A Political Nativity in the Nation's Capital

Christmas and politics may not sound like topics that should intermingle, but the Christmas story carries some inherent politics we often overlook. Too often we reduce the season to singing about joy, wishing for merry times, and eating yummy treats. Jesus is the reason for the season but we do not always realize the reasons the biblical accounts are written the way they are. In my brand new book, Sacramental Politics: Religious Worship as Political Action, I address the inherent politics of Christmas along with other inherent political aspects to religious worship.

Ethics Daily ran a column-length excerpt from the book today that features a section on the politics of Christmas. The piece is titled "A Political Nativity in the Nation's Capital." It highlights a live nativity in Washington, D.C., that is enacted each year by the conservative religious-political group Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital. In the section, I mention some of the inherent political implications of Christmas stories, songs, and nativities. I hope you enjoy the piece and check out the book.

Reverend Rob Schenck, president of Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital and chaplain for The Capitol Hill Executive Service Club, offered one of the two back-cover endorsements for Sacramental Politics. I appreciate his kind words.