The Santa Claus Syndrome

SPOILER ALERT!! Don’t let this fall into the hands of anyone under the age of ten: There is no Santa Claus! Despite the fact that we are told at a very young age, by people whom we love and trust, that there is a jovial man in a red suit who flies around the world in a sled pulled by flying reindeer, who will come down your chimney on Christmas Eve, and who will leave you presents if you are good—it simply isn’t true. We believe it for a while, but then the evidence just doesn’t hold up.

When we get to school, our friends start to make fun of us if we still believe. We begin to realize a fat man could never fit down our chimney. We never see the reindeer, or even tracks for that matter. It really gets questionable when we see "Santa" at every department store and, as a matter of fact, the beard and the costume are pretty iffy—it’s clear they are fakes. Ultimately comes the final blow: we find the stash of presents in the back of the hall closet or actually catch Mom or Dad putting the presents in the stockings and under the tree! That’s it, it’s official . . . we are no longer "believers."

That could be the story for many who come from Christian families as well. They are told at a very young age, by people whom they love and trust, that there is a God in heaven who created this world, who sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins, and that we will get to go to heaven (heard by many as) "if we are good." They believe it for a while, but then the evidence just doesn’t hold up.

When they get to college—or even as early as middle school or high school—their friends start making fun of them if they still believe. They begin to realize there are things that just don’t match up with what they have been taught or have been able to observe in the physical world: any educated person knows that evolution is "proven"; virgins don’t give birth; and dead people certainly don’t come back to life! There is also the problem of the iffy costumes—people who say they are Christians, go to church, carry around their Bibles, and wear a cross . . . but who don’t look any different from the rest of the world in their day-to-day lives.

Furthermore, they have a hard time reconciling the fact that if there is a loving God, why is there so much suffering in the world? If suffering is inevitable in this life, doesn’t the Bible say something about the Christians actually doing something about it? Something about being the hands and feet of Christ—loving your enemies, feeding the widow and the orphan? Too many churches seem preoccupied with building bigger buildings and planning social events and programs to the benefit of their members, often to the exclusion of those they were supposed to reach with the Good News. That’s it, it’s official . . . they are no longer "believers."

This may hit a bit close to home—perhaps it is a friend’s story…your child’s story…maybe it is even your own. The assault of scientific rationale along with what is perceived by many as hypocrisy and judgmentalism by the Christian church at large has taken its toll. It would seem that it has become a bit unfashionable for Christians to be allowed to question their faith, and even less likely that believers are actually able to defend their faith. Biblical illiteracy is rampant—even among church-goers.

Many who have questions that have gone unanswered are leaving the Church. Based on five (traditionally) very basic Christian doctrines, a recent Barna poll data shows that only 9% of Americans hold a biblical worldview—and only 19% of "born again Christians." Here is the most staggering statistic, the one that compelled me to leave my job in research to focus my efforts on helping restore biblical authority: Only one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the Mosaic Generation (those born between 1984 and 2002) hold a biblical worldview!! We are losing our youth!

There may not be a Santa Claus . . . but there is a God! An amazing, all-powerful, loving God who can transform lives, and it is time that we are “ready with an answer for the hope that we have” (1 Peter 3:15)!

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!

…on the outside you appear to people as righteous

but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Matthew 23:27a,28b NIV

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have

received to serve others, as faithful stewards

of God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:10 NIV

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in

Christ Jesus to do good works, which God

prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10 NIV