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Halloween Fast Approaches
- 10/23/06
- 47
Halloween is fast approaching, and I am beginning to see articles on this always-popular topic in the blogosphere. I wrote about this for the first time last year and thought I would follow that article with a similar one, but one that is hopefully a little more developed as I've had another year to think about this issue. This topic was been discussed last year on an email discussion list in which I participate. One member of the list posted a couple of responses to Halloween provided by John MacArthur in an informal question and answer setting. MacArthur was asked, "Is there anything wrong with children going out 'Trick or Treating', like Halloween, and if so, what specifically is bad in it, and what do the MacArthur kids do? And, should Grace get involved in any alternatives?" His response was as follows:
"I think, it's not a wise thing to have children go out trick or treating. I mean, I think it's kind of dumb for Christian kids to dress up like ghosts and witches and weird things, and devil suits, and trouble-makers, and all that. I think, for example, you know, the whole thing of All Saints Day or All Hallows Eve has connotations, first of all of Roman Catholic tradition. It has connotations of demons and spirits. Plus the fact that little kids are exposed to screwballs as well as to cars, and all kinds of other things...What we do in our family is we have an alternative. Like you said, we do an alternative thing. We do something fun for the whole family. It varies from year to year, and our church has always done that, too, for the kids. Have parties and socials and things."
Of course I'm sure it has been a few years since the MacArthur children asked to dress up for Halloween. I post MacArthur's response because I feel it is quite typical of the Christian attitude towards Halloween. He feels the day holds too many negative connotations and that Christians should find a more sacred alternative.
I acknowledge this as a difficult issue and that it is, in many ways, an issue of conscience. I do not believe there is absolute right and wrong here. Each person much examine his conscience and decide what he believes. The Bible says nothing about Halloween, though certainly there are principles we can find that will help guide us. But ultimately I believe we have to trust our consciences and our sanctified reasoning to guide us. Let me share where this has led me.
My conviction is that it is a very poor witness to have the house of believers blacked out on Halloween. Halloween presents a unique opportunity to interact with neighbors, to meet their children and to prove that Christians are part of the community and not merely people who want only to interact with Christian friends or to only interact in our own way and on our own terms. At the same time I despise how evil Halloween is. Already our neighborhood has ghosts hanging from trees and evil plastic figurines stuck into lawns. One section of houses nearby always feels the need to go the extra step, playing recordings of scary music, dressing in occult costumes and generally glorying in evil. To this time we have allowed our children to go out trick-or-treating, provided they do not wear evil or occult costumes. It is a compromise, and admittedly not one I am entirely comfortable with. Over the past several years churches in our neighborhood have offered an alternative to Halloween with "harvest parties" or similar events. These tend to be parties in a nearby community center that allows children to dress up and get their fill of candy in a less-pagan environment. But there are other churches that encourage families to be present in their homes, to greet their neighbours and to look for opportunities to interact with them. A couple of the pastors in a nearby church are going so far as to hold neighbourhood barbecues before dark and inviting people to come and share a meal with them. I think this is a great idea.
Perhaps the greatest fallacy Christians believe about Halloween is that by refusing to participate in the day we are somehow taking a stand against Satan. And second to that, is that participation in the day is an endorsement of Satan and his evil holidays. The truth is that Halloween is not much different from any other day in this world where, at least for the time being, every day is Satan's day and a celebration of him and his power. A member of the discussion discussion list wrote the following last year around this time: "Yeah... I've heard all of the 'pagan' reasons Christians should avoid Halloween. The question is whether we are actually participating in Samhain when we participate in Halloween? Who or what makes the 'Witch's League of Public Awareness' the definers of what Halloween is, either now or historically? Such a connection between Samhain and my daughter as a ladybug or my son as a Bengals Boy is highly dubious." And it is highly dubious at best.
I am guessing my neighbourhood is all-too-typical in that people typically arrive home from work and immediately drive their cars into the garage. More often than not they do not emerge again until the next morning when they leave for work once more. We are private, reclusive people who delight in our privacy. We rarely see our neighbors and rarely communicate with them. It would be a terrible breach of Canadian social etiquette for me to knock on a person's door and ask them for a small gift or even just to say "hello" to them. In the six years we have been living in this area, we have never once had a neighbor come to the door to ask for anything (except for this time). Yet on Halloween these barriers all come down. I have the opportunity to greet every person in the neighbourhood. I have the opportunity to introduce myself to the family who moved in just down the row a few weeks ago and to greet some other people I have not seen for weeks or months. At the same time, those people's children will come knocking on my door. We have two possible responses. We can turn the lights out and sit inside, seeking to shelter ourselves from the pagan influence of the little Harry Potters, Batmans and ballerinas, or we can greet them, gush over them, and make them feel welcome. We can prove ourselves to be the family who genuinely cares about our neighbours, or we can be the family who shows that we want to interact with them only on our terms. Most of our neighbors know of our faith and of our supposed concern for them. This is a chance to prove our love for them.
The same contributor to the email list concluded his defense of participating in Halloween with these words: "One night does not a neighbor make (and one night does not a pagan make), but Halloween is the one night of the year where the good neighborliness that flows from being in Christ is communicated and reinforced. We are citizens of another Kingdom where The Light is always on."
The truth is that I have several convictions regarding Halloween. I despise the pagan aspects of it. I am convicted that my children should not dress as little devils or ghosts or monsters. But I am also convicted that there could be no worse witness to the neighbours than having a dark house, especially in a neighbourhood like ours which is small and where every person and every home is highly-visible. We know that, if we choose not to participate, the neighbors will notice and will smile knowingly, supposing that we feel too good to participate. We have nothing to fear from our neighbours or from their children. So my children will dress up (my son as a police officer and my daughter as a princess) and we will visit each of our neighbours, knocking on their doors and accepting their fistfuls of candy. Either my wife or I will remain at home, greeting people at our door with a smile and a handful of something tasty. If the kids are deemed too old to trick-or-treat, they'll be forced to sing a song to merit any handouts. Our door will be open and the light will be on. And we trust that the Light will shine brightly.
My encouragement to you today is to think and pray about this issue. I do not see Halloween as a great evangelistic occasion. I do not foresee it as a time when the people coming to your door are likely to be saved. But I do think it is a time that you can prove to your neighbors that you care about them, that you care about their children, and that you are glad to be in this world and this culture, even if you are not of this world or this culture. Halloween may serve as a bridge to the hearts of those who live around you who so desperately need a Savior.
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Comments (47)
Ooo, a tough one! I like your thinking on the subject. We, too, are uncomfortable with it, and have usually had some kind of 'alternate' activity. 'Fortunately', we live in a rural area and would be extremely unlikely to see a t-or-t'er at the door, anyway, so the 'lights out' issue doesn't apply on Halloween itself.
I think a lot of the concern comes from those who, to paraphrase CS Lewis, see a demon behind every bush. I pray that any relative lack of concern on my part does not come from failing to see them at all.
I once felt as John Mac does. I now have basically the same thinking as you.
Thanks for the good thoughts on a touchy subject.
"glad to be in this world and this culture, even if you are not of this world, or this culture."
Right on.
Whoa! Sounds downright... missional :) Thanks for some good thoughts!
Thanks for the post, I can appreciate what you are saying.
I guess I have just never been in an area where I saw any connotation with little kids walking around the neighborhood getting candy and the demonic forces associated with all hallows eve. I've got a little bumble bee this year and a vicious teenage mutant ninja turtle (which I'm sure will raise all kinds of issues...when I was young I remember one of my friend's Christian parent having lots of issues with the turtles).
I know this will probably raise a lot more issues but in many ways it seems Halloween has become a lot like Christmas and Easter. Both have elements that were "baptized" and renewed by the church and yet as they stand today look very little like the pagan practices they were once associated with. Halloween is much the same. Sure there are probably some "satanists" out there ready to summon up the evil spirits over their ouija board. But the overwhelming majority of kids in my town are just out to have some fun, rot some teeth, and dress up like their favorite little hero at the moment (bees and ninja turtles).
I just don't see what the big deal is. (And I know all the arguments so I don't really need anyone to send me a barrage of emails detailing how by participating in halloween I am implicitly showing allegiance to Satan and his minions.)
I am right there with you. The evil stuff makes the whole thing hard to deal with, but at the same time sticking our heads into the ground and pretending it is not there does not do us or our kids any good.
For now our kids are at an age where they are still pretty scared of the gory costumes, you know, the bloody and over the top scary ones. Ages 2,3, and 4. But when they are older we plan to participate in limited ways, with the mindset that we can have fun and enjoy ourselves as well as offer witness both modeled and spoken. Like any other day.
I have great memories from my childhood around Halloween. I was raised in a Christian home and we celebrated the day like everyone else and had a great time. Things are different today, I was usually a space hero or pirate. One year my friends and I dressed as the charachters from Pilgrim's Progress. Man, what a dork!
I grow weary of hearing "pagan". How can we live our lives and avoid pagan things? It is impossible. I mean even the days of the week have pagan roots. We live in a fallen world, avoidance is not the point, Jesus said be in it, not of it.
One year our small group made some really nice Christmas ornaments and put them in goody bags along with information about our church and the gospel. We went through one big neighborhood near out church--400 houses! Our kids did the trick or treating while we parents gave our "goodies." The door-answerers were very surprised to be on the receiving end, which caused a lot of good questions. I thought it was a successful outreach, but some folks will disagree vehemently. This year, one church in our area is hosting a night of praise and worship.
I believe the church can and should do more on this night. Refusing to participate is not taking a stand.
Keep in mind, this is only one night out of 365. How are we doing "taking a stand" the rest of the year?
Thank you for bringing some much-needed balance to this topic. As a believer who celebrates Halloween, I am often met with the "you must be a carnal Christian" attitude from my conservative evangelical friends. Here are the thoughts my husband and I have come to regarding Halloween.
1. ALL DAYS belong to God. This one day does not belong to Satan. To teach our children that there is something scary about this one day is to teach them FEAR, and God has quite strong words to say about that. We are not to fear the darkness, but to allow Him to transform it. This day is God's day, just like the other 364 of them.
2. Many of our "Christian" holidays have pagan aspects to them. Do we put up Christmas trees? Yes, but we lay a nativity scene beneath. Do we hunt for Easter eggs? Maybe or maybe not, but one trend is "Resurrection Eggs" where the eggs have objects inside that tell the story of Easter. The church has traditionally found ways to transform pagan rituals into something meaningful for Christians. The hard question is, what do we find meaningful about Halloween/All Saints Day? It's not a subtle holiday. Rather than run in horror (and proof-text away our discomfort with it), I would love to see a constructive discussion.
3. Some ideas we have implemented for Halloween:
We use the month of October to focus on the "saints" of the church. Walking in the dark as a child is scary, and it's a great object lesson in "how God gives courage to those who face the darkness." We've done Bible studies on Abraham, Noah, and David. We've read stories from Hannula's "Trial and Triumph" - my 6-year old daughter loves the stories of Polycarp and Blandina. Some parents might find them too graphic or scary for little ones, but we have always focused on the triumph of God, and how He gives grace to those He calls for these spiritual battles. I also read the Voice of the Martyrs website and find stories of interest which I share, stories of children who are faced with incredible darkness, but who literally learn to trust God with their lives.
For trick or treating, we encourage the choice of a "hero" costume, someone we have read about who exhibits courage and faith. (For example, my daughter is dressing up as Lucy, Queen of Narnia this year). Overall, we emphasize how God gives courage, He conquers fear and darkness, and we do not need to hide in darkened houses or flee in fear. We are to go forth in love (yes, LOVE, even for those teenagers dressed as ghouls and werewolves who raid the candy bowls!).
Quite simply, October 31st is what YOU make of it, not what others have made it in the past.
I can remember going out on halloween all through my younger years and walking the neighborhood and having a blast. It was always fun and light-hearted...it was NEVER demonic (as I said, it is what you make of it).
This year, our four will be going out with either my wife or I and walking door-to-door on our street, while either my wife or I stays home and answers the door for all the little ones out having a blast like I did when I was their age.
If you want to really surprise your neighbors, instead of yelling, 'trick or treat!', get your children say, "Happy Reformation Day!" And explain to your kids the meaning behind it so that if they are asked, then they can provide an answer that points to something so great that happened on an October 31st, 1517... so many years ago.
ps. Here are some great tracts from Jim Elliff that you can print out for free and drop into the kids bags as they come to the door.
I grew up in a hyper-legalistic family that was characterised by what we didn't do - didn't dance, listen to secular music, didn't do Easter eggs or Halloween, wore skirts every day instead of jeans, no nail polish, etc., etc. We also didn't show love for our neighbors, or even one another. I have such vivid memories of the derision I experienced, not for loving Jesus, but for just being wierd. I grew up embittered against both my parents and Jesus until He saved me after I left home.
When my husband and I had chidren, we made a promise that we wanted to be a family who demonstrated our faith by what we did and loved, not what we didn't do. My girls are 5, 3 and 8 months and we recently moved to a culdesac with a lot of young families, only one of whom claim to be believers. Halloween is a big deal here, and we are relishing our freedom in letting our girls trot around our street in their ballerina-fairy-kitten costumes and trade treats wtih their friends. My understanding is that the origin of the holiday is in attempting to scare away spirits by being scarier than them. Pagans and others have tried to redeem it their way. Because we know that the spirit world is real, but that Jesus has conquered it, we want to redeem the holiday Jesus' way and celebrate "no guilt in life, no fear in death." So no scary, ghoulish stuff, just happy pumpkins, a few pieces of candy (they get to keep as many as their age, put the rest by the back door, and in the morning it has turned into a new coloring book or something else not to rot their teeth or stomachs!), and another opportunity to be with our neighbors and be Jesus to them.
Hmm, as I'm writing this I'm noticing it's time to schedule my next manicure, and there's a big chunk of baby spit up on my jeans. :) Gotta go . . .
Good thoughts. I generally agree, although I think it appropriate for Christians to celebrate "Reformation Day," remembering the day that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses that got the ball rolling toward the Protestant Reformation (although I realize that celebrating RD is something of a response to Halloween).
I would like, however, to come to the defense of MacArthur by providing a link and a quote from his most recent article about Halloween, which I believe is excellent and much more balanced than the quote you provided in your post.
Here is the quote:
"There’s another option open to Christians: limited, non-compromising participation in Halloween. There’s nothing inherently evil about candy, costumes, or trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. In fact, all of that can provide a unique gospel opportunity with neighbors. Even handing out candy to neighborhood children—provided you’re not stingy—can improve your reputation among the kids. As long as the costumes are innocent and the behavior does not dishonor Christ, trick-or-treating can be used to further gospel interests."
And here is the link to his article:
http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=articles&aid=231305
Yours is the best article I've read yet as to handle Halloween from a hospitality viewpoint. I never thought of myself as "too good" for it by darkening the house, but just wanted not to be bothered. Also wanted no part of it if we couldn't avoid the evil. But you're right, how is that unlike any other day of the year? I don't live in a dark house the other 364 days a year. While, like you, I am still not comfortable with the day, I think the Lord is opening my heart to a different perspective. I have been seeing my pride and self-righteousness this year, though. In my lack of comfort, I have also been torn with happy memories of trick or treating when I was a kid. My parents were not legalistic and neither forbade nor encouraged our participation in it.
I can now see how opening the door to strangers--and by "'strangers" I mean unfortunately some neighbors on my street-- really can be a witness. They see us go to church every Sunday, they see my husband open the car door for me all the time, they've seen us respond in practical ways by heading up a Katrina relief thing for a church and being sent to a church, etc. So our Light is on, as you say. I will be praying and asking my hubby about how we can best honor Christ this year. I have 3 teens who I am sure would love to accompany their 4 year old brother door to door. Maybe the older ones will dress up as chaperones!
Thank you so much for this post. Very well thought out.
I appreciate this very much, as it resembles many of my sentiments on the issues. I do feel this is a matter of conscience. In our very small church, there are some families that unflinchingly darken their house and gate their driveway on Halloween. We seem to go quite the opposite way, doing pretty much exactly what Tim describes and for the same reasons. I am grateful that this other family very appropriately and maturels realizes it is a matter of conscience. We are great friends even though we go a different route on many of these issues.
My thinking basically stems from considering who or what defines Halloween. It isn't some edict from the 9th century church. It isn't some pagan religion from centuries ago that influenced a culture on another continent. It is the American culture, in my estimation... much like things like birthdays. Sure, there are plenty of things to dislike, but Halloween itself is defined as a cultural tradition -not a religious holiday. When my 6-year-old goes out as a fairy princess, I just don't see it as sinful. And as Tim describes, I see the alternative as worse. I have no problem with the harvest parties at churches, though I do think we need to rethink something. I think we as Christians are often too withdrawn into our own little Christian subculture and neglect a missional mindset to our own local community.
Ok Yeah, that was missional for sure :)
I want to add one thing that I neglected in my last comment:
I'm not in love with Halloween by any means. It would be just as well if it disappeared. Wichtes, ghosts, goblins, superstition, obsession with death and the occult. I despise it! There is a lot in the package to dislike.
I admit that I feel pressure from both sides, so it is much a matter of weighing pros and cons.
Great post, Tim! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us...
So THAT'S how Reformed Mommy gets to raid her kids' candy -- she turns it into a coloring book. Meanwhile, she and her husband have candy galore until Christmas. All in the name of not rotting their teeth. Shrewd, really shrewd. Pass the Snickers.
Tim,
It's such a relief to find other believers who are of like mind on this issue. Maybe it's because we're in the "Bible Belt", but often we have had to confess with our heads held low that, yes, my son did dress up as Mario and my daughter as a puppy this year. Shame on us. Maybe you could write a chapter on us in your discernment book, under the title, "Undiscerning Christians". :)
Seriously, as has been pointed out, the day brings only the connotations and meanings we provide it. To us, Haloween means dressing up in goofy costumes and getting a few laughs while our normal restrictions on candy intake are temporariy lifted, to the delight of our children. I've always felt it could do our children more harm than good to view our Christianity by what we don't do, rather than on the Savior we love. I've seen many kids ditch the faith of their parents as a response to legalism such as this (Sorry, Tim... there is no "fun" in fundamentalism!).
Thanks again for a great post!
Good post, right on that this is a real witnessing opportunity. My wife and I are thinking about doing a reverse-trickortreating--cook a mess of brownies or something and give them out to the folks on our block. i'm not sure how to work it with kids at our door, but we'll figure it out.
Brian, thanks for the links to those tracts! That is excellent. And thank you, Tim, for your sensibleness.
Tim,
I've read some stuff about MacArthur's view and I do not think your quotation accurately summarizes what he currently believes. You might be happy to find out that I believe is far closer to what you actually believe then what that quotation seems to indicate.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about Halloween. I think the question comes down to whether there is something actually wrong with being part of it. If that is the case, then all of the "missional" focus is bogus. At that point it would be making the same error as a lot of the Emergent folks, namely that if we participate in all of the worldly activities then we can somehow win them to Christ. We will remember the often quoted adage: what you win them with is what you win them to.
This again moves us back to the quesiton: is halloween something that is neutral that we can make a positive (while some of the world makes it a negative)? Or is Halloween negative in and of itself, in which case we cannot have a Christian version of it (for example, consider the oxymoronic notion of Christian porn star, or maybe Christian idolotry).
Thankfully, most Christians I have read or heard from seem to take the "Halloween is neutral so let's use it for good" position. If that is the case, then wonderful! But let us not hold a position that requires that we say something like, "Halloween is intrinsicly evil, but with the power of the Holy Spirit it can be redeemed and used for good!" It sounds pious, but at the end of the day is not biblically sanctioned.
In Christ alone,
mike
"So THAT'S how Reformed Mommy gets to raid her kids' candy -- she turns it into a coloring book. Meanwhile, she and her husband have candy galore until Christmas."
Actually, because my husband has Type 2 diabetes and I want to minimize the risk to my children of their getting later in life, I sacrifically serve them by eating it all myself. Sacrificial service - it's what motherhood is all about . . . :)
Actually, I do troll for a few pieces of the good stuff, then my husband takes it up to his office near Palo Alto, where all the childless San Franciscans inhale it in about 30 minutes.
"I've read some stuff about MacArthur's view and I do not think your quotation accurately summarizes what he currently believes."
That may be. What I quoted was directly from him, so it summarizes what he believed at one time. He may have changed, but I don't know that it matters. I was merely using him as an example of a fairly standard outlook on Halloween.
Tim,
I greatly appreciate your insights into the "Halloween Issue." They are powerful and thought provoking and have greatly influenced my own attitude toward the subject.
I will be teaching on this subject in a week and wanted to find some resources on it, in my search I ran across MacArthur's "Grace to You" ministry and found an article on Halloween. In the article, he takes a very similar position to your own. He lists several options, which Christians can take toward Halloween one of which is "limited, non-compromising participation in Halloween, which sounds exactly like the position you have proposed in this post. MacArthur writes, "Ultimately, Christian participation in Halloween is a matter of conscience before God." I wasn't sure if you had run across this publication before, and wanted to make you aware of it. The url is: http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=articles&aid=231305
Truth is Immortal,
Drew Buell
While I do appreciate Tim's thoughts on this issue, I can't help but get the impression that it's considered "more Christian" by many people, to participate in Halloween in some way, than it is to not participate in any way.
I know many believers who have chosen for themselves and their families to have no participation in this day in any way. It seems for them, the respect for their convictions is not as forthcoming as for the convictions of those who do participate. Something just seems very backwards about all this, somehow. Seeing as those who don't participate are thought of as legalistic, sticking their heads in the sand, unloving, etc. so on and so forth.
Maybe it's just me - but it sure seems like courtesy on this one is only given to those who participate.
Just thinking outloud.
IMHO, I fully agree with John MacArthur on this... I think that dressing up in "the symbols of darkness" is not appropriate for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The argument that also says if we fail to participate in Halloween means that we are somehow burying our heads in the sand of our evangelical bubble is not correct either. I do understand that if a Christian only "gets involved" with their neighbors on certain holidays and that's the extent of it, then maybe one could see Halloween as "a missed opportunity" for interaction. But if you are really involved in the normal course of everyday life during the entire year with your neighbors (school functions, ball games, cook outs, impromptu coffeehouse visits, the grocery store, church, PTA meetings, having neighbors over for dinner, etc.) then they would also know that one's lack of participation in Halloween could be out of a conviction of faith due to the emphasis on the occult--which would not produce alienation from, but respect for your neighbor.
What a great thing for Christians to not simply capitulate to the status quo of culture, but rise above it. Halloween could be one of those days...
Tim, one quick question for you. You said, "And we trust that the Light will shine brightly." AND "But I do think it is a time that you can prove to your neighbors that you care about them, that you care about their children..."
How do you visibly demonstrate your faith (the Light) and that you care for your neighbors in specific on Halloween; and in what you do, do they see your actions as such?
Grace and peace,
Steve
2 Cor. 3:5
OLD TESTMENT:
Holiness is defiled by contact with impurity.
NEW TESTAMENT:
Impurity is made clean with contact with Holiness.
Why are we scared of getting our hands dirty???
Tim-
Thank you for your thoughts on this. I've often wondered whether or not it was a good idea to participate in Halloween due to the connotations of the holiday and its effect on others. However, I think we can err if we always avoid anything that is not overtly 'Christian' or worse yet cloistering ourselves away from our neighbors and avoiding them. I have a friend who works on a reservation and he has decided that having a party for the kids there on Halloween is important as an outreach for the community (Halloween is the favorite holiday of most on the reservation). It isn't cloistered off somewhere else, but is right in one of the poorer, and sometimes more dangerous, communities. I think it is a great way of meeting the world where they are at and showing Christ's love. It also provides a point of contact for the missional work they are doing, allowing them to get to know people that are otherwise would hold them back due to lack of trust between First Nations people and the church.
On another note, I wonder if we err too much in avoiding some holidays and not thinking enough about the implications of how we participate in other holidays. Think about Christmas, we are (supposedly) celebrating Christ's birth, but I think in most homes (certainly not all) it becomes so little about Christ but more about how many presents I can give or get. Another holiday, at least here in the states, is Independence Day, I think many people in the church become somewhat idolatrous about our nation. I think we can proclaim Christ in any situation, but we need to be careful when assuming that just because something is not Christian that it is not redeemable or that just because something appears to be Christian it is above reproach.
SDG-
Justin
Jeff,
I'm not afraid, but it's good to be cautious, don't you think.
"Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits." 1 Cor. 15:33
I think it's great when a brother or sister decides to not participate in Halloween. With a humble heart they are serving the Lord.
And it's great when some do participate with a humble heart serving the Lord as well.
Seems like Romans 14:13 may be the bottom line here.
A slippery slop of conformity to not only a secular, but deeply demonically rooted practice such as Halloween, begs the question of when the line will be drawn for a people who claim Christ. Christians have capitulated to all forms of practices in America which do not bring glory to God no matter how hard we try reasoning them through to a conclusion that says we are being salt and light by participating in such practices. It must become clear to all, that the time has come for all who claim Christ to return to a day when men are sifted through the Word of God in how they will live, instead of sifting the Word through them.
By not participating and treating it like yesterday and tomorrow men will see we are living a life that does not conform to the standards man has set forth, but live a life permeating with an ongoing sanctification through God. This is what brings my neighbor to question the life he sees as different and sometimes offensive to his nature. We must remember that the sinner is at enmity with God and should feel discomfort because of it. I suggest a reading of a sermon by Spurgeon, How Saints May Help The Devil.
Have we become so callus to the spiritual battle around us that when we see little children dressing as the devil, the arch enemy of God and man, the very one who is devouring millions of souls, that we do not cry out with loud voices, fall on our face and mourn with anguish for our Savior to crush this enemy who is sifting the life out of our children’s souls.
When I read this article I see part of the problem is we see our unsaved neighbors as being shut in and reclusive and act ourselves like we expect them to act differently. When was the last time, Christian that you purposed to break the so called etiquette and go borrow something from your neighbor or just stop by and say hello or take some treat to them on a regular basis because your kids wanted to give them some cookies they made or some soup your wife made. Why when a new family moves into a neighborhood do we wait until the so called opportunity of Halloween to introduce ourselves and become neighborly?
I cry out that we are sifted through a worldly perspective that knows not how to share the Glorious Gospel unless it be on the terms of the unregenerate! This idea that we must be culturally relevant to be relevant is exactly what’s making Christianity in the west irrelevant.
Christians have a clarion call to set the standard and the pace by which the world must conform or parish! When will we start truly loving others enough to start loving them with the truth of the Gospel? We have sacrificed truth for comfort for far too long and I see it only getting worse. A man can preach solid doctrine from dawn to dusk and make it count for nothing by the way he lives.
If this sounds harsh I don’t mean it to be. I hope it is seen as a passion for things eternal not temporal.
As usual, we must use the scriptures as our guide in response to any cultural phenomenon. In this case, when we view Halloween we must start with the premise, 1 Cor 10:31, "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
What would glorify God in this case? Is it merely hiding from the world? Or would we be willing to say with Paul, "I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some." I see this as an opportunity not to participate in Halloween, but to participate in the advancement of God's kingdom. To share the glorious message of the gospel with our neighbors, and exalt the Lord Jesus Christ would do nothing except glorify God on Halloween.
On Halloween, I have often times closed our doors and turned off the lights to the dark, lost souls who need the light of the gospel the most. Halloween maybe one of the most pernicious days of the year for most people, but that is when the light of the gospel shines brightest when we share His indomitable truth in the darkness.
I look forward to this day since this is the time most people will actually open their doors to strange visitors, while during the year they may not. And by the Spirit's power, pray that the Lord opens their hearts as well if/when we share God's truth to them about their sin, and Jesus Christ, the only hope they have before a just, holy God.
I certainly understand those who don't want anything to do with the day, but I will plead with those who refuse to open their doors to reconsider. That they would atleast buy tracts that speak of God's divine wrath against sin, and His blessed remedy in Christ Jesus, who is our righteousness. This is the good news that anyone who comes to our door should receive.
May our homes always spread the fragrance of Jesus Christ, to our neighbors and whoever else may visit.
For His Glorious Gospel in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Chris
tim, as usual, I appreciate your perspective on this. thanks for sharing it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Tim.
We have an annoying alternative to Halloween down here in Georgia. Churches put signs all over their property that say "Hell House" or "Tribulation Trail" and charge folks to come in and get scared. They show scenes of car wrecks and the end of the world. After all of that they take everyone go into a room and say a prayer. It's pretty tacky and manipulative.
Has this fad made its way up to Canada?
Jay...
You must live near me in Henry County, home of the ultimate Tribulation Trail spectacular on highway 138 at what is now Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, formerly Metro Heights.
My wife and I used to be members of Metro Heights back in its heyday, and we were completely gung ho for Trib Trail every year, I am ashamed to say.
After the presentation, each group is herded into a tent where they fill out a response card and evaluation of the presentation (at least, that's how we did it when we were there).
Tim: " I am also convicted that there could be no worse witness to the neighbours than having a dark house"
Well, that's a bit of hyperbole. I can think of a few ways to be a worse witness. I.e., whipping out the garden hose and spraying down the kids who come.
. . .other than that, I pretty much agree with Tim. That there are lots of ways to be a good testimony, and with all the kids in the neighborhood coming to the door, that's an opportunity I'd be reluctant to squander.
But I wouldn't criticize someone who for conscience' sake decided to go bowling instead.
"One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:5).
Nice post Tim.
Well balanced.
*Off Topic*
Well, that's a bit of hyperbole. I can think of a few ways to be a worse witness. I.e., whipping out the garden hose and spraying down the kids who come.
LOL - That made me laugh, literally.
*Back on topic*
It is amazing to see the different responses to this topic. There are not that many issues among very like-minded Evangelicals that creates such disagreement.
I have two hopes:
1) I hope all of the "use it for Evangelism" people are this good at turning all of life's events into opportunities to serve and preach the Gospel to others.
2) I hope all of the "Don't compromise with the world" folks are this good at abstaining from things which are clearly sin.
If I could have both of those homes realized, then I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference which way people decide on this issue.
In Christ alone,
mike
Thanks, Tim. Your response is similar to the way I was raised - my dad took me trick or treating, I was allowed no witch, demon or goblin costumes and our only decoration was a smiling pumpkin. That was in the 70's, though, and it seems Halloween has become more of a big deal in the last 10 years - many many more houses go "all out" with scary displays and Halloween decorations etc. are everywhere in the stores. This increasing emphasis on Halloween, especially its darker aspects, has turned my husband and me off the holiday. But we will soon have little ones of an age to go out, so I've wondered how to handle it. It's good to hear your input and that of the other commentors. I think it's something to approach with prayer.
Elin G.
Here's MacArthur, from the same excellent article I linked to earlier (comment #10), on the Hell House or Tribulation Trail evangelism alternative to Halloween.
"Some churches are using 'Hell House' evangelism to shock young people and scare them into becoming Christians. They walk people through rooms patterned after carnival-style haunted houses and put sin on display—women undergoing abortions, people sacrificed in a satanic ritual, consequences of premarital sex, dangers of rave parties, demon possession, and other tragedies.
"Here’s the problem with so-called Hell House evangelism: To shock an unshockable culture, you have to get pretty graphic. Graphic exhibits of sin and its consequences are unnecessary—unbelieving minds are already full of such images. What they need to see is a life truly transformed by the power of God, and what they need to hear is the truth of God in an accurate presentation of the gospel. Cheap gimmickry is unfitting for Christ’s ambassadors."
"Has this fad made its way up to Canada?"
No, thankfully. I've never even heard of that.
Thanks for the insightful post Tim. I don't disagree with you at all, but it seems part of the "justification" in your post was Halloween is an occasion to mix with the neighbors. The comment about people driving home from work and straight into the garage not to be seen until morning is dead on. Why is this? (Not that you have the answer :)
I just posted about this on my new blog (http://thesearchforpurpose.com/?p=88), in "The Demand for Anonymity". I was reading an interview with John Ashcroft and he commented on this in regards to the Patriot Act, that our culture has gone way beyond a demand for privacy and to a demand for anonymity. Why, when we are created for relationship do we struggle to avoid it so?
Anyway, to tie it back to your post, would you feel differently about Halloween if you saw and mingled with your neighbors everyday?
Thanks,
Jon
I just think it's awesome that Christians posting here are tackling this issue. I don't remember EVER hearing anyone was anti-halloween because of being Christian until I was about 19, and at the time I was like, "what? oh please, come on, give me a break--it's just halloween!" Now, after several years of God transforming the mind, I am so much more willing to let the Bible determine my beliefs on not just halloween but all kinds of things that my formerly American culture/television formed mind would have taken for granted as fine. I'm learning more and more the senselessness of holding any belief that is not formed by the teaching of the Bible! The thing that makes evil the most evil is that it makes no sense. It is insanity.
Great thoughts and thanks for posting. I think it's a very tricky subject for Christians. Whilst most neighbourhoods are trick-and-treating in all innocence, I have also stumbled upon genuine witch-craft on admittedly rare occasions over the years. But I totally agree with you - opportunity for a positive witness and for making new friends. If Christians are intimidated into sitting at home with the lights out, hiding behind the curtains, then I think that the enemy has scored a goal, don't you?
So we hit upon an idea in recent years. The kids dressed as angels and took to the streets with a fully loaded goody bag. Every goody had a little message on it that quoted James 1:17
We knocked on people's doors and said "treat, no trick" and gave them a goody. We asked for nothing, but graciously accepted anything that was offered in return. You should have seen the smiles on people's faces! We also prayed over every household as we walked along - nothing heavy, just proclaiming blessing. In every way, we acted in the opposite spirit to Halloween, but totally within the world's culture - for we are in this world but not of it ;-)
And our kids had a ball! I think they actually enjoyed giving more than they enjoyed receiving!
We hadn't made any plans this year, but our two girls (twins, aged 8) are beside themselves to do it again. They just loved it! So this year we're going to go round our local neighbourhood, just our family, spreading light and blessing, and hoping to make some new friends.
"We also prayed over every household as we walked along"
I sure need to pray for my neighbors more.
Thanks for sharing that wonderful testimony.
Tim,
I went out in search of bloggers weighing in on the topic of Halloween and I have to say that you've presented a reasonable commentary.
I think those stumbling into your article will either agree or disagree and I think many will come looking for someone to support their position or to find a good argument.
Thanks for sharing your opinion and adding to the critical analysis of this important topic.
Cheers,
~Jason Furtak~
Interesting, balanced and thoughtful.
Excellent post and positive comments!
I smiled not long ago when I learned that a small-town church here in SE Wisconsin will be hosting "TRUNK-or-treating" in the municipal parking lot across the street from the church.
Picture cars in the parking places, trunks open, treats for passers-by, smiles, good words, handouts, and "We're all from the church right there, you should stop by sometime!"
Ain't creativity great?
(And KUDOS to you, Pastor Mark, for encouraging out-of-the-box creativity among your people)
I wish I had read this entry before tonight. You have my thinking, and I would not have had a dark house tonight....
Hi. I'm a teacher in a Presbyterian seminary in Taiwan. This is a letter I have sent to the members of my local church about Halloween:
Dear Friends,
A member of our church has just forwarded us a letter warning that Christians must not celebrate Halloween. Most Chinese parents don't know much about this holiday, but the kids these days are starting to enjoy dressing up and having halloween parties. It seems even American parents are sometimes confused about the holiday. Every year I get a couple of emails from family and friends expressing different Christian views about the holiday. There seem to be many opinions about Halloween. Because I'm an American and a theologian I think I have some insight it might be hard to find in Taiwan. So if you are interested in my thoughts on Halloween, read on.
Let me start with a few memories. I grew up in a little town in the United States where every single child looked forward to the holiday with glee. We would all dress in costume and go door to door saying "trick-or-treat." When we were very little our parents would walk with us. When we were older we'd go alone. One of my first memories was when I was about 4 years old, going door to door dressed as a bunny rabbit. When I got older I remember dressing as a pirate, and another year as a ghost. It was a fun play time. Every adult would come to the door, admire our costumes, and give us candy. By the end of the evening both my sister and I would have a huge bag full of sweets. She would ration her's carefully and it would last several months. Mine would be gone in a few days. In our little town Halloween was one of the yearly events that gave us a strong feeling of community. Kids would meet the neighbors, adults would bless the kids, kids would have fun together play acting, and we'd all enjoy the sweets.
There are non-Christian traditions associated with the holiday. Most of them are quite ancient. October 31 was the end of summer for the pre-Christian Celts. With the beginning of winter the tribes would put out their home fires and light them later with torches from a common fire started by their priests. A religious ceremony was involved. Some historians also say it was also sort of a "ghost day," like the Chinese custom, when ghosts could come out of their graves. When the Romans came to the UK they moved their traditional day for praying to their dead to the holiday. Later, when the Catholic Church came they took-over the holiday. They named it "Halloween," which means something like: "The Evening before All Saints Day." It was a time for honoring the dead. As part of the celebration beggars would come to the door. You could give them food in exchange for them praying for your dead relatives. They also had large fires and parades and costumes. All of this is fairly ancient ritual. By 1000 years ago the Catholic church had taken the fear out of the holiday.
There are some religious groups who have taken Halloween as their special holiday. Some have tried to revive ancient practices. But their followers are very few and most American's know nothing about them. Because of the ancient history and the activities of these few groups, however, there are Christians who feel uncomfortable with the holiday. Maybe they are also uncomfortable with the idea of all the scary things children like to do on that day ... dressing as monsters and devils and such. But a lot of children also dress as clowns and angels.
As always we Christians need to look at the Bible as our guide to how we should react. We do have some guidelines. Moses commanded God's people not to be invovled in witchcraft (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:10). Paul says we should "put aside deeds of darkness" (Romans 13:12). But we must ask whether very ancient rituals or the practices of a few obscure religious groups are a danger to our children. Will our children be led into wicked activities because of the holiday? I can't answer for you, but in my personal opinion, "No." By dressing as a pirate I was never tempted to really become a pirate, or even to steal someone's candy. When I dressed as a ghost it was to startle my sister and not because I wanted to speak to the dead.
Those are my views on the subject. Your's may be different and I can probably learn from you. But from the perspective of an American Christian -- I'd like to tell you that when I see the neighborhood kids parading around asking for candy I see it as an opportunity to make friends -- to show Christian love. I give them a treat and compliment their costumes. "The light shines in the darkness ..." (John 1:5).
Maurie