Merry Christmas! As I said last year, I do not conform to the politically correct, vague ‘happy holidays’ expression. I believe that everyone wishing each other their own personal holiday greeting is the most conducive to a welcoming and tolerant environment – I’ll be more than happy to accept your Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or whatever happens to float your boat.
On a related note – here is a link to an interesting Christmas article which covers a subject we rarely see reported on. At Cornell, we often hear the narrative of greedy, intolerant Christian white men and privileged WASPy students. The image is often conveyed that Christians have no experience with the receiving end of oppression, prejudice and violence. Nothing could be more false – the article by Jeff Jacoby encapsulates this subject well, as he discusses extreme Christian persecution that is ever-present in the Middle East, Africa, and especially, Asia.
It has been more than 2,000 years since the shepherds abiding in the fields near Bethlehem were told by an angel of the Lord, “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.’’ But for millions of persecuted Christians, the fears are all too real. And so is their need for prayer and solidarity from all of us, Christian and non-Christian alike, who seek to be our brother’s keeper.