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The Politics of Christmas
1st December 2011
Christmas is about spending time with family and friends... at least that is what the vast majority of us think.
Yet, this safe, domestic Christmas was largely an invention of the Victorians. The Christmas stories themselves as told in Matthew's and Luke's gospels are far less peaceful and far more unsettling.
Economic exploitation, imperial opression, social stigma, petty tyranny: are all in the sights of a story in which God himself is born into a poor, vulnerable and somewhat unorthodox family unit.
While Christmas must undoubtedly be a time for family and generosity, Stephen Holmes argues, it should also be a moment when we hear and attend to the Bible's message of justice and freedom for all.
The Politics of Christmas is written by Stephen Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Theology at the University of St Andrews.