Evening star., 1951-11-25
The Week in Religion
By Religious News Service

A movement started several
years ago to Put Christ Back
Into Christmas is getting under
way earlier this year. It also is
being promoted on a wider basis
by both religious and secular
groups who want to stress the
spiritual rather than the COM
mercial aspects of the Christmas
festival.
Protestant and Catholic organi-
cations are giving the campaign
full support. In addition, various
civic groups and commercial firms
are devising special plans to make
Americans more deeply aware of
the real meaning of Christmas.
Protestants Launch Campaign.
A campaign for a more religious
observance of Christmas has been
launched by the Joint Department
of Evangelism of the National
Council of Churches, the most
widely representative Protestant
body in the country.
One of the emphaseS Of the
Protestant drive. according to DR..
Jesse M. Bader, director of the
department. is on getting more
people to demand Christmas cards
with a religious theme.
Rejecting the long standing
concern Of religious leaders over
the increasing commercializat,on
Of Christmas. the National Coun-
Gil department also asked the min
isterial associations and church
councils to do all possible to per-
suade local merchants not to be-
gin their Christmas sales and ad-
vertising until after Thanksgiving
Joint Promotions Used.
In some communities, sfe
Christ in Christmas movement is
being promoted under joint Prot
estant-Catholic auspices.
In Fresno, Calf, Catholic
churches and Protestant denomi-
nations are cooperating with the
chamber of commerce. the city
recreation department, the local
newspaper and a radio station. in
the annual Yule parade in which
Nativity scenes will be empha-
sized. The aim of the parade, ac-
cording to the organizers, is 20
stimulate forethought about
Christmas and enthusiasm for the
real spiritual meaning of the holi-
day"
In Reading. Pa. the Greater
Reading Council of Churches, the
Catholic churches of the city, and
the Reading Ministerial Associa-
ton have indorsed a religion
motivated Christmas parade which
will be held on December H.
There will be similar church.
approved parades in La Junta.
Colo. Fond du Lac. Wis. Hender-
son, N. c., and other communities.
Press Supports Drive.
Local religious bodies have been
increasingly successful in per-
suading business firms against
allowing commercialization to de-
tract from the true significance
Of Christmas.
An editorial in the Durham
IN. c. Morning Herald praised
the Durham Ministerial Associa-
ton for calling attention to
the excessive commercializaton
which. the paper said. imperils
the spiritual significance of the
essentially religious holiday.
The Durham Ministerial AS
sociation appointed a committee
to work with the Merchants AS
sociation in an effort to have
more store windows feature re-
liglous themes during the Christ
mas display season.
In Lexington Kentucky, a
rger-than-life Nativity scene
will replace the annual Christmas
parade financed by business firms.
The set depicting the Nativity
will be so feet wide and 10 feet
high and will be located in the
city's busiest sector.
In Southern California more
than 1000 choir members of
nearly 500 Protestant churches