God-Clause: Reflections on Santa and Theology Proper

Last updated on: December 14, 2007 at 1:45 pm by Dave Dunham

God-Clause: Reflections on Santa and Theology Proper 2007-12-14T13:45:43-07:00 Dave Dunham

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

He is the all-seeing, all-knowing, omnipresent being, who rewards the good and punishes the bad. He is mysterious and beyond our comprehension. He is both transcendent and immanent, and we feel His presence in special ways around this time of year. Wait…I’ve lost myself in my own introduction. Are we talking about God or Santa?

The two seem not so dissimilar if you pause and reflect for a moment. And for the most part Christians don’t often pause and reflect on this Santa figure. Is his similarity to the Almighty an acceptable myth or does it have implications for Christian theology and life?

I am no Santa hater. I was welcomed to believe in him as a child, and did for several years. My family enjoyed the fantasy of the happy “old-elf” who ate our cookies while we slept and left us presents. And for my part I never struggled, as a youth, to believe in God. I can’t help but wonder, however, if there are those out there for whom God, as they grow older, becomes nothing more than a fictitious figure to be placed in the story-book next to “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.” One surely can’t blame Santa Clause for an individual’s “fall from faith,” and I don’t intend to here. But he can be part of the larger problem of continually weakening view of the Divine. God, in the mind of the popular culture, is a lot like Santa Clause (think of “God, the Kindly Grandfather”).

Santa Clause is the sweet old man of myth and legend. He is a benevolent gift-giver and imbued with great magic. Of course there are a myriad of different interpretations of the Santa character, but in the mid-19th century America settled on the jolly old elf from the North Pole with a red suit and belly full of jelly. Every year on Christmas Eve this man flies a magical sleigh, pulled by magical reindeer, around the world, slips into your house while you sleep and puts presents under the tree. What’s interesting to me is the commonly associated attributes of Father Christmas. He knows all, can do the unimaginable, and to a certain degree he is a judge. These characteristics raise in my mind an important question to consider as the holiday season is now upon us: is Santa simply the culture’s attempt to make a more palatable God? And if so how should Christians respond? Does this confuse children? Does it contaminate theology? I am inclined to say that while it doesn’t necessarily contaminate our theology, it does perpetuate an already faulty doctrine of God in American and Western society.

The two men are in reality quite distinct. Santa is the grandfatherly kind old man who, if you’re good, gives you candy from his pocket. God, on the other hand, is the holy divine creator. He is the sovereign one who has every right to make demands on your life and hold you accountable for not fulfilling the purpose for which He created you: to glorify Him. These two distinct men pose two distinct worldviews. (1) The first says God was created for me; (2) the second says, I was created for God!

So what are we to do with Santa Clause as this holiday season approaches? That is a question for individual believers to carefully consider. The important thing is to be sure that we aren’t confusing God and Santa, and more importantly that the realization that one is a myth doesn’t lead to a conclusion that the other is also fiction, something for little kids but not those of a mature mind. Whatever you decide about Saint Nick do your best to teach your children that no matter how old they get they never grow out of believing in God.

General Culture

Christmas

Previous Post

December 14, 2007

Winner of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival

Next Post

December 14, 2007 The White House's Super Christian Christmas Card

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Asides Elsewhere Featured Film Games General Culture Headline Literature Music Of the Moment Podcast Politics RetroPost Sports Technology Television Uncategorized Viral

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz