Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on December 28, 2013

Earlier this month a controversy arose after a tongue-in-cheek column written by Aisha Harris, a woman of color, was published online at Slate.com, suggesting maybe its time that Santa Claus is no longer depicted as a white man.

A Fox news host, Megyn Kelly, commenting on air about the Harris column, caused a firestorm by saying Santa is most certainly white and that Jesus is too. After many expressed outrage at Kellys comments, she later said that she, like Harris, had simply been making tongue-in-cheek observations and that her critics just dont have a sense of humor.

Saint Nicholas was a Greek man who was also known as Nikolaos of Myra. He was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and bishop. Santa Claus comes from Dutch versions of his name and title. Regional and cultural traditions about his activity since then have widely varied. I believe the way Americans commonly picture him, race, clothing and all, is derived from vintage Coca-Cola advertising. So theres the historic man and theres the ongoing tradition of Santa.

We cant change history, but we can alter tradition. If Santas skin darkens over the years or changes with each household, thats fine. We didnt do Santa with our kids. We always had a tongue-in-cheek Barta Claus who was a Czech and came from Iowa. Our kids have done just fine.

It absolutely matters what race Jesus Christ is. Jesus father was God himself and his mother was a Jewish virgin named Mary. God promised Abraham, a Semitic man, that through his physical descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Jesus earthly Semitic heritage is the story of Gods grace in choosing a particular people to be his, and through them drawing all others to Him as well. I completely understand the desire to depict Jesus as a member of our particular ethnicity, but we can all identify with him on an even deeper level. He took humanity upon himself and bore the sins of all humanity on the cross. There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).

Pastor Jon Barta Valley Baptist Church Burbank

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Christians often answer with, Jesus could be purple, who cares? I Googled purple jesus. Turns out theres a frat-drink comprised of equal parts moonshine and grape soda called Purple Jesus. Maybe color does matter.

I reject the current bigotry that my race is bad, colonial, oppressive, whatever, and that traditionally Caucasian figures should be recast into current whim. When talking about historic people, shouldnt facts supersede fancy? Imagine saying Thomas Jefferson was black. Would that be true? How could we know, since there were no photos? In D.C. the racial demographic favors African Americans, so should politically correct assumptions declare Jefferson black? Fact is, his day saw whites as three-quarters of the population surrounding the White House. Times change, but every artistic rendering confirms his race.

Jesus visage is about facts, not assumptions. Theyre still vague, but better than mere opinions. Scripture affirms his beard, as Jews were forbidden to shave (Lev 9:27) and Jesus human genetics began with Jacob (renamed Israel) whose twin was completely ginger (Gen 25:24-26). My brother has red hair, and I have some. Whos usually associated with crimson locks, Palestinians?

Read more from the original source:
In Theory: Do the central figures of Christmas have a race?

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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