As a kid, I never got to go trick or treating. I don’t remember my parents making a big religious thing out of it, but I knew they were opposed to it. There was that one year where despite not going trick or treating, my parents bought my brother and me Kiss masks. My brother got the Gene Simmons mask, and because I was younger, I got the much less popular Peter Criss mask. That is my one good Halloween memory.
I, like ever other kid in the church back in the day, watched all the “Halloween is Satan’s Day” videos shown in dimly lit church basements by creepy middle-aged men who went out and smoked once the video was over. I even had my time of “Heavy Metal is the Devil’s Music” but that quickly passed.
But believe it or not, I don’t have any bitterness about my Halloween experiences, or lack thereof, and that is mainly because I live vicariously through my kids now. As we all know, yesterday was Halloween, or as a good friend of mine calls it “National Candy Day.” Did my kids go trick or treating? You know it and here is why.
First of all. Kids who go trick or treating are no more participating in the Devil’s day than are they celebrating freedom while watching fireworks on the 4th of July, or even worshipping Jesus when they give out Christmas presents at school. These are cultural institutions embedded in our country. Do some people celebrate freedom while watching fire works? Sure. Do some people worship Jesus by giving a present at school or the office? Sure. Do some people worship Satan on Halloween? Sure. But that doesn’t mean that mere participation in the event produces the supposed, intended result.
Second of all and here is the kicker. Halloween is the single best opportunity for people to get to know their neighbors and display hospitality. I’m a guy that wants to get to know my neighbors. I know several dozen people in my neighborhood by name and enjoy getting to know them. I spent tons of time with them last night and met a bunch more. My wife goes all out, and we are getting a reputation for being the place with the good candy. She created individual Halloween bags full of candy and a toy (this year was the little balsa wood airplanes). Throughout the night, parents were standing around joking, laughing, and enjoying their kids’ exuberation. We caught up, made plans to watch football together, and just genuinely enjoyed each other.
But here is the catcher. I noticed a bit of grumbling. Why did people grumble? They grumbled when people were at home but had the blinds drawn and had the normally lit front-porch lights out. I tried to sit back and take notice of people’s reactions, and here was the bottom line: the community felt that the people who boarded up their home were inhospitable. I’m sure some folks were just out of town, and some just don’t like Halloween. Not everyone who abstains from Halloween does so for religious reason. Either way though, those that were at home but didn’t participate were seen by the neighborhood as inhospitable people. And for the believer, that is one of the many characteristics that should define us.
We all have the freedom in Christ to do two things here. We have the freedom to take our kids trick or treating and to give out candy. We also have the freedom to not participate in Halloween because it violates our conscience and convictions. But this is one of those situations where if you choose to abstain from participating, you may actually be causing your neighbor to question your generosity and friendliness. I know that sometimes that is the price of conviction. So, if people choose to abstain from participating in All Hallows Eve, then the effort of reversing that perception may be yours in your neighborhood. But if you do participate, you get to know and befriend your neighbors well, establishing relationships with them that may perhaps have eternal consequences.
Gordon Duncan is the pastor/church planter of Sovereign King Church in Garner, NC. He was the delighted prince for Snow White and Belle on Halloween. He blogs daily at www.xanga.com/gordzilla7 - his wife is creative and beautiful.
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Hey Gordon,
Great article! I wonder why we (Christians and pastors) are afraid of the darkness when WE have the light of Jesus shinig in and through us. I tell the people in our church evry year that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, for the same reasons you described. - the room always goes silent at first!
The point is that Jesus didn't avoid touching the "unclean" - everyone else thought that doing so would cause one to become unclean as well, and it was even Scriptual (Leviticu 5:3!
But the dangerous message of Jesus was that whatever He touched became clean. We have again forgotten that in our Chrustian culture, and I beleive Jesus will once again do something radical to wake us up to His Truth...
Thanks again for the reminder, and a belated Happy Halloween!
HIS, Jim Back
Posted by Jim Black | Posted at 12/02/2006 8:24 AM
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(1)
Great article! I wonder why we (Christians and pastors) are afraid of the darkness when WE have the light of Jesus shinig in and through us. I tell the people in our church evry year that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, for the same reasons you described. - the room always goes silent at first!
The point is that Jesus didn't avoid touching the "unclean" - everyone else thought that doing so would cause one to become unclean as well, and it was even Scriptual (Leviticu 5:3!
But the dangerous message of Jesus was that whatever He touched became clean. We have again forgotten that in our Chrustian culture, and I beleive Jesus will once again do something radical to wake us up to His Truth...
Thanks again for the reminder, and a belated Happy Halloween!
HIS, Jim Back