The Point: Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?

Last week we received a note from a listener concerned with the pagan roots of the Christmas holiday. It's something you hear a lot this time of year, that Christians "borrowed lumber" from pagans to build the traditions of Christmas.

Often, critics point to things like the Christmas tree, the alignment of Jesus' birth with the Egyptian God Horus, and the Christian culture war against the practice of Saturnalia. A lot of these arguments gained traction in a documentary called Religulous by liberal critic Bill Maher.

To address this and many questions, Shane Morris invited Dr. Glenn Sunshine to the Upstream podcast. The two unpack the historical roots of the church embracing December 25th for the Christmas holiday. They talk about what it means to "spoil the Egyptians," as St. Augustine put it. They also lay a Christian worldview foundation for the celebration of Christmas.

Listen to this deep dive into the Christmas holiday on Shane's Podcast, Upstream, or you can watch our What Would You Say? Video, "Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday."