More on the Christmas story from Philocrites and James Carroll.
The single most important fact about the birth of Jesus, as recounted in the Gospels, is one that receives almost no emphasis in the American festival of Christmas. The child who was born in Bethlehem represented a drastic political challenge to the imperial power of Rome. The nativity story is told to make the point that Rome is the enemy of God, and in Jesus, Rome’s day is over.
It is interesting to me how some denominations take these sort of Biblical passages to mean that Christians should not participate in any political activity, while others (more, I think) take it to mean that Christians should be politically active (and challenge unjust laws).