Dear friend,

 

- Hebrews 12:14 -

 

It's that week again: Halloween week. The social media posts are flying between those who defend their family costumes and those ready to burn the witches at the stake. How do we discern through it? As Tolkien's King Theoden said: ‘What can men do against such reckless hate?’

 

Okay – maybe that's a bit extreme, but American Christians can attest the conversations around this holiday are anything but gracious.

 

In discussions around Halloween, we find two extreme stances. Some hold that: “Anyone who participates in this holiday in any way is worshiping Satan.” The rebuttal is often “If you don’t want Halloween to be about Satan, don’t be a Satanist.” This circular discussion is an oversimplification on both sides, and it misses the point entirely. On one hand, we don’t want to go back to the Satanic panic of the 1980s: where devils hide under every rock, and we fear anything that might have a thread of darkness. However, we also should not ignore the roots of Halloween because when celebrated according to its original intent—something that Wiccan and New Age and Neo-Pagan circles do—Halloween really is a dark, pagan holiday.

 

If the framework for our response to Halloween is not whether we are worshipping Satan or not, what is it? The phrase “Good, true, and beautiful” is a good tool for exploring these concepts productively. This phrase comes from a philosophy found in some classical education and more recently, in Charlotte Mason educational approaches. The goal of this philosophy is to give students a feast of things to fill their minds with that elevate what is good, true, and beautiful. This concept parallels Philippians 4:8:

 

 

As Christians, our goal is to be renewed by the Holy Spirit. As the Lord transforms us into new creations (2 Cor. 5:17), we learn to fill ourselves with what is good as we become aligned with His will. A part of this is the renewing of our minds and the outworking of the renewal of our hearts as explored in Romans 12. This is not a work we complete in ourselves—only Jesus can bring about this transformation. Nor do we follow a set of rules and regulations to make ourselves worthy for Christ to begin this work in us. Redemption and transformation are His gifts through faith. What holidays we choose to worship or not worship does not jeopardize our salvation. In Christ, we are free indeed. However, we can forget the purpose of our Christian freedom. We can grow complacent or use that power for self-serving purposes. 

 

When we become overly focused on what we are free to do, we can choose to do things that draw us away from the Lord’s leading and the authority He has given us. These decisions don’t only affect us: they affect how well we disciple the people around us. We have the Holy Spirit of God and the overcoming power of Christ. When we walk away from this power to pursue our own freedom, it impacts our families, our spiritual children, and the communities

who watch the fruit our lives produce. These things should be the framework for our decisions

around topics like Halloween. Not whether we are free to do something or if doing something will jeopardize our good standing with God, but whether we are being good stewards of our freedom (using it to honor God, cultivate our Christian authority, and strengthen our witness). Not what our neighbors and friends think, but whether it showcases the work the Lord is doing in our lives and elevating what is good, true, and beautiful. This framework will help you evaluate what the Lord is calling you to do.

What is often left out in the conversation about Halloween is its deep Christian history. Halloween is the shortened version of “All Hallowed's Eve”, the night looking forward to All Saints Day on Nov. 1st. This church holiday celebrates the saints of the church (Christians) who died and came before us, looking to their lives as models of faith and character. Many Christians in America (at least those outside liturgical church settings, such as Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox and Lutheran) are not aware of their rich legacy of church holidays. Because they are only acquainted with cultural celebrations (increasingly taken from Wiccan, Neo-Pagan, horror and true crime subcultures), they unquestioningly adopt what they see around them. Alternatively, they are scared by Christians who promote fear-based reactions to the culture, or further, tell them the church holidays are sinful in themselves and they should be celebrating Jewish ones instead!

 

It is a confusing path for new Christians and those trying to build a Christ-centered home. I believe the response to Halloween reflects a much bigger issue among American Christians; Halloween is just the vehicle of a broader conversation about engaging with culture and its norms. In my view, Christians fall into one of four camps on issues like this:

 

I G N O R A N C E

Some people have never dug into the origins or associations of the things they celebrate. Maybe they grew up celebrating this holiday (or not celebrating). Maybe they never thought to ask any questions. Whatever the case, they join the flow they already find themselves in—they don’t know any different. Many believers can fall into this camp, but especially first-generation or young believers. They likely have not seen a reason to give it much thought.

 

I M I T A T I O N

Some families know the objections to cultural practices but write them off as legalistic or silly. Maybe they experienced real legalism growing up or were part of the 1980’s Satanic

panic movement. Their first thought is, “This is just exaggerated,” or “Whatever, it’s just fun.” On the opposite side, you have Christians who abstain, not because of conviction or the leading of the Spirit but because they feel that is what Christians around them expect. Whatever their reasoning, people who imitate follow in the steps of those around them without asking many questions or doing any searching—even though they know more than people who are just ignorant.

 

A B S T I N E N C E

Some families choose not to participate in cultural norms at all. They don’t make this decision due to fear or perceived expectations but through prayer and seeking of the Holy Spirit. For some, this may mean they only participate in church events. For others, this may even mean turning off their lights and refusing to open the door to trick-or-treaters. They believe that no association is the best option.

 

R E D E M P T I O N

Some families do participate in cultural practices or holidays. Maybe they join in outreach run by their church. Maybe they dress up and hand out candy or join a trick-or-treat in their community. But they do not make this decision out of ignorance, apathy,or dismissiveness. They are clear with their children and those around them about the why, how, and reasons for participating. There is no confusion or dismissiveness and a distinct difference in how they approach the event. However they participate, they step into this celebration with the conscious intention of being a light in the darkness, and how they celebrate reflects this.

 

The question we must ask as Christians, especially Christian parents, is this: To what level and to what end will I participate in culture, and where do I draw the line with standing apart from it? Can I stand on truth while being gracious, or are the options compromise or arrogance? Is there anywhere my kids see me stand on truth, beauty and goodness? Is there any visible difference between our family and the rest of the world? 

 

Many people who choose to participate or redeem Halloween (or other cultural activities) say it is to be a witness (and I believe that!). But don't forget: Abstention is a witness, too. Abstention is a witness when done joyfully, with grace. Abstention is not boring, sad, arrogant, or unredemptive. It takes great strength and can be done with great joy. It also acts as a witness, drawing people to ask questions when it is done with gentleness rather than arrogance.

 

Passive participation in any cultural thing is a not a witness; it lacks conviction. Redemption and abstention, however, act as a gleaming beacon of God's goodness to the world. One says, “Come and see how God makes all things new!” and the other says “Come and see how God makes all people holy!” Both speak the gospel in unique ways; both call us to think critically and intentionally about the things we build our houses upon and the light we're shining into the darkness. Both allow us to “hallow” an Eve that needs our light. 

 

 

We are on year FIVE of our annual All Saints Day celebration – a celebration that expanded from just our family to our friends who also don't celebrate cultural Halloween. It's been such a precious time to honor All Hallowed's Eve and give the kids something they look forward to every year. Below are a few ideas based on what we do for our celebration. This blog post has more detail. You can also follow along on my Instagram stories this Thursday for our 2024 celebration.

This week on Verity Podcast (iTunes, Spotify, YouTube) I'm talking about Scripture's take on anxiety, why prayer DOES work - but HOW you do it matters, what I do to physically support my body and reduce anxiety, how I look at the news, and more. I pray this episode is a fresh take that encourages you to see anxiety as a multi-faceted thing, while also refusing to accept it as an identity or a death sentence.