One of my favorite movie lines is made by Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men. He plays the attorney prosecuting Tom Cruise’s clients for murder. In his opening statement, Bacon repeatedly says, “These are the facts of the case, and they are undisputed.”

This year, I’ve been thinking about what the world would be like without Christmas. Because without Christmas, there would be no Christ. Without Christ, there would be no Christians. And without Christ and Christians, our world would be deprived of extraordinary blessings. Here are just a few evidences:

1. HOSPITALS – During the time of Christ, hospitals were a luxury reserved only for the rich and powerful, and sometimes soldiers and slaves of the rich. By the 4^th century, Christians determined to have a hospital built next to every church as a demonstration of Christ’s compassion for all people in need of healing.

• WOMEN’S RIGHTS – When Jesus walked on earth, women were considered property of their husbands. They could not vote, had limited education and their testimony was regarded less reliable than a man’s. A husband could put his wife on the street for the most trivial excuses. Jesus turned all that on its head. He elevated the status of women as equals with men to be valued, respected, honored and loved. His most devoted followers were women. The writings of Paul and Peter underscore the importance of protecting women as “co-heirs” in God’s kingdom.

• EDUCATION – Christianity created the foundation for our education systems. Martin Luther was one of the first to press for public schools funded by government and to insist that every child should have access to a good education. Guttenberg’s printing press was built on the hope that people would read the Bible and other sources of useful knowledge. A Christian named Louis Braille developed a method by which blind people could “read” using an alphabet of raised dots. A Christian priest in Paris invented sign language so that deaf people could learn. The Ivy League colleges of Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia, as well as Oxford and Cambridge, were all founded by Christians.

• SCIENCE – Some of the greatest discoveries in science were made by Christians. Copernicus created a model of the solar system with the sun at the center. Kepler discovered three laws of planetary motion. Galileo discovered the moon’s surface had valleys and mountains, and it had no light of its own but reflected the light from the sun. Newton discovered the laws of gravity. Pascal invented the syringe, hydraulic press, and the first adding machine. Kelvin established the scale of absolute zero and founded thermodynamics. Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction. Mendel founded the science of genetics. Townes invented the laser. Boyle was father of modern chemistry. Nightingale, a highly trained nurse, improved sanitation and sterilization methods that added 20 years to life expectancy. 

• SLAVERY – Slavery was prevalent in the British Empire and in early U.S. history. A committed Christian named William Wilberforce led the abolition movement in England, followed years later by a similar movement in America. Abraham Lincoln, a Christian, signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed all black slaves. Today, Christian organizations like A21 and End-it Movement are fighting the scourge of sex trafficking and other forms of slavery here and abroad.

• ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE – There have been “civilizations” that commonly drowned or threw away their unwanted babies and even sacrificed them in religious fire rituals. Early Christians were the first ones to get the babies from the dumpsters and adopt them, as well as the first ones to open up adoption centers and orphanages for rejected children. It was Jesus who welcomed children and elevated the status and sanctity of human life, inviting children to come to him because “the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”

The list goes on and on regarding the tremendous influence Christians have had in the fields of music, art, literature, government, mathematics, philosophy, diplomacy and many other areas.

And it’s all because Jesus Christ was born that Christmas day in a stable in Bethlehem. The profound impact of Jesus and his followers has profoundly benefitted the whole world to this day.

These are the facts of the case, and they are undisputed.

“ I came so that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” – Jesus (John 10:10)

# # #