''There is a revival taking place in our nation that is causing Christian and right-minded people to say, 'Wait a minute. We've gone too far,' " says the Rev. Patrick Wooden Sr., pastor of the Raleigh church. ''We're not going to allow the country to continue this downward spiral to the left."
In California, a group called the Committee to Save Merry Christmas is boycotting Macy's and its corporate parent, Federated Department Stores, accusing them of replacing ''Merry Christmas" signs with ones wishing shoppers ''Seasons Greetings" or ''Happy Holidays." The organization cites ''the recent presidential election showing political correctness is offending millions of Americans."
Federated, for its part, says that is has no ban on such greetings, that its store divisions can advertise as they see fit, and that store clerks are free to wish any customer ''Merry Christmas." Macy's says its ads commonly use the phrase.
The push from the religious right troubles Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. ''This mixing of secular and religious symbols ought to be seen as a bad thing, not a good thing, for Christian believers," he says. ''Unfortunately, some of the Christian pressure groups seem to have it backwards." He adds: ''I think it's fair to say it's a mistaken notion that they have a mandate to put more nativity scenes up because George Bush was elected."
The battle over the manger on the city hall lawn is nothing new. People expect the annual tussle over the separation of church and state.
But the ''keep the Christ in Christmas" contingent is particularly agitated this year over what its members see as a troubling trend on Main Street: Target stores banning Salvation Army bell ringers; UPS drivers complaining to a free-speech group that they have been told not to wish people a ''Merry Christmas" (an accusation UPS denies as ''silly on its face and just not true"); and major corporations barring religious music from cubicles and renaming the office Christmas bash the ''end of the year" party.
