Seth Udinski, FISM News

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As Christmas draws near, many Christians will immerse themselves in miraculous incarnation of Jesus, written down in the historical gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke (and alluded to in other places in Scripture, such as Isaiah 9 and John 1). But according to a poll recently released from Lifeway Research, the majority of Christians cannot recount the whole Christmas story.

The poll, titled “American Views on Christmas,” studied over 1,000 American Christians in early September of this year, including participants between the ages of 13 and 65. The survey asked the following question: “How much of the Christmas story found in the Bible could you tell from memory?”

The poll revealed that only 22% of Christians could recite the Christmas story with accuracy from memory, despite the fact that 91% of respondents affirmed that they consistently celebrate Christmas. 53% said they could retell the Christmas story, but 31% said they would likely miss certain details. 17% said they could not retell the story, and 5% chose not to answer.

Additionally, the poll revealed that 94% of females celebrated Christmas compared to 89% of males. Participants from the Midwest region celebrated the holiday more than those in the Northeast, with 94% of Midwesterners celebrating compared to 88% of Northeasterners.

While an ability to recall the specifics of the Christmas account in no way determines a person’s salvation or even their level of sanctification, this poll reveals the importance of rehearsing and preaching the gospel to ourselves constantly. Christians must hold fast to the truths of the gospel, never wavering to defend this good news of Jesus Christ.

Jude 1:3 encourages us in this way:

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.