It's time I started getting back into the discussions!
Some of my favorite traditions are those like putting up the Christmas tree with my family every year. Once we start putting up the tree, we start listening to our assortment of Christmas CDs, by people like Manheim Steamroller, Elvis Presley, the Disney characters, and even an Irish one which I love. We also make things like fudge and candied pecans around Christmastime. On Christmas Eve, we visit my mom's family for supper and sharing gifts. On Christmas day, we visit my mom's extended family for lunch and then my dad's family for supper. Visiting family is my favorite part of our traditions, which is why I absolutely love this period of time from Thanksgiving to New Years (since we visit family on those holidays too).Originally Posted by ShinySandshrew
I think that America is increasingly trying to draw a line between the secular Christmas and the Christian Christmas with an obvious preference to the secular Christmas. Many people in America don't seem to mind Christmas itself (although they'd prefer to just say "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" instead), but it's the "Christ" part of "Christmas" that is becoming increasingly censored in America. I think this is plainly seen when you see stuff going on like these recent protests against the showing of the Charlie Brown Christmas movie, which contains the Luke 2 Christmas story.2.) Do you think society (in America primarily, but in other places too) has become less willing to openly celebrate or promote Christmas?
I think that studying other religions can be a very good thing from both a scholarly standpoint and the standpoint of an evangelist. After all, it is usually far easier to witness to an unbeliever if we have a good grasp of where they are coming from in the discussion. However, there should always be a certain level of discernment when studying other religions as well. I have seen several people that I know compromise on Christianity because they felt it was suitable to conform aspects of another religion into their own beliefs, and that sort of compromise is something that we should try to avoid.
I think I get what you mean. Sometimes we feel like are witnessing to unbelievers is the deciding factor as to whether or not they come to Christ. If an unbeliever gets saved after we have talked to them, we sometimes feel like it was to our credit. Likewise, if someone refuses to come to Christ, we often feel like it was our fault for not being a good enough evangelist. However, the Bible does offer an answer to this. Ephesians 2:1 states that "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins," meaning that an unbeliever is spiritually a dead man walking. A dead man cannot raise himself from the dead. Just like Lazarus, the spiritually dead are reliant upon God for that new life. This is actually quite comforting to know since if your evangelism fails to convert someone, it is not necessarily because you are a bad evangelist, but because they are actively rejecting the Holy Spirit. However, if your evangelism is successful, you know that it's because that person's heart was open to God's calling. While evangelism tools and apologetic arguments are always great to have (and we have been called to be witnesses to everyone), it is always important to remember that the state of a person's heart is ultimately a matter between them and God, and it is outside of our power.
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