Valentine’s Day and the Church
The Gospel Message of Kansas City, referring to a “Valentine Social” for raising funds to build a church, says:— Of all the days in the year, it seems that what is called “St. Valentine’s Day” is one of the last that should be honored by the church. It originated in the mingling of the superstition of the “Dark Ages” of Roman Catholicism with the old heathen nature-worship, and probably took its character from the fact that at this season the birds choose their mates; and now the “progressive” Protestant church of the twentieth century is perpetuating the hollow mockery. Love is indeed divine—it is the very essence of the nature of the Godhead. But how different is this pure, holy, and self-sacrificing love, as exemplified and enjoined by the Saviour, from that represented by the old heathen customs, which was associated with all that is impure and unholy! Their god of love was really nothing more than a god of lust. How, then, can anything that is pure and holy come out of such associations! And just so the festivals of Candlemas, Christmas, Easter and Sunday originated. Let us make no exception in the light of God’s Word.