Candy, Costumes, and Confusion
Candy, Costumes, and Confusion
Three times a year, I receive questions about holidays. Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. Usually, the questions concern the association of these holidays with pagan worship. As Christians, I want us to approach these holidays with clarity and confidence rather than confusion. Today, I'm going to focus on Halloween, but the principles of Scripture will apply to any day of the year. Here are some realities:
In the church, Christians approached Halloween differently.
There is a history of paganism behind the Halloween season.
Halloween is characterized by fear expressed through death and the demonic.
What we want to know is whether Christians can or should celebrate Halloween.
I will briefly walk through Romans 14 as a go-to passage for approaching Halloween. Read the whole chapter. I'm going to list five main points.
Point 1
God has saved (welcomed) individuals who take different positions on days and foods associated with demonic worship. Romans 14:1-4.
Sure, there will be tension and some awkwardness, but Jesus Christ is our commonality. He saves very different people who become 100% a part of his one body. Get used to it. Welcome them, love them as Christ has welcomed and loved you. There will be differing perspectives and participation in Halloween and a million other things.
Point 2
The choice to participate in or to abstain from the observance of a day or the eating of foods must be motivated by a desire to honor the Lord and out of thanksgiving to the Lord because he or she lives to the Lord. Romans 14:5-9.
In everything we do as Christians, we want to honor the Lord and thank the Lord because we live to the Lord. Our differences cannot be motivated by selfishness but by self-denial. That is usually where the conflict arises when I am called out for living selfishly. Celebrating Halloween or abstaining cannot be motivated by a selfish desire for superiority any more than for free candy.
Point 3
God alone knows and will judge the minds and hearts of his people, therefore we have no room to condemn or despise our brothers. Romans 14:10-12.
The odds are that a Western believer is more tempted to worship money, sex, power, comfort, or control by acquiring possessions, education, and connections rather than the sun, stars, moon, or calendar. Brothers and sisters ought to show concern when it appears one of them might be worshiping something other than the Lord. However, if that sister knows the gospel, professes faith in Christ, and is walking in love while at the same time wearing a ninja turtle costume and handing out candy to neighborhood kids on October 31, we must love them and trust the Lord knows their minds and hearts.
Point 4
God's kingdom is not characterized by observances but by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, so the church pursues what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:13-19.
Discipleship, our growth in Christ, should not aim to produce uniform, emotionless, Bible-verse warriors. Instead, everything we do (or refrain from) as a church must have, as its greatest motivator, the righteousness, peace, and joy known only in the Holy Spirit. If we celebrate anything on any day, we celebrate what the Lord has done through Jesus Christ for our freedom from sin and death. His Spirit is building His church, a process no one can thwart. That is why at RIC, on any Sunday of the year, you will hear a message from the Scripture about the good news of Jesus Christ. He is our righteousness, peace, and joy whether a calendar date says Halloween, Christmas, New Year's, Easter, or Cinco de Mayo.
Point 5
All observances should proceed from faith. Romans 14:20-23
Romans 14 shows us that information does not equal greater faith, nor does ignorance equal greater faith. Every believer in Corinth knew the associations the foods and dates had with pagan worship. It was the cultural air they breathed. Yet, the consciences of some struggled while the consciences of others did not. Paul directs them all toward Christ, rephrasing Habakkuk 2:4 and his thesis for the letter, "The righteous shall live by his faith."
Here are some faith-driven celebration options that Christians can consider during Halloween:
Celebrate the harvest season as evidence of the physical blessings of God in your life and community, as well as the spiritual blessings he has brought this year.
Celebrate the Reformation. Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five thesis on the Wittenberg door on October 31, effectively sparking the Protestant Reformation, calling the church to return to the Word of God as the highest authority in the church. Celebrate how we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.
Care for your community through prayer and candy. There is always heightened demonic activity around Halloween. Take time to pray for your church your neighbors, and for the power of Christ to pierce the darkness of sin and death. He has overcome, and no spiritual force will prevail against his kingdom. Neighbors might come to your door that will never come otherwise. Be ready to share with them, offer to pray for them, and give them a verse of hope they can take home in their candy sacks.
Together with you in faith,
Loren