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Christianity Today, December (Web-only), 2007 |

Kwanzaa Quandary

Some churches debate the place for Kwanzaa.

Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service | posted 12/20/2007 08:18AM

Each December, high atop the choir loft of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas, sit the traditional three purple and one pink Advent candles for several Sundays.

But as the month comes ...

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TJStarfire

Posted: January 01, 2008 9:57 AM


What so ever things are good, kind and true.........

Ptrallan01

Posted: December 26, 2007 4:06 PM

As a pastor of a predominantly black church that doesn't celebrate Kwanza I can add another perspective to this conversation. African Americans are unique in this hemisphere because the majority, not all, but the majority were both bought here and brought here against there will and had all vestiges of any previous cultural experience wiped out. Therefore it becomes necessary for the community to create rallying points for conversation and advancement. Not all of the community is Christian and hence Kwanza fills a community need. Being African American myself I don't have a need for Kwanza but I do recognize the need in others. Other cultures influence their Christianity with there cultural trappings why criticize this group? Why not have Polish heritage day in Polish? Why not have Korean rememberance day in Korean Churches? Kwanza to me, personally is as much an anathema as Santa Claus, Xmas trees and easter egg hunts, let's not look at this without getting rid of everything else.

H. D. Schmidt

Posted: December 26, 2007 9:58 AM

I know nothing about Kwanzaa, etc., however, as a Christian myself I wish to hereby declare the following: The way American Christian Celebrate Christmas has for many years and is getting worse every year, it has absolute nothing, yes nothing in that celebration over which, the Savior of the world is truly honored. It is a true mockering of commercialism, while its evermore inhumane and horrendous war machinery circling the globe with threats to any nation that does not tow the America Imperialistic and despotic line. When at the same time this Nation is already the mass grave of 40 - 50+ millions of unborn babies with the slaughter houses continuing in business, as usual adding daily thousands more. Yes, gifts to each other even now including dogs etc. with America also yearly spending 38+ billions on pets of all kinds, while at the same time over 3 million men women and children perish of hunger. Yes, with Communist China really the gift giver! George W., please stop shooting?

Black People

Posted: December 25, 2007 11:28 PM

I am a little bothered by the comments of the article. It seems members of the larger evangelical lack a sense of history and understanding of the African-American struggle. Kwanzaa calls African-Americans to take control of our destiny and break the chains of racism, poverty, and drugs that plague our communities. I understand people's concerns, but we must recognize that Kwanzaa is not humanistic or communistic. It seeks to uplift African-Americans out of the destructive forces that plague our communities. I get tired of people attacking this holiday since it does not fit neatly into their theological perspectives. It may serve people better to step outside of their communities and perspectives to understand issues other Americans face. We are all part of the same battle and do not have it right.

Richard Brown

Posted: December 24, 2007 12:39 PM

Let not forget Kwanzaa was created by Maulana Karenga during the fir spasm of Black Nationalism/Socialism. Maulana created Kwanzaa because to him Christ is not Black enough for me, he set out to create a quasi-holiday that is mixture of African words and Socialist propaganda that have no in real African Culture or even Black American culture. It has do basis in Christian doctrine and has no place in the church. The bigist joke is los of interest in Kwanzaa in Black community even with the attempt of the media to resuscitate Kwanzaa.

Scott McCarty

Posted: December 22, 2007 2:30 PM


The N.T. warns us against paganism entering and infecting the local body of Christ. Let us just stick to the Scriptures. Unity is in Christ, not in some pagan humanism. Let us get straightened out just which Master we should be serving. We can't have the pagan world and the Lord Jesus.

Billy Reed

Posted: December 22, 2007 2:10 PM


It is a man made holiday. If people want to celebrate it that is fine. But we have enough distractions from the true meaning of Christmas for the church to get involved in some other NON-christian celebration. Churches should just celebrate Christmas, period.

Dennis

Posted: December 22, 2007 9:46 AM

It is disgraceful that CT didn't bother to investigate the man behind this man-made "holiday". He has been arrested numerous times and spent time in prison. He started a movement called US, but that doesn't stand for USA, but rather is used like US versus THEM. He became a Marxist and espoused views that were anti-white and anti-USA. Norespectable church of Jesus Christ would "celebrate" such a man or "holiday". Maybe white churches can add Festivus to their list of holidays...

Dee	Posted: December 22, 2007 12:47 AM

Kwanzaa is by a man who despises Christianity and called Christianity a white man's religion according to Carlotta Murrow's website that's mentioned in the article. (Her name is spelled Morrow on the website). Kwanzaa wanted black people to have their own religion, so he created the principles of Kwanzaa for blacks to practice. It is definitely religious based and no Christian nor any church should have anything to do with it! Carlotta is black and strongly teaches against Kwanzaa!

Ephrem Hagos

Posted: December 21, 2007 11:44 PM


Faith --one of the 7 principles of Kwanzaa, "not related to a particular religion", a faith without any borders is nothing new! Try the teachings of Jesus Christ! Jesus is not, as popularly believed, the founder of Christianity but the benefactor of universal faith in the one true God and in the brotherhood of all believers all made plain at the death of Jesus on the cross. If we only knew!

Christine

Posted: December 21, 2007 6:53 PM

It seems to me that this is a secular attempt to develop some guidelines for living, therefore it's rooted in a particular culture. Churches should not be celebrating anything that isn't Christ focused, and I agree with other correspondents who have pointed out the church's compromise with other aspects of the dominant culture. Let's not add something else to church life that dilutes the message of Christ. We are to find our identity in Him, it doesn't matter what your cultural background, we are all one in Christ - "the dividing wall of hostility" having been broken down as Paul says. this will only happen where the gospel is truly preached - Christ promises hope of change and completion, nothing else does. A moral code won't work, only Jesus changes hearts.

Sue	Posted: December 21, 2007 2:38 PM

I think many churches celebrate cultural traditions without realizing it. They don't realize it because the cultrural tradition doesn't rise to the same level of dedication as our Christian tradition. How many churches celebrate patriotism with special hymns for various branches of the armed services? How many churches have special sermons on Mother's day? How many churches have ethnic traditions that they celebrate? (For the last example, I, a person of non-German extraction, yet a memer of an LCMS (Lutheran) church often feel "out of the family" when my church celebrates its German heritage.) Above all things, we gather to celebrate our faith, to encourage and be encouraged, to worship and to be blessed by that worship; but we generally gather in our cultural groups. I don't know that it's possible to leave our cultural roots (or our political leanings, or our stages in life, or other reasons we gather in certain places) behind us when we enter our church doors. Celebrate life!!!

Matt	Posted: December 21, 2007 11:50 AM


If your church has: -a 4th of July Service -a Thanksgiving Service -a Mother's day and/or Father's Day service -a Christmas tree then you have no right to condemn Kwanzaa as "unbiblical"

Richard Wagner

Posted: December 21, 2007 9:42 AM

Why am I not surprised at the comments here when the huge majority of readers of this publication are white? Look at your own lives and the things you celebrate that promote racial unity in your community. Sure, it may not be explicit, but there is a dividing line. I'm actually glad so many white folks scoff. This will be something they won't try to absorb, distort, and claim as their own from another culture. How long oh Lord?

Anna	Posted: December 20, 2007 10:20 PM

Christians believe only in Jesus Christ not "any faith" as Kwanzaa apparantly is stating. All of its declarations sets Kwanzaa up as another religion of its own because it has nothing to do with having Jesus at its head, it even admits it and shouldn't be in churches any more than Halloween especially if its leader or founder has a fetis for torturing women, gee, doesn't the founder of another religion have the same hate about women. If Kwanzaa belongs anyplace, it belongs in a building for Kwanzaa only followers not a Church that follows only Jesus Christ. Beware of the devil being welcomed with open arms into the Church. Like government, once he's in it's hard to get him out just like a second religion within the Church is hard to replace with Jesus. Once people celebrate within church walls anything that doesn't have to do with Jesus, it's hard to convince people to stop the celebration and celebrate Jesus only. Keep your eyes on the Lord in and out of Church.

G&M	Posted: December 20, 2007 9:56 PM

Kwanzaa is not an attempt to replace Christmas or a matter of liberal churches obsession with political, racial, gender or sexuality causes alongside their expression of Christianity. This stance appears to be very judgmental and legalistic at best. Should any Christian of Irish decent celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Christians in China observe Chinese New Year, Christians in Mexico celebrate Primero de Mayo or Cinco de Mayo, Christians in Canada observe Thanksgiving Day in October, and should Christians in America observe Independence Day, Columbus Day, United Nations Day, Mother's Day, or Father's Day? The fact is many Christians of various backgrounds (liberal and conservative) observe and celebrate many of the above mentioned days without losing sight of their relationships with God through Jesus Christ. At the end of the day this is what’s most important, therefore; I’m inclined to thank CT for covering the topic of Kwanzaa as a debate among some churches.

John	Posted: December 20, 2007 7:40 PM


Isn't it amazing all the things that are sent our way to distract us from centering on Christ the Savior? I view Kwanzaa as something that divides people by race and heritage, then replaces the emphasis of Christmas with a divisive emphasis of man. When will Christians start leaving the world and its deivicive nature behind and follow Christ?

Fred Goodwin

Posted: December 20, 2007 7:28 PM

Haven't you heard? "Tolerance" is the new commandment that supercedes all else in the liberal culture of today. And since "tolerance" is paramount, of course liberal churches embrace everything under the sun, from made-up-out-of-whole-cloth "celebrations" like Kwanzaa, to gay "marriage", to Episcopal priests becoming part-time Muslims or even Druids. Even the Archbishop of Canterbury has said belief in the Virgin Birth is no longer necessary to call oneself a Christian. Sorry your worship -- just give me that old time religion, its good enough for me!

Roger - Australia

Posted: December 20, 2007 5:13 PM

I don't understand why liberal churches (and liberal theology in general) always seem to feel the need to express their undying devotion to (and obsession with) political/racial/gender/sexuality causes alongside their expression of Christianity, as if Christianity is not enough to encorporate all people itself. Within Christianity there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, black or white. All are equal in ther eyes of God. God being Spirit is not male or female, black or white, left or right. So why do liberal churches feel the need to cow tow to every minority report? My favourite colours are blue and red - but I don't expect blue and red candles in my church to make me feel loved.

Jim	Posted: December 20, 2007 3:18 PM


I fail to see how a made-up racially-centered holiday has any place in a 21st Century Church. The "unity" in Kwanzaa is racial unity amongst black people. I hardly think we would even be debating if a church should have a Ku Klux Klan Day celebration. Kwanzaa belongs with Confederate Flags, in the past.

Jonathan Switzer

Posted: December 20, 2007 3:04 PM

I agree with the two previous comments. CT should do a much more intensive Biblical analysis. Unless, perhaps, CT is no longer into doing that. The self-determination sounds profoundly humanistic and self-centered. Collective responsibility sounds a bit communist and I am not sure can be set off against Paul's comments that yes, we bear one another's burdens, but also, each person should bear his own burden. Isn't scripture more oriented toward unified determination under Christ and self-responsibility as opposed to the opposite. Again, I find your poll should have provided a "unsure, but deeply concerned" option. Polls seem inherently poor in evaluating where people stand.

Ray	Posted: December 20, 2007 3:03 PM


If churches can have 4th of July celebrations, or Thanksgiving (which is a secularly-proclaimed holiday for the US white European immigrant culture) then black churches can certainly celebrate Kwanzaa. However, we should be clear about which is which, or we'll have a Santa Claus-in-the-manger confusion among our young people. Ray

George Edwards

Posted: December 20, 2007 3:03 PM


It might be appropriate to replace at least one Kwanzaa candle with a soldering iron, to commemorate the activity that landed "dr." Karenga in prison -- torturing a woman over the course of several days by applying said implement to tender places.

The G

Posted: December 20, 2007 2:06 PM


Self-determination flies in the face of Christ's teaching to be dead to self. The church is weak today because it's not focused on Christ it's focused on people. And by the way, when is this country going to have a holiday for my heritage?

A reader

Posted: December 20, 2007 12:29 PM

I'm glad the issue of this celebration is addressed on CT but I would have preferred a stronger biblical evaluation by the author and by churches. Although not condemning the need for cultural traditions I think they, like all aspects of our life, should be put in the light of God's Word. When there is an attitude of self promotion, even it's a reaction to past condemnation of identity, it's still against the selflessness of the gospel and to try and promote unity, faith, and good works without Christ at the center is a vain and fruitless pursuit. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

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