Christmas Icons: Rudolph. Unwanted Hero.

As we approach the Christmas season again, we seem to begin our annual hand-wringing about how secular Christmas is becoming. But we forget that many of the traditions of Christmas, including the date, have roots in secular society. Early Christians used these popular stories and activities to point the way to Christ. This series is all about doing that again—finding Christian truths hidden amongst secular Christmas icons. This week, we look at the unwanted hero: Rudolph. Like Rudolph, Jesus was unpopular; but unlike our red-nosed friend, Jesus still is. And so are his followers. So how do we navigate a culture that won’t let us play in any of their reindeer games?