On the Christmas Eve, Rev. Dr. Thomas Wang, known as the "Billy Graham of the Chinese," urges America to rediscover the real meaning of Christmas.
"In Christmas this year, many people in the United States have avoided to say ‘Merry Christmas.’ We don’t hear people singing Christmas carols anymore," Rev Wang lamented, according to his Christmas greetings received by the Gospel Herald.
Recently, conservatives in the U.S. such as the America Family Association are outraged as many major retailers have dropped all references to Christmas and are using watered-down "holiday" phrases.
Even the U.S. President George Bush has come under fire from traditional supporters on the Christian Right for sending out 1.4m White House greetings cards that reads "best wishes for a holiday season of hope and happiness," but fails to mention "Christmas."
Wang warned of the lost of Christian faith among Americans in his Christmas greetings, "In the midst of secularism, neo-paganism and evolutionism, the society, law, education and even the churches in the United States has been changing gradually."
"Americans have become further away from the one true God Jesus Christ that their ancestors believed in."
In the statement, Wang explained the main reason why the United States has become the world’s most powerful and most liberal nation within just 200 years, "The founders of the United States were Christians believing in Jesus Christ. The important documents of the United States, such as the independence declaration and the Constitution, all recognize the absolute authority of God. On the bank note, it is printed ‘In God we trust.’"
The current crisis of Christianity in America is truly threatening the nation. Wang calls on all Christians to pray for America at this "critical time."
"May God give America the heart of repentance, just like Nineveh, so that the entire nation returns to the one true God Jesus Christ, who has given us sunshine, rain and the air," stated Wang in the Christmas greetings.
In his greetings, Wang has briefly explained the meaning of Christmas, "Christmas is the time to commemorate and give gratitude to the son of the true heavenly God Jesus Christ. The word became flesh and came to the earth; he brought true love to the people in the world and he even died on the cross to save people from their sins."
"For all those who believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as their personal savior, their sin will be forgiven; they will receive eternal life and become the children of God. Blessed are those who believe in Jesus; the blessing is not just for this life, but it extends to the next life until eternity," Wang continued, reflecting on the basis of Christian faith at this Christmas season.
Wang is currently preparing to print his new book, America, Return to God, which will be distributed free to American leaders of all levels of government (local, state, and federal) and in all fields, including education, business, civil, science, and media. The book- consists of articles by Wang, Billy Graham, Francis Scheffer, James Dobson, Charles Colson, Ravi Zacharias, Carl F. H. Henry, Gary De Mar, David Barton- is expected to be published in March 2006.
