Inevitably on various Christian holy days like Lent, Christmas, and even Easter you’ll find some misguided soul pontificating about the “pagan origins” of this or that holiday. I try to ignore them, but it is frustrating none the less.
Often said people think of themselves as participating in a form of Christianity that is void of Gentile influence connecting back to a purer form that emerged from Judaism. First, this ignored that diversity of Judaisms when Christianity began. Second, it assumes that Judaism avoided influence from the surrounding nations. While some Jews may have fought for this ideal it is something that proved impossible. Even Second Temple Jews were Hellenized to various degrees.
This pious idea ignores that Christianity is inevitably a Gentile religion now. There is no golden age void of “pagan influence.” What must be proven is that the Gentilization of Christianity is always wrong or evil.
Let us assume Lent, Easter, and Christmas are structured around and influenced by pagan holy days that the church baptized. Is it wrong to have done so? If Jesus Christ is glorified through their renewal does it matter? Is it even possible to avoid putting Christian holy days on days already claimed as pagan? How do we avoid the days of the week, named after pagan deities? What about the months of the year which are the same? Should we move to a Jewish calendar?
My point is simple: complaining about how a holy day for Christians is similar to old pagan holy days is a mute moot point. Of course, I imagine (in fact, know of) people who are scared of the Christmas tree but see nothing wrong with having a worship gathering on the weekend before or after the 4th of July were they sing about the nation and honor military personnel. So it is wrong to redirect a holy day toward the worship of Christ but OK to take a Sunday once a year to sing praises to our country? Odd.
Now if a Christian holy day adopted evil practices like child sacrifice that would be one thing, but this is not what happened. So my advice is ignore those who go around crying “pagan this, pagan that.” Instead follow the Pauline admonition to honor God if you chose to observe a holy day. It is never wrong to worship our God.
the archives near Emmaus 
“Often said people think of themselves as participating in a form of Christianity that is void of Gentile influence connecting back to a purer form that emerged from Judaism.”
… that is, of course, assuming Judaism itself was untainted …
“This pious idea ignores that Christianity is inevitably a Gentile religion now.”
Given how the bible paints the ‘New Covenant’, It isn’t clear this is true either.
Andrew:
If you read the next two sentences I make that very observation. As far as the “Gentile Christianity” language I am merely pointing out the obvious reality that our religion is shaped by calendars and holidays that don’t come from Judaism. It isn’t a “theological” statement as much as it is a sociological one.
Quite right Brian, I saw that afterwards (that you made that very point a few lines latter).
About the so-called ‘gentilisation of Chrisianity’ I’d agree that the superficial trappings of manifest Christianity (Christmas, Easter eggs, etc. and the like) have been gentilised, but I’d absolutely split hairs over whether or not these trappings constitue ‘Christianity’.
I’d argue that only by way of a legalistic perspective, could we see those elements which have been gentilised, as ‘Christianity’. Certainly, there are elements for which this is true, but they are not germaine to our faith, nor do they constitute ‘orthodoxy’. (For example, does our faith demand we celebrate Christmas? How about Easter?)
On the other hand, there are essential elements which our faiths require, which are not legalistic, but which clearly have been handed down to us from the saints, or Christ Himself, and which have not come to us through a process of gentilisation (such as communion, baptism, believe in virgin birth, or deity of Christ).
Basically, are there any features you can see, of our true Christian faith which come to us via gentilisation, lending evidence to the idea ‘Christianity has been gentilised’ or are those elements which may be identified merely the veneer of our faith, and non-essential; in which case it isn’t Christianity for which which this is true?
True, the essence of Christianity is not determined by these elements. So for instance the person of Christ is essential while observation of Lent is not, but I don’t think that removes Lent or Christmas from Christianity. Rather, they are secondary matters.