10/28/2011 06:00:00 AM
Jeffrey K Radt ("JRed")
It's that time of year again: Halloween.
I know. Cue the scary music. All kidding aside, please settle in because this could be a long one today. That's only because I think this is a very serious subject; more serious than most think.
I'll try to refrain from any new posts until early next week so that you can take the time to digest all of the information here.
Let's make things worthwhile right off the bat by recalling some key passages of Scripture to mind...
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
May His truths prepare your heart and mind for today's journey.
NOT A 'LEGALIST'. NOT A 'PHARISEE'. JUST A '2 CORINTHIANS 6:3 CHRISTIAN'.
As I see it, debates of this kind always come down to whether or not we're being self-conscious. I'll explain what I mean by that very soon.
I'll begin by continuing to set the proper foundation first by reminding us of some key truths about 'Christian liberty' (a.k.a. 'freedom in Christ') since it's often used as the most common defense whenever this subject comes up.
I pray that helps set the table before we start to chew on some hard truths.
The first hard truth? There are many activities that are perfectly legitimate for the believer. But if you want to be truly effective for Christ, and not be a "stumbling block" (2 Corinthians 6:3), you have to limit your liberty. Yes, 'limit' your liberty. No doubt about it.
That brings us to Halloween 2011. Sadly, this is the season that means another round of fierce debate within the Christian Blogosphere (if not also in Christian homes and churches worldwide) about this annual affair.
Come to think of it, that's a a good term to use to describe it -- calling it an 'affair' seems rather appropriate. For some strange reason, this is always one day out of the entire year when our love for things like candy, costumes, decorations, lascivious behavior, and parties seems to surpass our love for our Lord and Savior. Worse, it's completely excused as 'fun' and 'no big deal' by a large segment of the Christian community. Why is that?
Truth is, even if our love for such things was merely equal to our love for Him, then that would still be a very serious problem for us (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).
Bottom line? I hate Halloween and everything it stands for; despise it with a passion actually. There is just nothing 'Christian' about it at all. There, I said it.
I know. Cue the scary music. All kidding aside, please settle in because this could be a long one today. That's only because I think this is a very serious subject; more serious than most think.
I'll try to refrain from any new posts until early next week so that you can take the time to digest all of the information here.
Let's make things worthwhile right off the bat by recalling some key passages of Scripture to mind...
Ephesians 5:11 (ESV) Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
John 14:15 (ESV) If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:21 (KJV) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 14:23-24 (ESV) Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
John 15:10 (KJV) If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV) Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
1 John 1:6 (ESV) If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 2:3-6 (ESV) And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
1 John 2:15 (ESV) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 3:6 (ESV) No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
Hebrews 10:26-29 (NIV) If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV) I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
May His truths prepare your heart and mind for today's journey.
NOT A 'LEGALIST'. NOT A 'PHARISEE'. JUST A '2 CORINTHIANS 6:3 CHRISTIAN'.
As I see it, debates of this kind always come down to whether or not we're being self-conscious. I'll explain what I mean by that very soon.
I'll begin by continuing to set the proper foundation first by reminding us of some key truths about 'Christian liberty' (a.k.a. 'freedom in Christ') since it's often used as the most common defense whenever this subject comes up.
Galatians 5:1 (ESV) For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
1 Corinthians 10:23 (KJV) All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
"In fundamentals...faith is primary, and we may not appeal to love as an excuse to deny essential faith. In non-fundamentals, however, love is primary, and we may not appeal to zeal for the faith as an excuse for failure in love. Faith instructs our own conscience; love respects the consciences of others. Faith gives liberty; love limits it exercise."
-- John Stott
"Wherefore, though the Christian, as a Christian, is the only man at liberty, as called thereunto of God; yet his liberty is limited to things that are good: he is not licensed thereby to indulge the flesh."
-- John Bunyan
"The moment any mention is made of Christian liberty lust begins to boil, or insane commotions arise, if a speedy restraint is not laid on those licentious spirits by whom the best things are perverted into the worst."
-- John Calvin
"Freedom is not only the principle in the Christian life. Freedom is for something. God has set us free for holiness. He has set us free from the guilt and bondage of sin – but not in order that we might become enslaved to the very sins for which Christ died to redeem us!...No action which is contrary to the plain Word of God can ever be legitimate for the Christian. No appeal to spiritual freedom or to providential circumstances can ever make what is ethically wrong anything else but sinful. For the Christian is free only to love and obey the law of God. Therein lies his true freedom."
-- Sinclair B. Ferguson
"In the name of liberty professing Christians glut themselves with luxuries, entertainments and sensuous pleasures. Under the banner of freedom men give the reins to their thirst for wealth, women dress immodestly, feeding vanity which loves attention, and youth abandon themselves to athletics and leisure. When self is fed in this manner it becomes brazen and runs to excess, crowding God out of the heart… They begin again to serve themselves rather than the Lord."
-- Walter J. Chantry
"To argue from mercy to sin is the devil’s logic."
-- James Janeway
I pray that helps set the table before we start to chew on some hard truths.
The first hard truth? There are many activities that are perfectly legitimate for the believer. But if you want to be truly effective for Christ, and not be a "stumbling block" (2 Corinthians 6:3), you have to limit your liberty. Yes, 'limit' your liberty. No doubt about it.
That brings us to Halloween 2011. Sadly, this is the season that means another round of fierce debate within the Christian Blogosphere (if not also in Christian homes and churches worldwide) about this annual affair.
Come to think of it, that's a a good term to use to describe it -- calling it an 'affair' seems rather appropriate. For some strange reason, this is always one day out of the entire year when our love for things like candy, costumes, decorations, lascivious behavior, and parties seems to surpass our love for our Lord and Savior. Worse, it's completely excused as 'fun' and 'no big deal' by a large segment of the Christian community. Why is that?
Truth is, even if our love for such things was merely equal to our love for Him, then that would still be a very serious problem for us (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).
Bottom line? I hate Halloween and everything it stands for; despise it with a passion actually. There is just nothing 'Christian' about it at all. There, I said it.
Now you know what Halloween means to me each year. It also means that I'll be spending another weekend on a 'spiritual island' of sorts because I'll be isolated and all by myself in my beliefs.
That's not to elicit any kind of pity or sympathy from you or anyone else. I know my calling and am prepared to fulfill it no matter the personal cost (Galatians 1:10). I guess I just never imagined that I would be the ONLY PERSON who feels the way that I do. Furthermore, I guess I just never thought that I would be criticized for such beliefs -- from other Christian brother and sisters. Quite frankly, it's a little surprising (and sad too).
It reminds me of what I once read by Jim Elliff in The Care And Feeding Of Flies when he wrote...
"When free believers take their liberties too far and violate the commands of God or demonstrate a bent toward impiety because they wish to press the outer ranges of liberty, or when they laugh at piety as if it is beneath them, then they have stepped out of the spirit of true Christianity."
Yep. Like I said, it's a little surprising (and sad too).
By that I simply mean that I do not have any family members, friends, or even acquaintances who feel the same way that I do about Halloween (other than some of you who are my 'Online Brothers And Sisters In Christ' who have expressed encouragement and solidarity with me on this issue via email let's say). None. Not a single person if you can believe that. And, if they do feel the same, they certainly haven't told me and they aren't willing to vocalize it publicly.
This year, the debate within my family has been a little different than in years past (though not that much different from last year when this all started). Sure, I find myself conflicted, but only because I don't want there to be any strife or tension between me and everyone else.
But I fully recognize that compromise is the problem with Christianity today. People who know me certainly cannot say that they don't know if I'm "hot" or "cold" about matters of the faith (Revelation 3:15-16) and that's what I'm always striving for when it comes to ensuring that my walk matches my talk as I try to live out an authentic Christian faith in Christ Jesus. It's what I meant when I said that I'm a '2 Corinthians 6:3 Christian'.
My clearly stated position is always the same whenever it comes to a Biblical debate of any kind. As it relates to Halloween, I'm always open to hearing someone make a case to me about why celebrating this holiday has some kind of value to it, but mainly some kind of value for Christians in general.
Yet, of all the arguments I've heard, none of them even make just a decent Biblical case, and that's why this is such an easy decision for me. I have yet to hear a compelling case made as to why Christians should be celebrating this holiday each year using God's Word as one's guide.
Instead, the reasons for celebrating Halloween are almost always just about getting one night -- one 'Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free-Pass' from God in a sense -- that allows Christians to indulge in their own personal preferences (pet and private sins?) without fear of condemnation or rebuke from other believers. More on that angle later.
I also have absolutely no problem sitting down and trying to explain to people why it is that I feel the way that I do, and I'll cite the Scriptures often because they are what's giving me cause for concern.
The way I've explained it to anyone who asks me about my reasons for taking such a strong stand on this usually goes like this...
Simply put, I have some personal reservations with Halloween and can't bring myself to celebrate it. Now, typically, whenever I share that with people for the first time (especially other Christians) it tends to be met with fierce resistance, or it's assumed that I'm somehow 'judging' those who do decide to celebrate it each year. Nothing could be further from the truth and I've always told people that if they're curious about why I'm so entrenched in my position year-after-year I would be more than happy to sit down with them to explain where I'm coming from and why (and I can assure you that it's not from some kind of twisted 'legalistic' and/or 'Phariseeic' place).
No, the Bible does not say anything about Halloween -- in a specific sense -- just like it doesn't say anything specifically about things like smoking either. Yes, each person is free to make their own decisions on what is 'right' and 'wrong' for them under the umbrella of 'freedom in Christ', or 'Christian liberty' according to Romans 14:14 I suppose. In other words, the holy Scriptures do not explicitly say that a person is going to go to Hell for eternity if they celebrate Halloween or go Trick-or-Treating (or smoke, or watch certain violent movies and TV shows, or listen to certain questionable kinds of music, etc.). Ultimately, these things are preferences and partaking in -- and even refraining from -- them does not make one 'more' or 'less' holy/spiritual.
However, because of what we're told in 1 Corinthians 10:23 (KJV) "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not" there is enough in God's Word to help us make the right decisions about whether God would 'approve' or 'disapprove' of us partaking in certain individual/group activities whatever they may be. In addition, if we are maturing our faith like we're supposed to, then we should notice a marked difference between the 'old self' and the 'new self' because of what we're told about being "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17), which means we should start to see new desires, new interests, and new preferences that are more in line what what God thinks about things. How do we know the will of God and what He think about things in this life? We read His holy Word regularly and let our mind be conformed to Christ. Romans 12:2 says clearly, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Again, just because God's Word does not explicitly say something about His view toward the celebration of a holiday like Halloween, there is more than enough in His Word that should give us a pretty good idea that it's safe to conclude that He wouldn't be celebrating it Himself if He were here with us today.
Like Sam Storms once wrote, "Christian liberty includes the right to abstain from otherwise legitimate pursuits if one is convinced in his/her own mind that such is the will of God for them personally. In other words, you may fully believe in the truth of Rom. 14:14a, yet choose to abstain anyway. Christian liberty does not include the right to insist that others likewise abstain simply because you do. Far less does it include the right to judge them as sub-spiritual for choosing a different course of action from you." Very true. Isn't it possible that a majority of Christians have it wrong about Halloween though?
Since I'm now referencing other Christians who have weighed in here I think I'd like to share this from John MacArthur: "God’s purpose in redeeming men from sin is not to give them freedom to do as they please but freedom to do as He pleases, which is to live righteously." Quick question: Are we "living righteously" by associating ourselves and our families with a holiday that is known for death when Jesus Christ is known for eternal life? I mean, they're two polar opposites! They're diametrically opposed to one another, aren't they? So then what business do we have celebrating something like this? The Life-Death paradigm is the most obvious example, but we could continue making a list to demonstrate how Halloween's characteristics are anti-Christian in almost every conceivable way (in each case below, I could've picked several verses to illustrate each point)...
The tradition of begging for candy; gluttony/greed
WHEN COMPARED TO...
"give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11); contentment with God's blessings
The tradition of wearing costumes to become a new creation; mockery
WHEN COMPARED TO...
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
John 3:3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Tradition of wild parties with grotesque/sexual costumes; lasciviousness/lust/sin
WHEN COMPARED TO...
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The tradition of causing fear by scaring people; anxiety/hopelessness
WHEN COMPARED TO...
Psalm 56:4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
Titus 2:13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Halloween associated with witches, ghosts, goblins, monsters; witchcraft/demons
WHEN COMPARED TO...
Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you.
I think the most compelling evidence that proves that a majority of Christians instinctively know that they should not be celebrating Halloween (but do so anyway) is the presence of the 'Trunk-Or-Treat' events popular these days with Christian churches and schools. They are universally described in bulletins as 'A Fun And Safe Alternative To Halloween', aren't they? Folks, why do we need a 'safe alternative' unless the original version that we just can't let go of is already inherently 'unsafe' in its traditional form? The message seems to be that we love candy, and costumes, and decorations, and games, and parties more than we love trying to live obediently to Christ.
This is the part of the conversation when most people will say something like, "Come on Jeff! It's all just harmless entertainment and fun!" Really? Is the Ouija Board 'just a harmless game' too? The same argument could be applied to movies and television, right? Most Christian parents have no problem censoring what their kids watch, but why is that any different? Plus, if you're the type of person who sincerely thinks that this is all just 'harmless fun', then please take a moment to listen to this...
See, this is why Occult/Vampire programming is getting so popular these days. It's going way too far (as this recent graphic cover of of Rolling Stone for the hit TV series True Blood proves) and millions still flock to it -- many of them Christians! This is a serious problem. Thankfully, some Christian leaders have the backbone to buck the trend and say something to sound the alarm and urge caution as they rightfully should. You know this holiday has gotten outta hand when you read about things called 'Jesusween' too. When will we stop believing that the only way for the Gospel to be effective is if we make Jesus and His Word 'more relevant' to the modern day culture? Total absurdity and blasphemy!
Finally, Sam Storms again: "The conscience of the Christian is obligated and bound only by what the Bible either commands or forbids, or by what may be legitimately deduced from an explicit biblical principle." Yep, that's a good overview of how I feel.
What do you think about all of that?
Are you at least open to the possibility that you could be wrong about the assumed Christian merits of celebrating Halloween? I've said repeatedly that I am open to someone -- anyone -- making a Biblical case that would force me to seriously reconsider my position here, but I have yet to hear it.
HISTORY AND PERSONAL TESTIMONY IS ON MY SIDE...
To reiterate, this is not about 'winning an argument' or 'proving my point' and only about trying to get us to prayerfully consider some things we've probably never thought of before as it relates to Halloween.
These next two quotes summarize my feelings perfectly...
"[Many things] are not specifically condemned by the Scriptures, and thus we must apply other criteria. For example, would these matters cause us to sin, or harm our bodies, or cause a brother to stumble, or tempt us to fall into a pattern we could not control? Clearly if those things occurred, then it would be wrong for us to do them. If not, then we have the liberty to enjoy these activities."
-- Curtis C. Thomas
"We do need to guard against making absolutes out of personal standards that are not specified in Scripture, or assuming that others are sinning if they don’t adopt our standards about issues that may not be traps for them. But why are we so prone to defend choices that take us right to the edge of sin, and so reluctant to make radical choices to protect our hearts and minds from sin?"
-- Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Please go back and read those again because they're so profound.
It's funny because there really shouldn't be any debate whatsoever as I tried to point out in last year's entries titled 'How Do We Engage Culture?' and 'Halloween: My Will Or His Will?'.
That was the first time I wrote about Halloween here at LUF, and I thought I would follow that article with a similar one this year, but one that is hopefully a little more developed ('meatier') since I’ve had another year to think about this issue, or another year to 'spiritually mature', if you will.
Personally, I think that I also have history on my side here. First and foremost, there's the agreed upon historical account of the origins of this holiday, which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's definitely a 'holy day' though not a holy day for Christians. This next clip will help some...
Then there's real life stories of survival from those who were meant to be human Satanic sacrifices on Halloween like Gregory Reid, or even those from former Satanists themselves like this guy...
***WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT***
These are the kinds of first-hand accounts that speak to the true dark side of Halloween, or the kind of stuff that real nightmares are made of. Trust me, it's not for the faint of heart, or the 'Christians-In-Name-Only' either.
I'm afraid those video testimonies and real life stories of ritual abuse on Halloween (and the weeks leading up to that evil night) are all too common in communities across this nation even though they rarely find their way into the mainstream. However, this is what takes place -- without fail -- on Halloween night each and every single year. Can you say the same for any other holiday? Of course not.
So, why would any Christian 'celebrate' something like that regardless of the fact that 'it doesn't mean the same thing to us as it does to Satanists'? The facts are plain and they (in conjunction with that God's Word says about such things) should dictate how we respond to it each year. If anything, we should be praying for potential victims, not partying.
I would like to wrap up this eye-opening section by sharing with you a couple of responses to Halloween provided by John MacArthur in an informal Q&A 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...
Now, I hate to make it seem like it's 'John MacArthur's Word' that is the penultimate authority here by the choice to include several quotes by the man, but within the past year I have found MacArthur to be one of the more sound teachers of God's Word that I've ever encountered. I know there are many Christians who visit this website who will vehemently disagree with me, but I'm just being honest with you about where this is coming from.
The thing about MacArthur's responses is that they are all rooted in the truth of Scripture. That's why I'm referencing them here today. There is no personal agenda here by me other than to exhort the Body of Christ to greater personal reflection in regards to what The Truth says about the truth.
On the other hand, and in the interest of being 'fair and balanced', I'll admit that I also like what fellow blogger Tim Challies once wrote way back in 2006 about Christians celebrating Halloween because I think it captures the sentiments held by many Christians...
These are the kinds of first-hand accounts that speak to the true dark side of Halloween, or the kind of stuff that real nightmares are made of. Trust me, it's not for the faint of heart, or the 'Christians-In-Name-Only' either.
I'm afraid those video testimonies and real life stories of ritual abuse on Halloween (and the weeks leading up to that evil night) are all too common in communities across this nation even though they rarely find their way into the mainstream. However, this is what takes place -- without fail -- on Halloween night each and every single year. Can you say the same for any other holiday? Of course not.
So, why would any Christian 'celebrate' something like that regardless of the fact that 'it doesn't mean the same thing to us as it does to Satanists'? The facts are plain and they (in conjunction with that God's Word says about such things) should dictate how we respond to it each year. If anything, we should be praying for potential victims, not partying.
I would like to wrap up this eye-opening section by sharing with you a couple of responses to Halloween provided by John MacArthur in an informal Q&A 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."
Now, I hate to make it seem like it's 'John MacArthur's Word' that is the penultimate authority here by the choice to include several quotes by the man, but within the past year I have found MacArthur to be one of the more sound teachers of God's Word that I've ever encountered. I know there are many Christians who visit this website who will vehemently disagree with me, but I'm just being honest with you about where this is coming from.
The thing about MacArthur's responses is that they are all rooted in the truth of Scripture. That's why I'm referencing them here today. There is no personal agenda here by me other than to exhort the Body of Christ to greater personal reflection in regards to what The Truth says about the truth.
On the other hand, and in the interest of being 'fair and balanced', I'll admit that I also like what fellow blogger Tim Challies once wrote way back in 2006 about Christians celebrating Halloween because I think it captures the sentiments held by many Christians...
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
I think that's also right, and Biblically sound too...to an extent. He seems to be quite the cynic and carefree let alone the fact that he underestimates the power of one's life to serve as a witness to the power of their stated faith. He also seems to be on the wrong side of the equation if we're applying Galatians 1:10 to his comments.
The other issue I have with Challies' analysis is the part about mingling with non-believers. Yes, we are to be the "salt" and "light" of the world (Matthew 5:13-14), but we are supposed to "be separate" from this world (Jeremiah 51:45; Luke 6:22; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Revelation 18:4) too, which means that, at some point, a definite line in the sand must be drawn to distinguish believers from non-believers, the "wheat" from the "tares" (Matthew 13:25-30).
Why do so many Christians resist these truths for a single night of fun and pleasure? Case in point, here's one response I read in some other Christian forum that was discussing Halloween (sadly, the sentiment is much too common)...
"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."
I couldn't agree more. However, to reiterate, the point is to "be in it" in such a way that brings glory, honor, and praise the the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What about our annual celebration of Halloween accomplishes that?
I wanna cite another comment from a reader of that Challies piece because I think it brings up some good points that at least has me open-minded (though still leaning decidedly to one side of this debate)...
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?
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!).
"And all God's people said, 'Amen'"?
Before you answer that question, please watch this last eye-opening video...
"Do You Go To Church Here?"
Man, it's tough to argue with any of that. Why would you want to though? What is it deep down within a person that makes them cling to a holiday like this more than they appear to cling to Christ in their daily walk?
"WHAT ABOUT YOUR POSITION ON CHRISTMAS AND EASTER THEN, JEFF?"
I'm not trying to be 'harsh' here.
I'm just trying to get us to think about some important things.
After all, if those who are weaker in their faith (like new believers) see that you are more outgoing and passionate about celebrating Halloween (or 'Trunk-Or-Treat') in the days leading up to it than you are about preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then don't you think that will create an obvious conflict from their perspective? Wouldn't that damage your testimony some and negatively impact your witness for Christ to some degree?
I'm sure anyone who has made it this far (and who disagrees with me) is probably thinking of the apparent hypocrisy because while I don't believe in celebrating Halloween, I don't have a problem with Christians celebrating Christmas or Easter.
Here's what I wrote back in December 2010...
To summarize briefly, I’m convinced by Scripture and conscience that Christians are not obligated to observe Christmas, and that Christians are not obligated to not observe Christmas. Christmas observance, or non-observance, (just like the observance or non-observance of any other day) plainly falls into the Biblical category of a matter of indifference and liberty (Romans 14-15; Col 2:16-23).
My point in publishing this material isn’t to advocate for, or against, the observance of Christmas (or any other day), but rather to make the case that a.) such things are matters of liberty and conscience in the light of Scripture b.) many of the popular myths surrounding the origins of Christmas, even within the church, are often dubious, and sometimes misleading/false and c.) many of the most strident objections to the observance of Christmas if applied equally and consistently can have far reaching [and quite probably un-Biblical, legalistic] implications in actual practice.
"Ok, so why can't we apply the same truth to this discussion then?" Friend, no one ever said we couldn't.
This entire commentary was born out of my frustration and surprise that there are far more Christians who celebrate Halloween than there are those Christians who don't.
Given all the reasons I just painstakingly presented as to why I believe there's nothing even remotely 'Christian' about Halloween, I'm surprised the numbers aren't reversed. Then I remind myself of the times we're living in and it makes perfect sense (Luke 18:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Peter 3:4).
But let's not kid ourselves here either, folks. At least with both Christmas and Easter, there is a definite Christian connection to the celebration -- Christ's Birth and Christ's Resurrection. What is the definite Christian connection associated with the celebration of Halloween? There is none.
"But Jeff! What about All Saint's Day?" Nope. Sorry. That's an explicitly Roman Catholic holiday that doesn't honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but instead honors various saints of Catholicism.
"But Jeff! What about Martin Luther and Reformation Day?" Again, that doesn't have anything to do with honoring our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but instead honors a faithful servant of Christ.
Besides, how many Christians do you know who celebrate (have celebrated) Halloween exclusively as All Saint's Day and/or Reformation Day?
IN CONCLUSION...
I sincerely hope that those of you who started reading this post today actually made it this far especially if you're someone who disagrees with me on this topic.
Aside from everything else that has been presented to this point, three of the best quotes I ever read in regards to 'Christian liberty' (a.k.a. 'freedom in Christ') as it applies to the celebration of Halloween by Christians, as well as any other activity that is debatable, are these three...
"[Many things] are not specifically condemned by the Scriptures, and thus we must apply other criteria. For example, would these matters cause us to sin, or harm our bodies, or cause a brother to stumble, or tempt us to fall into a pattern we could not control? Clearly if those things occurred, then it would be wrong for us to do them. If not, then we have the liberty to enjoy these activities."
-- Curtis C. Thomas
"We do need to guard against making absolutes out of personal standards that are not specified in Scripture, or assuming that others are sinning if they don’t adopt our standards about issues that may not be traps for them. But why are we so prone to defend choices that take us right to the edge of sin, and so reluctant to make radical choices to protect our hearts and minds from sin?"
-- Nancy Leigh DeMoss
"Christian liberty then does not teach that there are things in the world in which you are free to indulge yourself. It does not suggest that you may do anything you wish with God’s creation. But it teaches that there are things which you are free to enjoy and use as you serve the Lord."
-- Walter J. Chantry
As good as those quotes are in taking pure Biblical truth and using it to cut right through to our hearts, these ones from Walter J. Chantry are even better...
"Liberty may be an instrument for giving glory to the Most High, or it may be a curtain used to shield base indulgence of the flesh (1 Peter 2:16). You may discover by self-examination of your heart which function liberty serves in your life."
"It is not enough to ask yourself, 'Does God’s Word permit me to use these good things of the world?' You must also inquire, 'Will it serve the glory of God?' and, 'Will it edify my fellow Christians?"
My dear friends, I'm going to great lengths to share all of this with you not to 'win an argument' or to 'burden you with too much information', but to encourage you to fulfill your higher calling as "ambassadors" for Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Yes, there are many activities that are perfectly legitimate for the believer. But if you want to be truly effective for Christ, and not be a "stumbling block" (2 Corinthians 6:3), you have to limit your liberty sometimes. No doubt about it.
As previously stated at the outset, every year I'm conflicted even though I definitely lean toward the 'We-Will-Not-Celebrate-Halloween-Period' side of things.
Like the man in that last video said, Halloween is about 'death' and Jesus Christ is about 'life', right? That's enough for me.
Posted in: 
38 Comments:
Amen Brother!!
You have spoken clearly and righteously!
I posted a link to his article on my blog. Good work, Jeff. God be glorified.
Thank you for writing this article. Needs to be all over the internet.
I raised my children not participating in Halloween "festivities" and as adults they are somewhat bitter with my decision. Go figure.
We do not give out candy and do not decorate for this event.
Halloween celebrations are a sad commentary on our so-called Christian nation and peoples.
Amen! Amen! Amen! Love the last video clip--it says it all!
Something I just thought of that I would like to add here.
Someone recently (and mockingly) quipped something about how 'insane' it is for us Christians to always be mindful of the symbolism connected with various things. In other words, "Why should we care what message an image/decoration sends to the rest of the world especially if we don't personally believe in the symbolism ourselves?" they say.
Answer? Because we don't want to be a "stumbling block" (Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 8:9) and because we're supposed to abstain from "the appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
The argument that costumes, decorations, and all the imagery and symbolism associated with Halloween is 'harmless' if your intentions are 'harmless' is ridiculous. I'm sorry, it just is. Allow me to demonstrate.
As a Christian, would you ever consider wearing a pentagram around your neck? What about a crescent moon? Of course you wouldn't. Why not?
The Truth In Love,
Jeff ('JRed')
Still sort of amazed that not one person in my real, day-to-day life that's made of of Christian family and friends (other than some of you who I correspond with online) feels the same way that I do about all of this.
Do a Google search for local/national abduction and kidnapping stories.
Yes, I realize that kidnappings happen every single day of the year, but whenever they happen during this time of year, how can we not think that these poor people might actually become victims of the Satanic ritual abuse that is so prevalent on Halloween night (and as confirmed by the testimony of former Satanists themselves like the man shown in a video here in this very post)?
Oops. Sorry, I don't mean to 'ruin your spirit' or 'put a damper on the fun' of Halloween by making you think of such horrific things.
What was I thinking? 'Happy Halloween', right?
Truth In Love,
Jeff ('JRed')
Hi Jeff!
We quit Halloween soon after becoming Christian. The contradiction was obvious between our past and our new life in Christ. Be encouraged, we used to be the only "kill joys" among our family and friends, but not anymore. More Christians are coming to the same conclusions you are, dialogues of this kind used to be very rare. We believe that the Spirit is "waking" folks up to how dishonouring the whole thing is to the Son of God!! Pretending it is something else, fools no one. You may actually be used to help lead some of your family and friends out. We can never tell what God will do when we walk in obedience, "with God all things are possible”.
There are other reasons that folks don't "celebrate" Halloween that have nothing to do with the Bible, and they and their children don't bear ANY ill affects. Interesting, how ignoring that day, and treating it like any other, causes such a fuss, or is supposed to be some great day of "out reach"...???
Phil 4:8-9 is nearly impossible to obey when bombarded with all of the evil trappings of that day:
“For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.” (Amp. Trans.)
Maranatha!!!
I have a little different perspective on this one.
I HATE w/a passion the disgusting decorations & spirits behind this day~ especally now. It seems to get worse every year. Sexy costumes for little kids & just the worst animated ghouls. We don't decorate & I teach the kids about it & call it devil's day.
However, it's a great opportunity because it's one day a year people open their homes up to strangers & "You" could be the one handing them back a gospel tract.
There is no way I'm bolting myself inside & letting the enemy have a hay day. I have to at least "stir up the pot" so to speak!
I'll be out hanging w/the sinners planting seeds.
You guys can go hide out & pray for us. (:
Late Night Lisa,
My dear sister in Christ, you know I love you, but why the animosity with that final remark?
The enemy has a 'hay day' each and every day because he's the prince of this world, isn't he (John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11)?
And who said anything about 'hiding out' either? If anything, my decision to live out my faith in such a radical way is, I think, what provides me with a greater witnessing opportunity (when people ask me straight out why I don't celebrate it, or why I feel the way I do when other Christians don't) than handing out a Gospel tract that most will probably never read anyway.
Yes, I could be wrong about that, and I'm sure this is going to sound 'self-righteous' no matter how I phrase it (to those who already disagree with me), but one act involves merely handing out a piece of paper without ever getting to say anything 'preachy' or with real substance, while the other involves having to take a stand publicly each and every time someone asks you to explain your position and with a greater personal cost.
So, while both acts are worthy Christian pursuits, and successful in bringing glory, honor, and praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, could you imagine if more Christians refrained from Halloween all together (due to 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil") and actually lived out their faith in such a radical way that a non-believer knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was genuine and real to that person?
If being a disciple of and following Jesus Christ truly means self-sacrifice and persecution (even from loved ones) for His name's sake as God's Word says it means, then there is no greater witness than doing something radical when everyone else is doing the complete opposite.
The Truth In Love,
Jeff ('JRed')
By the way, don't you think it's quite telling how any rebuttal to someone who holds the position that I do is always devoid of any specific Scriptural references to support celebrating Halloween let alone devoid of any attempts to refute any of the verses I cited in trying to make my case?
I say that not to be a 'mean, self-righteous jerk', but to simply acknowledge the truth of the matter.
God's Word should be the final authority about everything for us -- not what we think about things; what God thinks about things as His Word (the mind and will of God) helps us to deduce.
That being said, aside from this specific issue (Halloween), I think where so many of us part ways is when it comes to our differing views of Scripture. In general, I don't believe that two Christians can read the same passages of Scripture and come away with two different interpretations. On areas of future prophecy, yes perhaps, but not on the Gospel truth because they're both "born again" of the same Spirit of God.
Wait, let me clarify that. What I mean to say is that I know that it happens all the time (as it just did with me and those who have disagreed with me here), but that's not supposed to be the norm. God's Word is intended to have one meaning and one meaning only. Sola Scriptura, right? It's about taking it all in context too. God's Word never contradicts itself and we are supposed to use the Word to prove the Word.
God's Word should leave absolutely no room for confusion because God is not a God of confusion either (1 Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace"). 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is also pretty clear about how we should view the authority of His Word, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
So, if we are to take the TOTALITY OF SCRIPTURE into consideration (especially when God does not specifically forbid something) in order to determine how He feels about it, then how can we reconcile Romans 14:14 (the only verse ever used to support a Christian's 'freedom' to celebrate Halloween) with all the other verses that seem to contradict such an action like Deuteronomy 18:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:22, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:11 amongst others?
The Truth In Love,
Jeff ('JRed')
Amen Brother! -Sara
xmas eoster. you cant believe your christian friends still have fun on halloween, but many are still having fun on xmas and easter, two clearly pagan 'holidays'.
'Fun', huh? Not the kind of revelries that I personally think Christian should be partaking in. But that's just me (Galatians 5:19-21).
Your comment is interesting because it seems you skipped the entire section in this post where I addressed your point about the comparisons to Christmas/Resurrection Day.
Did you miss that? You might want to check that out, my friend.
In Christ,
Jeff ('JRed')
Thank you for the article Jeff. I specifically liked your comment on how scriptures back up the position not to get involved with Halloween. Phil 4:8-9 are the verses that really stand out for me and my family.
I do understand Late Night Lisa wanting to do some damage to the dark side that orchestrates all of this (Satan).
I will use that night and the ones leading up to it in the power of prayer. Wielding the sword of the Spirit (along with puting on the whole armor of the Lord) I will do my battle against evil with prayer.
Thank you Jeff and all others (including Lisa) for the stand you have taken against the powers of evil.
May God be glorified!
Mark
JRed, I HATE halloween too. Loath it with a passion. Can't wait till it is over. Cringe when the teachers at school say "happy halloween" or when my Christian neighbors have haunted grave yards ( even to raise money for worthy causes)and especially the trick or trunk at the church down the street where the church people are all dressed like witches, goblins and such. Make me sick, sick sick. You are so not alone. But, I feel all alone in this too in my small town and my family. I do not voice my especially strong hatred for this "holiday".
My kids know that I don;t like it and that it is not a holiday. I begrudgingly let them dress up like their favorite super heros or whatever and we go out to get candy and I make it as quick as possible just so my husband is pacified about the subject. I am keeping the peace between us in doing all of the halloween stuff that day. I do not allow witches or ghosts and the like. Unfortunately, my young boys LOVE scary stuff. Probably because they only see it at the house down the street and it is the forbidden fruit. I explain to them why I do not like halloween and they take it to heart but my teen girls of course now think that I have gone overboard and it should not be a big deal.
Lisa, I have a stack of tracks I am bringing with me to give to those who give us candy. I only think it will do any good though if the Holy Spirit has prepared hearts to receive so I must pray before hand for those we will encounter.
Diana
Thank you Diana.
The most glaring thing about your situation you shared with us?
The fact that even though you feel as you do about Halloween you are willing to follow God's model for marriage and submit to your husband (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18) even when you know he's wrong because you trust the Lord is always at work no matter what.
You know, it just might be your constant objection each year, followed by your willingness to still obey God's Word as a godly Christian wife and follow your husband's lead, that the Lord ultimately uses one day as an example to your husband.
I'm sorry to make this a public analysis of your private life and your marriage, but it's just something I wanted to commend you on because it is so incredibly rare these days (yes, sadly, even in so-called Christian homes).
God bless you for living your faith boldly. God bless you and yours.
In Christ,
Jeff ('JRed')
Hey, thanks Jeff. It really means alot to me. I was beginning to wonder if what I was doing was right by allowing the kids to do halloween just so my hubby would not be upset with me about keeping the kids out of the "fun". We've been married now for 17 years and it has taken me quite a while to learn what it means to submit and trust that the Lord has his hands in things and on my family. I just decided this year to try to use the opportunity to glorify the Lord on that night by giving out the tracts. Fortunately, my husband does understand why I refuse to go to the trick or trunk at the church down the street. I told him this evening why and he understood and saw why it would be wrong to do so. Perhaps he will see eventually why we should stay out of halloween all together but honestly, he has his head in the sand about a ton of stuff right now. I don't push him I just pray. The Lord has it in his control and I am so glad that he does!!
Thanks for your honest blog, it is a real blessing to me.
Diana
So this morning I logged onto facebook and the first two statuses made me log back off. One said "it's okay to celebrate Halloween without celebrating the ghost and goblins" and the other one said "don't judge today if you don't want to be judged...let he who is without sin cast the first stone" what's sad is that both these girls proclaim to be Christians and what's sadder was the use of scripture to defend this day!!! It truly broke my heart
Dear Sister Diana, I am with you my Sister in Christ. I HATE this horrible day. I was raised by those in witch craft who later repented and turned to Christ. I saw real demons and witches and they are NOT fun, cool or something to play with. Most people who call themselves Christians are simply not. For the last few years my Husband has not made me do Easter, Xmas and Halloween. But this year he is insisting I do it. I have walked a very think line, explaining to my children that we do not celebrate this day. We did not do jack o lanterns or decorations. But he insists we give candy. I told my children we will pray for each and every person who comes. I fear the costumes that some will wear to our home to terrify our small children and I wish my Husband did not make us do this, but I obey and trust the Lord. I trust the Lord. Even though I feel horrible about it. Let's pray for each other tonight Sister.
Your Sister In Christ,
Ace
JRed,
Thank you for taking the time out to write about this. I hate halloween with a passion too. When we started our family, we decided that we will not partake in the holiday on any level. We are the people with the lights out on the block. It has been hard on our children, staying out of school of halloween parade day and never being able to participate. We have never caved in. Now, our 17 year old really understands why we took such a strong stand against observing this holiday.
As for getting to know your neighbors, I can think of 364 other days of the year to paste an invitation on their door to come over for some bar-b-que or like i tend to have Christmas open house for several hours where neighbors can come over for cider, hot chocolate, and treats. And yes, we do observe Christmas as it is a celebration of our Lord's birth.
I do not understand the idea that halloween has to be the only day to connect with your neighbors. Deliver them some cookies with a nice note sometimes, that works too.
I'm getting ready to dress up my Storm Trooper and Ballerina Princess to walk them around and get candy. Guess I'll have to answer to God when I meet Him about "celebrating" halloween. Judge me all you want. That's what Christians are GREAT at.... It's so fun when friends on Facebook posts stuff from self righteous people...That pretentious attitude is a sin I hope you. :o)
Blessings
Anonymous,
I don't think anyone said it was a 'sin' to celebrate Halloween. I just want to try to get self-proclaiming Christians to think about their participation in the annual Halloween celebrations more than they have, and have tried to use God's Word to make the case as to why we should; why that's important.
In the past year, I was told about 2 very specific things I had done in front of a non-believer and a new believer (unbeknownst to me) that were in no way shape of form forbidden by Scripture (i.e. not a sin), and yet, both caused them to question the sincerity of my faith, and whether or not that was what true Christianity was all about.
As Christians, why would we risk sending the wrong messages to others? Those things I did were viewed as "stumbling blocks" even though I know that both were covered under Romans 14:14. I've learned the truth of 1 Corinthians 10:22-23 "Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 'Everything is permissible'--but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'--but not everything is constructive", which means I will never do any of that around them ever again for concern of being a "stumbling block" yet again and damaging my witness for Christ (1 Corinthians 8:9; Romans 14:13).
What then of the non-believer, or the new believer let's say whom the Lord brought out of Wicca/Witchcraft/Satanism, who knows what Halloween represented to them (and still represents to a majority of the world even if not taken to the point where those who celebrate end up practicing the occult; ask the common non-believer what they think of when they think of Halloween and I guarantee there will be no Christian virtues espoused) who then scratch their heads when they see Christians dressing up as death, monsters, 'bad guys' of some sort, scantily clad girls, and/or adorning themselves, their homes, their car trunks, their schools, their churches with symbols of death (i.e. skeletons, cauldrons, witches, zombies, pumpkins, etc.) and doing it all with a smile?
In Christ,
Jeff ('JRed')
I think most people would agree that Halloween has pagan roots that celebrate death, but the church is responsible (in part) for displaying to the world the fact that life, not death, is more worth celebrating, and what better way to display that fact than in direct contrast to a holiday that celebrates death?
Ok, I completely agree, but how exactly are we communicating that truth to the rest of the world during this time of year? I don't think we are.
Again, where's the evangelism? The preaching of the Gospel and the message that life triumphs over death? All we've done is strip the holiday of it's overtly Occult and Satanic themes and replaced it with a more watered down version for ourselves so that we don't feel so guilty about it. Just my opinion.
Furthermore, I think those who want to celebrate during Halloween should just be more honest about things. What I mean by that is how can we say it's truly a 'Christian' celebration if all of our events associated with this time of year are completely devoid of any evangelical outreach to the non-believing local community? Yes, our alternate events are open to the public, but I'm willing to bet that a majority (if not all) of the people who attend Trunk-Or-Treat parties at Christian facilities nationwide are already self-proclaimed Christians themselves? Those we want to try to reach on a night like Halloween aren't going to come to a Christian anything that time of year just on their own because of what we read in Romans 3:11 "there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." Where are the non-believers at such events? We need to take Christianity to them then! Why not devise a way to go door-to-door giving the homeowners who open their doors a tract or something instead of just taking their candy? Let's just keep it real and admit that these are merely activities/celebrations/parties for ourselves rather than a witnessing and/our evangelistic outreach tool like is often used in response to people like me who feel differently.
In Christ,
Jeff ('JRed')
To Anonymous underneath my post, please re-read my comment because I said nothing about it being a sin...and I am the last to judge because I'm often judged (just as you did in your comment). I simply wanted to share my experience. It hurt my feelings but did not cause me to judge my friends. I expect non believers to indulge, but in the Body of Christ the issue of Halloween represents a bigger issue which is wanting to identify with Christ but also wanting to live like the rest of the world...
If you haven't already, please be sure to weigh in regarding the 'Quick Poll' about Halloween on my Facebook page tonight...
WE haven't celebrated halloween for years. My kids that are 5 and 7 told us, we don't celebrate halloween, because we love God more. So yes, kids do listen and they follow what their parents teach them. I am amazed how many so-called christians, and even leaders within the church allow their kids to go out and get candy and dress up. Its very confusing to me.
Dear Jeff,
Just happend to check out your blog. Interesting conversations. I want to make a personal challenge to you. Just for this year, just one time, lay down christmas and easter as well as halloween. Their roots are clearly pagan to the core, regardless the argumentation for them. I challenge you as a Christian sister in Christ, to completly surrender all you have to Him, to be totally willing to lay all before Him without contemplating the outcome-because you are going to completely trust Him. Growing up Catholic I celebrated all these holidays with vigor! And after I got saved, I continued to celebrate these holidays. But the more I studied the Word and the more I studied history and the more the LORD challenged me to lay down all that I liked, and the more I began to understand what is truly worship of Him, the more I understood that I was participating in these holidays b/c I wanted to worship Him on my own terms in ways that were familiar to me and comfortable to me. I didn't want to be the person who was not going to do christmas with all it's trimmings. Do you know who persecuted me the most about not celebrating? Christians. You see there are two churches: a real one and a false one. The false church persecutes the real one. At one time I had been the false church. I called myself a Christian (b/c every Roman Catholic is a Christian!), yet I did as I pleased (wiccans say, do what thou wilt, but hurt no one). When my sister got saved and left the church, I persecuted her all the time, even though I called myself a Christian!
Dear brother, you know very well that anything we cannot lay down, has become an idol to us. And let me say, we are all guilty of letting all kinds of things become idols, but we have to challenge each other to lay it down.
Even though I haven't posted on here in a long time, I still pray for you.
And for those ladies who are submitting themselves to their husbands I pray for you too. Though it may take a long time for them to come around, never give up and keep praying.
Peace,
Deirdre
Deirdre,
Well said. I will definitely take that under prayerful consideration this year.
The only thing that makes me question the lumping of 'Christmas'/'Easter' in with the celebration of Halloween is the fact that Jesus Christ is being celebrated during those days when He's nowhere to be found on Halloween.
Again, the key difference I see between those two holidays and Halloween is that those two celebrate something that's celebrated in Scripture -- Jesus Christ's birth and Jesus Christ's resurrection.
I would expect the non-believing world to bastardize it (secularize it) like they have. But there is nothing that celebrates Jesus Christ inherent in the origin of Halloween. Instead, the Christian community has done to Halloween what the non-believing world has done to the celebration of the birth and resurrection of Christ -- co-opt it for their own purposes.
On a quick side note, by the way, we did not do 'Easter' last year, but 'Resurrection Day', which meant no Easter Baskets from the Easter Bunny this past Spring. I created my own family traditions for the first time that removed the traditional 'Easter' stuff (which really has nothing to do with Christ's resurrection, as you know) and replaced it when several fun family activities and projects and gifts that had a very specific and powerful Christian message/teaching tied to them to God's glory.
Still, you raise some VERY GOOD points. I mean, I find that, as a Christian, the easiest way to make a decision in life is to simply ask myself, "What would Jesus do? Would He do, say, or think what I'm about to?" We make it so complicated as believers when really is actually quite simple. So, would Jesus celebrate Halloween? No. 'Christmas'? Not the secularized version. 'Easter'? Not the secularized version.
The question we're left with then is, "Would Jesus celebrate His own birth and resurrection?" Scripture celebrates/honors it so it doesn't seem that much of a stretch. I could be wrong, but this is a big difference between Halloween and all the other major holidays.
Thanks for challenging me (us) though. I will still take it all under prayerful consideration.
In Christ,
Jeff ('JRed')
Dear Jeff,
Thank you for your gracious response. Let me say I agree with you about halloween-its a no brainer. And believe me, many were once, where you are now.
I do believe/understand the Scriptures 'state' the birth/death/resurection of the LORD. However, with so much evidence that HE was not born Dec 25 (and that was a baptised pagan holiday/remix done by the RCC)one would ask the question: which "jesus" am I worshipping? So many times in Scripture the LORD said, 'be not decieved'. I guess the deeper question is, are we being led by our own conscious, or by the Holy Spirit. It may seem like its the same thing, but its not.
And let me clarify I am not some Christian who has arrived and knows it all, but I have been finding out that there is a lot more to this walking with Jesus, than is taught in church.
Your statement,"So, would Jesus celebrate Halloween? No. 'Christmas'? Not the secularized version. 'Easter'? Not the secularized version. "
Let me challenge you just a little more, b/c I am challenging myself right now with some things too. You say Christmas yes, but not the secularized version. Let's put that in the context of 'Christian' music. There is some christian music that sounds just like U2 or Maroon 5. I was once a music junkie, so when I hear something that 'sounds' like something else, something else rises up in me. (Paul/Romans 7:18). Is all Christian music evil. No. Do I have complete freedom to listen to whatever I want? I guess. But I dont consider myself my own any more. So if there is a conflict, if my flesh is appeased (rising up), I have to put that away.
I also think that when we start to put things away (or the LORD asks us to lay them down), we have immediate fear that the provision wont be there (like the grace to endure, or something else He would provide in place of the thing we lay down).
So I dont think its just about xmas/easter, its about all things and our willingness to go all the way with Christ. To really surrender each day, each thing, every person, our jobs, where we live, all of it, to Him.
I mean you have already had a little taste of the real challenge of not doing certain things. And its scary because it's real and its where our faith really hits the road. Where we sometimes find out that the folks we thought were our family or friends would turn on a dime on you, should you obey the LORD and step in another direction!
Well, grace and peace to you as you seek Him,
Peace,
Deirdre
Deirdre,
More great comments and definitely more for me to pray about.
Thank you very much for your encouragement. Prayers need and I'll be praying for you and yours in return.
In Christ,
Jeff ('JRed')
Hi Jeff!
I would like to add this to the dialogue between you and Deirdre. Her experience is similar to ours, Halloween a no brainer, but the others not so clear, maybe.We would likely NOT participate in a "holiday" that was a combo of, for example, Ramadan(Islam)and Jesus,or combine Vesak's (Buddist)birthday with Jesus.However that is exactly what has been done with Christmas and Easter. Our culture is so used to it that we don't realize where these celebrations come from. To "invent" a combination one today, would likely be met with NO WAY from most Christians. God was NOT the author of these “holidays”, He did not decree them, they were created by those doing what they thought was “right” for their own purposes. The church has fallen into the same place that the Pharisee's were at:Mark 7:9"And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!"
Do we really need to take worship, from other religions, and wash them over with Christ, and then try to worship Him in "spirit and in TRUTH"?? Would not the sovereign, all powerful Lord of Glory, been able to instruct us in these matters had He wanted them observed??Does He not prescribe how He is to be celebrated and honored as laid out in His Word??.Is our freedom in Christ to be used to live like our culture, or our church "traditions" because we have decided that's how we want to honor God?? Sola Scriptura!!
The Christian life is supposed to be about laying down our lives, taking up our cross and that always results in real Christians not looking like the culture around them. Salvation is a totally free gift to us, but our walk with Christ requires that we come out of the world to worship God in the ways that He has said it be done. The mergers took place so long ago, that it now seems “good” to combine Christianity with paganism. Back then, the words of Jeremiah 10 were ignored; “2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen,….”
The challenge from Deirdre is the same one that we undertook years ago. God’s people were always required to not be like the world around them and that has not changed. To take the Holy Son of God, and combine Him in any way shape or form with heathen practices became not doable for us. It really is ALL about Him!!
This man has an uncommon angle, and this could apply to everything in our lives, not just holidays. It is very challenging.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKryRrx65sc
Maranatha!!!
Jred, the "jesus" being "celebrate" during Easter and Xmas is not the "JESUS" of the Bible. The Jesus of the Bible was a JEW who celebrated PASSOVER and NOT EASTER. Easter is specifically warned not to celebrate as Istar. Xmas was ALWAYS a PAGAN holiday that got incorporated into the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH when Ceasar first declared himself POPE ON DECEMBER 25. Please see the Fuel Project (though after explaining in detail how Satanic it is...he then says he doesn't think Christians should stop celebrating it..go figure).
The TRUTH of the matter is ANYONE who has been in Satanism, Witchcraft etc KNOW that these "holydays" are Pagan. It is only some Christians who do not or chose to ignore it...just like with halloween because they don't want to sacrifice the fun.
There are two masters in this world. One mixes the holy with the profane and is a counterfiter and deceiver. One is real and calls us to come OUT of deception. It is clear that it is NOT the Jesus of the Bible who is being celebrated on Easter and xmas (by the way, xmas was CELEBRATED BY KILLING JEWS AND REAL CHRISTIANS...read up on it).
It is like Jews "celebrating" the holocast and Hitler's birtthday but saying "hey, lets worship our God on that day instead".
We are called to be holy and set apart no matter what the cost.
You have to understand, your witness is tainted when you come out against halloween for being pagan and NOT against xmas and easter because those are more...fun, light...and you can pretend you are worshipping a different God on a false god's day.
Ace
Ace,
Like I replied to Deirdre, THANK YOU, and I can assure you that I have a lot to prayerfully consider over the next several months.
Even so, I hope we can agree that there are still some key differences between celebrating Christ's birth and His resurrection that shouldn't be overlooked when comparing it to one's stance on Halloween, which doesn't celebrate Christ at all.
Yet, your point about making sure we celebrate the 'real' Jesus Christ is a fair one too, as is making sure anything we celebrate in His honor is done not because it's 'fun' or 'light', but because it's a form of worship and we're seeking to bring Him glory in everything we do (Colossians 3:17; Colossians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 10:31).
I'm sure we'll be exploring this subject again in the near future. Again, thank you, my brother.
Not to get too far ahead of myself here, but in light of this conversation, I'm wondering what everyone's stance is on celebrating Thanksgiving Day as a Christian. Are you for or against it? Why?
In Christ,
Jeff ('JRed')
Dear Jeff,
I am so thankful this discussion keeps going because like I said before, it's not just about holidays but our whole life: what other things do we do to mix the holy with the profane?
It just boils down to absolute truths.
Ace, I too found it weird that after ALL that research, Mark would slide on those two! I asked him about it on his FB page and he said he was 'getting around to it'.
Jeff, my view on Thanksgiving...I haven't done a ton of research, but from what I have studied, it's harmless. Nothing more than getting together with my big family or friends on any other day, because I love to cook up a feast for folks. Do I gorge myself or get drunk? No. Do I force myself to celebrate it. No. If JESUS told me to stop it or to not do it this month, I would obey HIM. Simple.
Peace,
Deirdre
PS my next big "controversial" study? Head covering! Ugh! I am a little scared! (-:
Hi Jeff!
Thanksgiving is an interesting question.We could delve into all holidays in the West and find things that likely are ungodly to say the least, in their origin and practice as it has evolved to during these days.
A different question to ask would be: IF we feel compelled to celebrate holidays, why not celebrate the ones that our God actually instituted, celebrations that point to and are fulfilled in Christ? The answer is usually we aren't Jews, we aren't under the law etc etc. However,those celebrations are the feasts of the Lord,they do not belong to Israel, they are HIS. Each of them is a dynamic "rehearsal" for demonstrating an aspect of Christ's work. They serve God's purpose in looking ahead for Israel, and behind to their fulfillment by Jesus for the church.
This is not an advocation for celebrating the feasts necessarily, we don't. The point is, how interesting that church history has folks "inventing" holidays or whitewashing pagan celebrations with Christ, but consider it a total non starter to celebrate God's feasts and teach our children especially through them, about the ministry of Christ. That supposedly is legalism, but the Holy Son of God mixed up with pagan practices and their deities, have become gentile church celebrations and that is somehow ok??? We just do not get that logic anymore. God has always had His way of doing things, it would seem wise to do things His way rather than use the methodologies and practices of the world. The command in 1 Peter 1:14-16 is not optional :"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written,YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
It is kind of interesting as well, how Christians in the west, see quitting these holidays as a really big "sacrifice", how not participating is viewed as such a difficult choice to take up our cross. Our Christian family members are being killed for their faith in other nations,not doing Christmas/Easter doesn't seem like that much of a "sacrifice" comparatively speaking.How much courage is really required to not walk in compromise especially when our lives are not at stake??
It is also our experience, since we quit the "holidays", that we got the most resistance from our Christian family and friends, but a huge opportunity to share Christ with unbelievers. It has been most amazing! The world doesn't need more of the same, with a different slant, in with a manger out with Santa Claus. The pure Word of God,preached and lived out among His people, is what has always brought Godly impact and transformation. Our society desperately needs both!!
This verse basically says it all: 1John 2:"15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. "
Thank you for these great discussions!
Maranatha!!!
Jeff - Thank you for making a stand on Halloween. People can go on pretending that celebrating this holiday (as well as other pagan holidays) is harmless. However, it is a "separator" in determining the sheep from the goats. Joel 2 is all about "waking up" Christians that refuse to live a "holy life." Can you see Jesus going door to door in a ghoul costume?
They can "keep on" keeping on - but judgment is at the door. They have made their choices and are standing in line with the last 5 virgins without oil in their lamps.
They ARE Christians, but they are hanging on to tradition and part of the "foundation" that the Lord is proceeding to tear down.
He WILL come for a church without spot or blemish. Halloween and other pagan holidays are an insult to the Lord and the Holy life He expects us to live.
Oh Thanksgiving, how I love Turkey! Wait, what? I agree with Deirdre; the history on Thanksgiving isn't inherently evil, like Halloween, and was originally supposed to be a celebration to give thanks to the Lord. But over the span of time people have again made something of the Lord's into a focus of the lusts of the flesh. More specifically the lusts of the stomach. This holiday has turned into simple gluttony. But for those of us who do still use it like every other day (in terms of giving thanks to the Lord), and use it to give to others of our own blessings and excess, then it can be a wonderful thing! Not that we shouldn't do these things every day, but it is a good reminder for those who are new in the faith or just sort of wading in. For me, it's a good time to visit neighbors (I know this was mentioned about Halloween, but when you live in rural Maine, just randomly stopping in at a person's house can be tricky! HA!) God Bless You All! -Sara
You all should realize by now that Halloween is really just a Democrat holiday to indoctrinate the next generation. -People who don't work getting free handouts from people who do work.
-Just a little humor brethren.
Post a Comment