Some Christians believe it is not appropriate to write "Xmas" instead of Christmas, saying that doing so removes Christ out of Christmas. Thus, the true meaning of the holiday gets lost.
So when award-winning rapper Lecrae, who is an outspoken Christian, tweeted "Xmas" instead of Christmas, some of his fans got upset. The rapper simply let his one million fans know that he was watching "#NBAXmas," but some people did not like it one bit.
"Love ya but why are you Xing out Christ in Christmas? #NBAChristmas," one fan chastised him. Another also wrote, "XMAS??????? [And] you claim to be a CHRISTIAN?????"
When Lecrae did not respond, other fans decided to defend him, according to The Christian Post. One netizen explained that there's nothing wrong with the use of "Xmas" because of its history.
"But the history of the word 'Xmas' is actually more respectable — and fascinating — than you might suspect. First of all, the abbreviation predates by centuries its use in gaudy advertisements," the explanation reads. "It was first used in the mid 1500s. X is the Greek letter 'chi,' the initial letter in the word Χριστός."
"And here's the kicker: Χριστός means 'Christ.' X has been an acceptable representation of the word 'Christ' for hundreds of years," it further reads."This device is known as a Christogram. The mas in Xmas is the Old English word for 'mass.'"
Earlier, Lecrae said his songs might not be categorised as Christian music, but his faith is quite evident in everything he does. He even lamented that Christians are often stereotyped as a "staunch conservative Republican" or a "tree hugging liberal."
"A Christian is noun. A Christian is a person. I function, I live life as a Christian and me living life as a Christian doesn't mean I'm a sanitised person," Lecrae told CNN. "It means that I readily admit I'm a jacked up person and I need a saviour."
