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For
unto Us a Child is Born |
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For
unto Us a Child is Born |
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1. Why Was Jesus Born?
2. Observing Christmas - various views
3. Dating the
Birth of Jesus
4. What was the Star of Bethlehem?
5. So, How Does a Christian Parent Explain Santa Claus?
1. Why Was Jesus Born?
Matthew
1:1-17 - Jesus, the Christ: Son of David,
Son of Abraham
Matthew 1:18-25 - Jesus’ Virgin Birth: According to Scripture
Matthew
2:1-12 - Jesus born in Bethlehem: According to Scripture
Christmas Season Sermons
2. Observing Christmas -
various views
Traditional Reformed Perspective-nonobservers:
Is Christmas
Christian? Michael Schneider, Presbyterian
Heritage Pub., C. 1995.
Christmas-Keeping
and the Reformed Faith. David W. Carson, Presbyterian
Heritage Pub., C. 1995.
Christmas:
An Historical Survey Regarding Its Origins and Opposition to It.
Kevin Reed, Presbyterian Heritage Pub., C. 1995.
Xmas.
Arthur W. Pink
The Regulative
Principle of Worship and Christmas. Brian Schwertley
Christmas-Keeping
and the Reformed Faith. David W. Carson
Presbyterians
Do Not Observe Holy Days. Samuel Miller, D.D., 1835.
Christmas
Observance. Samuel Miller, D.D., Professor of Ecclesiastical History,
Princeton Seminary, 1825.
A
Christmas-Day Sermon. Samuel Davies, 1758.
The
Religious Observance of Christmas and Holy Days in American Presbyterianism
Chris Coldwell
Is Christmas Scriptural? G. I. Williamson (OPC
New Horizons)
The Regulatory
Principle and Christmas. C. Matthew McMahon
The Necessity of
Reforming the Church John Calvin 1543
Reformed who do/ or
might observe Christmas:
The Observance
of Christmas. Stephen D. Doe (OPC New Horizons)
Redeeming the
Holiday.
Brad Winstead (OPC New Horizons)
Celebrating
Christmas-Or Should We? Lee Ferguson, PCA News (appeals
to Calvin)
Celebrating
a Calvinist Christmas with a Clear Conscience. Mark Horne (appeals
to Bullinger, Dordt and Turretin)
Discussion
Why Do Presbyterians Observe Holy Days? Andrew
Webb
Presbyterians May Observe Holy Days If They Want To. Bill Lamkin,
PCA News
Other Nonobservers:
Holy Days of Men
and Holy Days of God G.I. Williamson
Should a
Christian Celebrate Christmas? Rick Miesel
Should Christians Celebrate
Christmas? Charles Halff (from a
Jewish-Christian point of view)
Unbelievers:
The Christmas
Story: What's Real and What's Not. Bishop John Shelby Spong
The
Christmas Story: An Overview (from
RELIGIOUS_TOLERANCE.ORG)
Why Christmas Should be
More Commercial (from Ayn Rand Institute)
What
Does Christmas Mean to Muslims? CBN News
3. Dating the Birth of
Jesus
Those proposing a date:
Biblical
Dates for Messiah's Conception and Birth David Hargis.
On the Birth Date of Jesus of
Nazareth. Uri Marcus (Succot, fall-September-October)
The Star
of Bethlehem. Craig Chester. Monterey Institute of
Astronomy Imprimis, 1993 (Jesus 3-2 BC, Herod 1 BC)
When Was
Jesus Born?
The Times and Places of
Jesus. Paul Maier (5 BC)
In What Year Was Christ Born?
The Date of Herod's Death Murrell Selden (1 BC)
The
Star of Bethlehem. Michael Molnar (April 6 BC)
Those with no definite date:
Josephus on Herod's Death and Other Matters. Paul Hill (no
way to know a date)
4. What was the Star of
Bethlehem?
The Star of Bethlehem.
The Griffith Observatory. Index of links.
The Star of Bethlehem.
Susan Carrol
The Star of Bethlehem.
Kenneth Collins
The Star of Bethlehem.
Ray Bohlin
The Star of
Bethlehem. Nick Strobel
The Star of
Bethlehem. Gerardus Bouw
The Star of
Bethlehem. Royal Observatory, England (About what you would
expect.)
The Star of
Bethlehem. U.S. Naval Observatory (About what you would
expect.)
Myrrh
Frankincense
Myrrh
Myrrh
5. So, How Does a
Christian Parent Explain Santa Claus?
The
Santa Question. Richard Patterson, Christianity Today, December
1999
The
Santa Situation. Becky Laedwig. Light and Life Magazine
The
Christian Kringle Crisis. Suzanne M. Wolfe. Breakpoint Online
(Prison Fellowship)
Sharing
Jesus in a Santa Claus World. Mary Simon. On Mission,
December 1998
What About
the Mormon Jesus?
The Muslim Jesus
Watchman's
Fellowship 2001 Index of Cults