's the way you make a living, more power to you!  But if you product is not bringing people closer to God then it is a good thing if they dump the product.  This is what happens when sinners repent of idolatry.

Acts 19:¹⁷ And this became known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling in Ephesus, and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

¹⁸ And many who believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.

¹⁹ Many of those also who used occult arts brought their books together and burned them before all men; and they counted up the price of them, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.

²⁰ So the Word of God grew mightily and prevailed."

Of course this would lead to Paul's arrest! :(  

 But God would use it for his glory :)

Christmas has been historically used for evil and also historically used for Good.   Follow the convictions of the Holy Ghost and you will get out of Christmas the most ;)