Christmas and The Battle for The Soul of America

The culture war, as we know it, is not merely a political struggle of conflicting social sentiments on abortion, LGBTQQIP2SAA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit (2S), androgynous, and asexual), biology, nature of marriage... It’s a battle for the soul of America. It is a confrontation or conflict between diverse interpretations of certainty, creation, and God. It’s the colossal clash between good and evil, playing out in Christmas Decorations, tree lightings, holiday specials, timeless tradition of gift-exchanging... In the lively marketplace of modernist ideas, where the battle of worldviews echoes through the narrow passageways of debate, there emerges an intriguing phenomenon during the joyous season. It is a paradox, a revelation enclosed not in an aenigma but in tinsel and adorned with lights. It’s a revelation that the Christmas season is not merely a festival of joy and goodwill, but the very battleground of what conservative evangelical Christians rightly call the “culture war.”

During this season of peace and Christmas celebrations, the conservative Christian, whether he or she realizes it or not, finds themselves inadvertently ensnared in a universal or cosmic struggle. It is not merely about the nativity scene that represents the birth of Christ or the resonant hymns being song in the church pews; it is about the clash of values, morals, ideals the defense of truth, beauty, and goodness against the infringing shadows of relativism and secularism.

In the heart of the Christmas chronology lies the crux of this culture war, a contradiction so acute that it can only be understood by those disposed to embrace the enigmatic or mystery. The baby in the manger, surrounded by the humblest of creatures, is in fact the Lord of All, the King of kings, the Alpha and Omega... and the rallying point for an army of believers, if you will, a band of brothers and sisters clad in the full armor of God that Christians are called to put on. The full armor of God compromises the “Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit.”

It is here, in the subdued simplicity of Bethlehem, that the ultimate culture warrior enters the world stage; the Christ-child, whose birth heralds a cosmic shift. As Christians, we know that the Christmas story is not a mere historical abstract about a person but a foundational historical occurrence that shapes our worldview and fuels our engagement in the culture war. God sent His champion to earth to achieve victory over the powers of darkness. The war that has been raging in the heavens since Satan rebelled is manifest on earth. In the manger, we find the ideal concrete representation or embodiment of the values we defend at the ballot box and in the public square: God the Son Incarnate. The Star of Bethlehem wasn’t just a beacon for the Wise Men in their day; it still shines for us now, as the obvious signal of attack against the encroaching forces that seek to redefine morality, distort beauty, and discard resolved truth.

Paradoxically, the cultural clash intensifies precisely because conservative Christians believe that the Christmas story is not confined to a quaint representation in December but permeates every facet of life. Either Christ is Lord of all, or He is not Lord. His humble beginning as a baby betrays the true power that was hidden in the manager that one silent night over 2,000 years ago. Yet, in this ostensibly inconspicuous manger, there is a enigmatic revelation of divine strategy. The ultimate culture warrior does not emerge, at first, with a sword in hand or a crown of conquest. Instead, He enters the fray through susceptibility, vulnerability, and humility.

The culture war is, in essence, a collision of connected events, a battle between competing narratives about the nature of humanity, the resolution of existence, and the source of morality. It’s man as “god” or the God-man Jesus Christ. There are only two sides. And we all must choose.

In my mind’s view the Christmas narrative provides the ultimate framework for understanding the created order and all of its implications for the fight to end abortion, protect marriage, defeat the lies of transgenderism... It is a affirmation that humanity is not a product of chance or sheer biological processes but the deliberate craftsmanship of a Creator. In a world that progressively seeks to remove distinctions and revaluate, redefine, reinvent, reassess... the very essence of humanity, Christians find in the Christmas story a reaffirmation of the dignity inherent in being created in the image of God.

The paradox deepens as the narrative unfolds. The one who would be acclaimed as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords experiences the ignominy or humility of the cross. The only perfect culture warrior, born in obscurity, now faces the cruelty of crucifixion. It is a paradoxical twist that confounds the wisdom of the world, a king who conquers not through supremacy and persuasiveness but through sacrificial love.

And yet, it is precisely in this paradox that the conservative Christian finds the assurance of victory in Jesus. We fight on in the war to bring all of creation; nations, affairs of state, education, MSM and social media, arts, and sciences... into self- depreciating submission to Christ the King because He is ruling and reigning now. The baby in the manger becomes the crucified Christ, but He does not remain in the tomb. The resurrection is the triumphant climax and fatal strike to Satan and his followers that echoes through the passageways of time. The ultimate culture warrior, having faced the depths of human suffering and the agony of death, emerges victorious over sin and death.

As the Christmas season reveals, Christians participate not just in celebration but in committed confidence. It is a story that rises above the temporal writhes and ushers’ believers into a hope that extends beyond the tinsel and carols, a hope anchored in the ultimate victory of the culture warrior who is also the risen King.

Christmas manifestly stands at the epicenter of this war. The birth of Christ was an act of godly, galactic violence against the forces of evil in the spiritual and physical world. It was, in short, an act of war. More than that, it was a winning strike. It is a lighthouse of hope, a reminder of the divine intervention in human history. It reminds us that God has not abandoned or discarded His creation. He has come to redeem it. The birth of Jesus Christ is a promise of victory. Christmas is the Culture War. And in this war, we are not just God’s warriors or His soldiers. We are winners, champions, victors... Christmas secures it.