Some have labelled its use, blasphemy. For others it’s just Greek to them.
For people like you who use and care about words, what do you think of the word, Xmas? I think the term is about keeping Christ in Christmas. As a pastor, I’ve had interesting (some very emotional) reactions when I talk that way or certainly when I preach using that term.
But before I explain my thinking, a little context.
There is a prevalent Christian cultural myth that the use of the word Xmas stems from a secularizing tendency to de-emphasize the religious tradition of Christmas. The use of Xmas in advertising and conversation is the culprit. You’ve heard the lament, “Xmas?! Now they’re taking Christ out of Christmas.”
History
- In 1957 the use of X in Xmas was dismissed as “the unknown quantity” by the Church League of America.
- In 1966 a conspiracy theory around the use of Xmas was that “Jewry influenced the United Nations to outlaw the name of Christ.”
- In 2019, one of the most well-known Christian leaders in the world declared that using the term “Xmas” was the result of a war against using the name of Jesus.
Have you seen the 2024 cryptocurrency exchange that goes by the name, XT? Some see that as a mockery of Christ.
Nevertheless, the term's usage dates to the 16th century, and corresponds to Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Church of England and Episcopalian liturgical use of various forms of the chi-rho monogram. In fact, the word Christ and its compounds, including Christmas, have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years. In many manuscripts of the New Testament, 'Χ' is an abbreviation for Χριστος.
It's Greek To Me
The Chi Rho, one of the earliest forms of the Christogram, is formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters—chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos) in such a way that the vertical stroke of the rho intersects the centre of the chi.
Enough Greek, OK (which is from the Greek, Ola kala meaning “all good”)?
My preferred words are Christ and Christmas. I only use Xmas to make a point.
The term, Xmas, is not a hill to die on. It’s a hill to light a light on. Somebody ultimately important to us said, you are the light of the world. Even a misunderstanding around the use of a word can be used to draw people to the Word rather than get up in arms and defend “our rights.” A Christian’s lead step is always love, or service, never power.
If you got this far in my final post of 2024 and you feel some level of frustration, anger, disbelief, or disappointment with me, I’m not sorry. I am grateful for you. You are my brothers and sisters.
In this day and age, everything is polarized for some advantage. Let's focus on Jesus. Remember the words of Bonhoeffer, "When Xt calls a man he bids him come and die."
May 2025 be the best year of your life. Amen.
Bob writes at REVwords.com
