Published Monday, December 8, 2025 | | SEND THIS NEWSLETTER TO A FRIEND HERE. | | | TIME TO CALL THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA TO ORDER | | I returned late quite late last night from a weekend in San Francisco where I attended the Center for Cultural Leadership’s annual symposium. Its founder & President, Dr. P. Andrew Sandlin, is a close friend and mentor. I was privileged to hear from men whose influence spans the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe.
I made some notes on the return flight, but as the midnight hour passed, I thought I’d save my thoughts for another time.
Suffice it to say that last week’s OCPAC Foundation meeting provided a spotlight on the cultural revolution being executed at the University of Oklahoma and probably most, if not all, of the other state campuses in Oklahoma.
News media from around the state came to provide coverage of the testimony of O.U. student, Samantha Fulneckey.
The meeting links immediately follow below:
Dr. Piper’s weekend article on the Christmas season appears at the end. | | SAMANTHA FULNECKY INTERVIEW With OCPAC Foundation President Bob Linn and Senator Shane Jett | | Watch Samantha Fulnecky interview here.
Note:
Senator Shane Jett was pointed in his query and his followup remarks.
Shane Jett's first question begins at: 9:38 mark. Shane's blistering salvo to the University begins at the 11:21 mark.
Watch the full meeting here. | | LEGISLATIVE COMMENDATION GABE WOOLEY | | On behalf of his legislative district, Representative Wooley presented Samantha with a commendation for her strength of character in the face of those who would silence those who dare to speak outside the church walls.
Watch the presentation here.
Watch the full meeting here. | | WES LANE, PRESIDENT SALT & LIGHT LEADERSHIP TRAINING SALLT | | Wes Lane was the keynote speaker and once he finished, it was clear why he has had so much success challenging the church to step forward in boldness.
Watch Wes Lane's presentation here.
Watch the full meeting here. | | We anticipated the professionalism of Jen Nicole's voice, but were breathtaking by her moving presentation of the Christmas season. She opened the meeting by leading us in "O Come All Ye Faithful" and brought tears to our et=yes as she followed Wes Lane singing "O Holy Night."
Watch the presentation here.
Watch the full meeting here. | | TPUSA Students were in attendance Supporting Samantha | | This week, Dr. Everet Piper reminds us of the element of the Christmas season we should feel at liberty to enjoy.
DR. EVERETT PIPER Sunday, November 30, 2025
NO, CHRISTMAS IS NOT A PAGAN HOLIDAY | It’s that “most wonderful time of year,” again; that time when pseudo-intellectuals from the History Channel as well as secular sceptics too numerous to count on the internet are rushing to outdo one another in putting a lump of coal in everyone’s stocking by telling us that Christmas is really not what we think it is; that it’s actually little more than a stolen holiday - a pagan festival coopted by the medieval Church - to placate the pagan cultures it was trying to colonize and control. | Is this true? Is Christmas really more Druid than it is orthodox? Are our yuletide traditions actually grounded more in worshipping the sun than in celebrating the Son of God? And, if so, should today’s Christians abandon the whole thing because, well, Christmas really isn’t even Christian? What are we to make of all this? What’s the truth about Christmas? | Maybe the best way to answer all this is to listen to someone who knows what he’s talking about, as opposed to all these biased scrooges who clearly seem more intent on grinding their grinchly axes than they are in defending what’s historically true. Consider Mr. Wesley Huff, a biblical, historical, and linguistic scholar who has been featured around the world on venues such as the Joe Rogan Experience, CNN, Fox News, NPR, the BBC, ABC News, and the PBS NewsHour. | | When asked about some of the most oft-repeated claims about the pagan roots of Christmas, Mr. Huff offers the following.
First, it is not true that the date for Christmas was borrowed from pagan festivals such as Sol Invictus, Saturnalia, and the Winter Solstice.
The fact of the matter is that even though we know from some of the earliest available writings that the Church was celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25 as early as 204 AD, the feast of Sol Invictus (a festival honoring the sun god) was not placed on the Roman calendar as the 25th day of December until 354 AD. Prior to this, sun festivals were celebrated on various dates from August 8 to December 11. | | And, regarding Saturnalia (a holiday honoring the Roman god, Saturn), history tells us that this festival was never celebrated on December 25. The ancient Neoplatonic philosopher Macrobius specifically says that the Saturnalia feast began 14 days before January and lasted three days. Furthermore, the Fasti inscriptions indicate that during the days of the Republic, this holiday was extended to last until December 24, but, again, it never had anything to do with December 25 or Christmas.
It's also important to note that the Winter Solstice apparently never had any significance to the ancient Romans. No historical records indicate any celebration of this event on December 25, and there is even a dispute over which day the Solstice occurred. Pliny the Elder, for example, places it on December 26, and the Roman writer Columella (c. 70 AD) says it was on the twenty-third. | | And what about the claim that Santa Claus is just a Christianized version of an ancient pagan deity? Not even close, says Mr. Huff. The truth of the matter is that the earliest references we have to Ol’ Saint Nick, Sinterklaas, or anyone like him are not from the mythologies of Greece or Rome, but from the 1800s and the Dutch immigrants in New York.
Yes, there is mention of a character called “Father Christmas” in the writings of Richard Smart of Plymtree (c. 1470), but this was clearly a reference to a personified “Sir Christmas,” whose simple job it was to annually announce the birth of Christ. | Finally, there is the ongoing claim that Christmas trees originated in the pagan practices of bringing pine trees into the home to ward off evil spirits. Nope, not true either declares Mr. Huff. In fact, almost no early cultures thought pine trees were sacred. About the closest you can get to any of this is the fact that the Celts did honor Zeus in the form of a lofty oak, but none of this had anything to do with December 25 or any antecedent holidays to Christmas. | And by the way, the tradition of mistletoe doesn’t have its roots in paganism either. The first time we ever hear of it as a Christmas decoration is in the poetry of Robert Herrick (c. 900), and the whole idea of kissing under it didn’t begin until the end of the 18th century in Great Britain. | No, Christmas is not just a cheap “knockoff” of an earlier pagan holiday, but rather it is a uniquely Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ! | So, don’t let all the naysayers spoil your holiday season. Go tell it on the mountain; Jesus Christ is born! And have a very merry Christmas! | | Find more Everett Piper here: Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host.
He is the author of “Not a Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth” (Regnery).
He can be reached at epiper@dreverettpiper.com.
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Follow Dr. Everett Piper weekly in The Washington Times here | | SEND THIS NEWSLETTER TO A FRIEND HERE. | | NOVEMBER 4 MEETING: FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT | | JOHN ASHCROFT'S Full Presentation here
Full Meeting here | | JOHN ASHCROFT SINGS: This Little Light of Mine | | JOHN ASHCROFT Sings here
Full Meeting here | That's John himself you hear playing the piano's high notes! | | ________
EDUARDO BOLSONARO BRAZILIAN CONGRESSMAN PEOPLE's CHOICE FOR NEXT PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL | | EDUARDO BOLSONARO's comments here
Full Meeting here | | ________
CHARLES McCALL CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR OF OKLAHOMA | | CHARLES McCALL here
Full Meeting here | Charles McCall has received criticism from the far left media (Tulsa World, etc) for his pointed ad regarding transition surgeries. Find the ad here. | | __________
TPUSA SHOWED UP IN FORCE! They Posed for a photo with former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft | | TPUSA students at O.U. orchestrated what Governor Stitt called the largest political rally in the history of the state. A few students were on hand Tuesday evening to allow us to remember October 16th when these students filled the Lloyd Noble arena with 10,000 to hear Christ proclaimed as Lord and King!
Just prior to the event, Bob Linn and Senator Shane Jett joined the TPUSA Student leaders at O.U. for a final briefing with Governor Kevin Stitt. | | ARIA SINGERS Perform God Bless America Ken Wood, Director | | ARIA SINGERS sing God Bless America here
Full Meeting here | | ________
SENATOR SHANE JETT: TRANS REPUBLICANS & OKLAHOMA POLITICS | | Senator Shane Jett here
Full Meeting here | | ________
BOB LINN COMMENTARY | | Full Meeting here ________
PASTOR JESSE LEON RODGERS FOUNDER OF CITY ELDERS CLOSES THE MEETING | | PASTOR JESSE LEON RODGERS closes Full Meeting here | | DECEMBER 3 WEDNESDAY NOON 2025 Finale & Christmas Celebration | | DECEMBER 3 WEDNESDAY NOON Christmas ARIA & the Inspirion Singers Special VIP Guests | | I encourage each of you to support our mission.
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