Goodness Gracious!

...as the Secretary of Defense would say, doubtless while mentally subsituting some Navy oaths he learned back when he was flying off a carrier.

The Ombudsman had literally no idea he would stir up a hornet's nest when he made some mild comments re Christmas and Megachurches. I mean, the Ombudsman is a weak violet who flinches from the brisk give-and-take over at Bunnie Diehl's. He does not have well-developed canines; he does not believe that truth is necessarily on his side because it is his side; only once in while does the Ombudsman have a right to his opinions. [Ed.-Then why the hell are you blogging? Good question! Note that I haven't been doing it much!]

So I am surprised, and I guess it is because people can't parse distinctions. Me, I am willing to blame it on email and blogging...somehow they are mediums that encourage inattention. Let me therefore say it plainly. Megachurch members are not evil...megachurch pastors are not evil. They are, even, Christian brothers and sisters of mine. That does not mean they can't do silly things, and do them for all the wrong reasons.

Look, it goes beyond the whole Christ-mas argument. (You made your point, Bunnie. Now move on, or find another argumentum ad somethingorother.) It is profoundly a question of Christian discipleship. I note that a favorite culture-war gambit this season are protests against saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Christmas"; or protests at Target because they do not allow Salvation Army bell-ringers on their property. These protests are attempts to, I believe, make it clear that the commercial extravaganza that now begins just after Halloween is really, truly, Christian...kind of.

Well, if the best we can do for the Faith is grab hold of those enormous inflatable plastic lawn ornament snowglobes with the happy snowman inside, or the "Grinch" Holiday Special, and shout "This is about Jesus!", then count me out. I'm not interested. Wal-Mart can own that holiday season, if that's the case.

It seems to me that the best thing to do to reclaim Christmas as Christmas is to worship...