It’s in the Cards

The many Christmas cards sent by President and Mrs. George W. Bush have been warmly received by thousands of recipients, but the cynics, critics and unbelievers had their usual critical field day again this year. The most ill-reasoned response came from Barbara Walters speaking on The View. Walters said this year’s card was the most religious White House Christmas card in her memory.

The Huffington Post from December 13 said the card included "explicit religious references beyond just a Bible verse." Then, reading potent religious messages into a general greeting, The Huffington Post called it a "super-Christian" card and declared, "But whereas in previous years the President and the First Lady opted for messages of happiness, goodwill, and peace, this year featured the following closer: May the joy of all creation fill your heart this blessed season 2007."

What does the card actually say?

The back of the card describes the cover’s painting of the East colonnade and acknowledges of the artist, David Drummond and offers a brief explanation of the garden depicted in the painting. The back also reads, "Paid for by the Republican National Committee," so our taxes haven’t paid for it.

The inside inscriptions really gets to the sensitive secular people. Under the gold Presidential Seal is this verse:

You alone are the LORD.
You made the heavens, even the highest heavens,
and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to everything
and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
Nehemiah 9:6 (NIV)
A personal wish follows in larger letters:
May the joy of all creation
fill your heart this blessed season.
2007

Under that are the signatures of George and Laura Bush.

What is the criticism all about? First, a verse in George Bush’s card is nothing new, so why make a fuss this year? I checked the previous seven White House Christmas cards, and they all contain Bible verses from the Old Testament. Second, it reveals the abysmal ignorance of Christian truth. Third, it’s a subtle slam at political figures expressing any kind of public religious sentiment.

The spiritual friction, though reflecting no illegality, may actually be subtle displeasure with solid Bible doctrine. Perhaps the secular critics are uneasy about the President expressing the truth about God and, by extension, Jesus. "LORD" in capital letters means "Jehovah" or "the self existent one." Any believing Jew would subscribe to that. How can that be criticized as being Christian? This LORD is said to have made the heavens and the earth. Is there a problem with that?

The verse says that the LORD gave life to everything. Could it be that offends atheists and others who embrace evolution or those who believe that presidents and first ladies shouldn’t express their personal belief in a Creator of all things?

The Bible opens, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). God created man in His image (Gen. 1:27). Further, the LORD (meaning Jehovah as it is in Neh. 9:6) is identified as the newborn Christmas king. When John said, "Prepare ye the way of the LORD" (Matt. 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4), he was quoting from Isaiah 40:3 and identifying Jesus as Jehovah.

Or is it a nagging irritation by the secular critics that the greeting is an expression of the President’s personal religious beliefs? Wishing someone the joy of all creation could be saying in effect, "God bless you," which is evidently some Christian overreach according to Barbara Walters. Job 38:7 says, "…the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy," and the President believes that.

Most Americans would be happy to receive a Christmas card picturing the White House and mailed from Crawford, Texas. But the super-sensitive see sinister religious offense in all this.

It appears there is a growing secular irritation across America. There are fewer manger scenes on lawns—much less on public property—and there is strife over even saying "Merry Christmas" in a business establishment. Barbara Walters’ agitation is in keeping with attempts to exclude the Person and meaning of the holiday (a word that really means "holy day"), which even the atheists enjoy as a work break.

For the record, here are the verses from the President George W. Bush’s previous White House Christmas cards: 2000 – Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV), 2001 – Psalm 27:8, 13 (RSV), 2002 – Psalm 100:5 (KJV), 2003 – Job 10:12 (NASB), 2004 – Psalm 95:2 (NIV), 2005 – Psalm 28:7 (RSV), 2006 – Psalm 119:108 (KJV)

We compliment the President for eight years of Biblical greetings in the White House Christmas cards. There really is no problem. Maybe the people who do see a problem are the problem.

David Virkler