Christian Charity Takes Out Bible References from Nativity Story, Says Effort is ‘Misunderstood’
- By Derek Welch --
- 24 Nov 2017 --
States Effort Is To Make It More Accessible For Youth
Scripture Union, a U.K. Christian charity, has taken out the mention of the Bible and its references from its annual Christmas story book. This is in an effort to simplify its version of the Nativity story in order to avoid confusing children who do not attend church. The latest book version is trusted to be a more accessible story for a large unchurched group of youth.
Christian Charity Takes Out Bible References from Nativity Story, Says Effort is ‘Misunderstood'[/tweetthis]
Scripture Union of England and Wales aims to send out copies of their annual book to 100,000 children. They explained why there was a need to trim out parts of their annual Christmas story, and here is why.
Most children know very little about the Birth of Jesus
Jennifer Babb, Scripture Union’s church and community fundraising manager, said that taking away the explicit scripture references to the Bible from the book will remove the barrier, and make the narration more of a simple story. She said that most children are unaware of the basics of Christmas celebrations, and the best approach is to use the traditional, simple story.
This year’s booklet was written by Gemma Willis. It tells the story of Mary’s visit from an angel, Joseph’s dream, their journey to Jerusalem, and Jesus’ birth.
Previously, the books would include the visit from the wise men and the shepherds, the family’s flight to Egypt and the first visit to the temple. Ms. Babb says that recent figures have prompted the change, because of the scale of lack of knowledge about the Christmas story among children;
- According to a 2014 survey, one in three children between ages 11 and 13 do not know Christmas celebrates Jesus’ birth.
- Figures released in 2013 by the Children’s Society show that one in every ten children believes that December 25th marks Santa’s birthday.
Ms. Babb added that the organization wanted to focus on creating something that was specifically designed for the children who might not know the real Christmas story. She also said that all this was a part of the Christian charity’s work to invite children and youth to explore the differences Jesus can make to their lives.