The Christmas season began in earnest this week with two polar opposite news stories concerning that controversial Jewish rabbi whose birthday is the reason for the season – the “Christ-mass.” (The root meaning of Christ-mass is “to send Christ” or “Christ is sent,” but that root is being increasingly severed by the secular word, “holiday.”)
The first “pole,” planted in our nation’s capital involves a lawsuit filed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The subject of the lawsuit is WMATA’s rejection of the archdiocese’s religious-themed subway and bus banner ad campaign shown below.
Even though there are no specific references to the birth of Jesus, the slogan, “Find the Perfect Gift” and “#PerfectGift,” triggered WMATA to reject the ad based on their 2015 policy guidelines prohibiting advertising that relates to religion or any message deemed socially or politically charged. (Given that it’s the Washington, D.C., metro area, the ban is rich in irony.)
However, the archdiocese’s lawsuit raises an interesting question relating to what is considered “religious” advertising during the Christmas season.
The Washington Post weighed in on the controversy with the headline, “Is Metro waging war on Christmas? Archdiocese sues to post biblical-themed bus ads,” reporting:
“In the lawsuit, the archdiocese argues that the ad posters ‘contain no explicit references to religion, religious practice, or belief.’ McFadden [spokesman for the archdiocese] noted that Metro’s policies allow much more latitude for Christmas-themed ads that are commissioned by commercial entities seeking to get people to buy their products.
“‘If Christmas comes from a store … then it seems [the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority] approves,’ McFadden said. ‘But if Christmas means a little bit more, WMATA plays Grinch.’
“The archdiocese is asking a judge to declare that Metro’s ban on religious ads infringes on the Catholic organization’s freedom of speech and religion, and it wants the court to force Metro to accept the ad within the next week.”
Not only is the archdiocese’s lawsuit a tangled web of freedom of speech issues, but it raises a more complicated question of what qualifies as an acceptable Christmas-gift ad under the guidelines set by WMATA.
Moreover, if an intangible gift like faith is advertised as the perfect Christmas gift and rejected by the U.S. District Court, then WMATA should reject all Christmas-gift ads, considering Christmas advertising, by its very nature, symbolizes acknowledgment of a Christian-based, biblical event.
The judge’s ruling will be one to watch and should occur soon. Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Washington is receiving millions of dollars in free advertising since this controversy has been widely reported, and such reporting usually shows the banner.
The second “pole” is about new scientific evidence authenticating the purported burial place of Jesus in Jerusalem. While the Christmas season celebrates the birth of Jesus, His death and resurrection is the foundation of Christianity, giving meaning to His birth, and from that stems the tradition of exchanging gifts.
Keep in mind that we can never be 100 percent sure that the tomb housed within the Edicule – the shrine over the tomb within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – is where Jesus Christ was laid to rest after his death by crucifixion. But, the results of scientific tests released by National Geographic this week offers some convincing indirect evidence.
Based on verified Roman history, Constantine, Rome’s first Christian emperor, commissioned a search for Christ’s tomb in Jerusalem.
According to National Geographic:
“When Constantine’s representatives arrived in Jerusalem around 325 to locate the tomb, they were allegedly pointed to a Roman temple built some 200 years earlier. The Roman temple was razed, and excavations beneath it revealed a tomb hewn from a limestone cave. The top of the cave was sheared off to expose the interior of the tomb, and the Edicule was built around it.”
Fast forward to October 2016 when the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was undergoing extensive renovations and the tomb was opened for the first time in centuries.
Again, National Geographic reports:
“Mortar sampled from between the original limestone surface of the tomb and a marble slab that covers it has been dated to around A.D. 345. According to historical accounts, the tomb was discovered by the Romans and enshrined around 326.”
Furthermore, on Sunday, Dec. 3, National Geographic premieres “Secrets of Christ’s Tomb,” a documentary that will explore not only these Roman-dated findings but evidence up to the year 1570 supporting all known construction and restoration efforts of the Edicule through the centuries.
(As an aside, millions of Christians, myself included, also believe that the Shroud of Turin is physical evidence of Christ’s resurrection, but that is another story.)
So let’s recap what is between the “two poles” of the Metro system ad controversy and the Roman-dated tomb findings.
Through new indirect evidence, Christ’s tomb in Jerusalem is being verified. That means that some of the circumstances surrounding Christ’s death as recorded in the New Testament can also be verified based on the ancient geography of Jerusalem.
Thus, the more physical evidence discovered proving that Christ lived, died and rose again according to the Scriptures means that Christ should be worshiped and celebrated freely, without restraint from governmental authorities within constitutional boundaries.
But the truth is that every year the weeks leading up to Christ’s birthday turn into a battle of political correctness. The “War on Christmas” is waged in advertising and throughout society where “holiday” has become an accepted substitute for the word “Christmas.” I fully expect that someday the federal holiday of Christmas will be deemed offensive and officially renamed “Federal Holiday.”
Of course, throughout the year, our culture is further marginalizing Christ. But all believers know that between the “two poles” Christ lives and He will reign as King forever.
The “Mass of Christ” is the best time of year to appreciate and learn about the “Perfect Gift” of eternal life and forgiveness of sins. Whether or not the Christmas message is banned from the Washington Metro system, His truth will prevail because the tomb is empty!
