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Letters from 22 to 28 December 2008

Like all letters to the editor everywhere, these letters are the opinions of the writers and not Anglicans Online. We publish letters that we think will be of interest to our readers, whether we agree with them or not. If you'd like to write a letter of your own, click here.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight

Recent correspondents and newsmakers seem to have missed the fact that the first Christmas was multi-cultural and multi-faith. We know, for instance, that Mary and Joseph were Jewish, that the shepherds were probably Jewish, too, and the three sages who came from the east with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were probably Zoroastrian, or they may have been Buddhist or Hindu. In short, there wasn't a single Christian present at this world-changing event!

In a world where we are so intent on defining ourselves by exclusiveness there is little opportunity for the inclusive light of Christ to shine in and on all of us. Jesus Himself said that He came into the world to reconcile the world to God, and we Christians - or some of us, at least - thwart that understanding because we loudly object to non-Christians celebrating the natal feast of Our Lord. Jesus is ours and only ours, according to some.

Newsflash! He came into the world then and continues to come into the world to reconcile us to God and to one another. We need to get out of His way and let Him work His wonders of love, justice, mercy and compassion.

Merry Christmas to all, regardless of faith, culture, heritage, skin colour, socio-economic status or homeland. God is Love and it is Love that came into the world in that, as you put it in your weekly letter, "Roman backwater". Can we, at least, stop setting up barriers in His Holy Name?

Rene Jamieson
St. John's Cathedral
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA
22 December 2008

Average Anglican?

In your front-page letter last week you offer a demographic description of the 'Average Anglican'.

I think you forgot to mention that, theologically, that so-called Average Anglican is actually a Baptist who calls herself Anglican because that's what she's been told all of her life that she is.

Julian Windsor
St Margaret
Dayton, Ohio, USA
23 December 2008

Earlier letters

We launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published letters are in our archives.