Faith or family?; Steven Curtis Chapman promotes adoption

In Thursday’s RNS report, Adelle M. Banks and Jason Kane look at another issue in the current debate about the religious significance of Christmas: When Christmas and Sunday occur on the same day-which last occurred in 1994-what’s a church to do? This year’s December dilemma has prompted serious thought, truncated services and, in some cases, […]

In Thursday’s RNS report, Adelle M. Banks and Jason Kane look at another issue in the current debate about the religious significance of Christmas: When Christmas and Sunday occur on the same day-which last occurred in 1994-what’s a church to do? This year’s December dilemma has prompted serious thought, truncated services and, in some cases, no Sunday services at all. The issue highlights an underlying conflict for some Christians: Is Christmas Day a time for faith or family or for both? Some see a redefinition of Christmas taking place, ironically at a time when many evangelical Christians have been complaining about retailers and others neglecting the religious meaning of Christmas. A divide is seen between liturgical and non-liturgical churches. While more Catholics than usual are expected to attend church on Christmas Day, Protestant attendance is expected to be significantly lower.

Doug Pullen recently interviewed Grammy-winner Steven Curtis Chapman about his Christmas concert tour, in which he promotes adoption: Some Christian musicians don’t practice what they preach. Steven Curtis Chapman does. One of the most successful artists of the genre has become a leading spokesman for adoption. With his new Christmas album and 21-city tour with MercyMe, he’s using his celebrity to further the cause. The CD, “All I Really Want for Christmas,” and the tour, which ends Dec. 20, will raise money for Shaohannah’s Hope, the nonprofit adoption support group he started with wife Mary Beth. It’s named for his 6-year-old daughter, one of three Chinese children the Chapmans have adopted over the last five years. “I kind of feel like everything we do now moves in that direction,” Chapman, a five-time Grammy winner, said by phone recently.

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