Christians & Halloween

Why The Rage?

The time has come, we are now going to address the most heated topic that comes around the Church this time of year. That question of course is, should Christians celebrate Halloween? This question has caused much debate in the evangelical world for two main reasons. The first reason is if you reject the idea that Christ-followers should celebrate Halloween because of its pagan roots, the follow-up is, ‘Then why should Christians celebrate any holiday for that matter?’ The second reason we get so much debate on this topic is for those who affirm the celebration of Halloween. This ideology leads others to question, ‘Why would you celebrate a holiday centered around demonic influence and death?’ Both of these stances have been taken in the Church today and the debate hasn’t come close to ending. And while there are many opinions on this issue, the real aspect that matters here is what scripture has to say about the matter. Most Christians accept the idea that with most holidays and cultural events, we can either receive, reject, or redeem them. This means we can affirm what is celebrated as Christ-worthy, deny what the world celebrates because it is not Christ-worthy, or attempt to turn what the world celebrates as evil into something that is Christ-worthy. As John Piper puts it, “It’s kind of one of those questions of, “Do you see Christ against culture, Christ in culture, or Christ over culture?” So which view should we take? Should we celebrate Halloween as if nothing is wrong with it? Should we reject it entirely? Or should we attempt to take what is evil and turn it for good? Let’s open our Bibles and discuss.

History & Paganism

First off, I want to address the reasoning for Halloween being a ‘pagan’ holiday. Merriam-Webster defines Paganism as, ‘beliefs and practices other than those of Judaism, Islam, or especially Christianity: such as the spiritual beliefs and practices of ancient polytheistic religions.’ If we are going to argue that Halloween should not be celebrated because it isn’t celebrated as a primarily Christian holiday, then just about every other holiday we celebrate in the U.S. shouldn’t be celebrated either. Sure Easter and Christmas have Christian roots, but what do those holidays look like in our society today? How many people on Easter celebrate the resurrection of our Lord more than they hunt for eggs and candy? How many people in our country today celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas more than putting up a tree and handing out presents? I don’t think anyone would argue that even Christian-based holidays have been completely paganized in the U.S. In fact, the same has been done to Halloween. Halloween all started out as a Christian holiday known as ‘Saint Hallows Eve’.

This holiday was celebrated by Christians as a remembrance of all those who have passed away in the Christian faith. And just like every other holiday that we celebrate in this country, society has paganized it into what it is today. So with this current understanding, what does the bible have to teach us on this topic? I think this very issue is addressed perfectly by Jesus Himself in one particular verse in John 17. As you read through this chapter, you will see Christ instructing His disciples on how they are to go about living in a fallen world while at the same time, living to the standard that God’s Word has called them to. Look at what John 17:15 says, “15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” Jesus Himself knows that we can’t separate ourselves and avoid everything that this world celebrates and participates in that isn’t rooted in scripture, otherwise, we wouldn’t even be able to step outside most days! He does, however, draw a line. What is this line? ‘Keep them from the evil one.’

The Sin & The Standard

This is where I will sadly lose some of you. The line for me on whether or not we should receive, reject, or redeem a particular holiday is not based on its pagan roots, it’s based on its ability to ‘keep us from the evil one.’ Is it possible to put up a tree and hand out presents while refraining from evil? I believe so. Is there a chance we can look for eggs and eat chocolate while staying away from the evil one? I think there is. Is it possible to celebrate death while dressing up and eating candy, all while avoiding evil? I don’t think so… Look at what Paul tells the church in Thessalonica to do in order to live in ‘Christian Conduct’. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 states, “21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.” I believe we can examine what is celebrated on Christmas, hold fast to the birth of Jesus, and still abstain from evil. I believe we can examine what is celebrated on Easter, hold fast to the resurrection of Christ, and still abstain from evil. I do not believe, however, that one can examine what is celebrated on Halloween, hold fast to the celebration of former believers who have passed away while still abstaining from evil because the whole holiday has been centered around that which is evil. Putting up a tree and handing out presents isn’t evil, forgetting the birth of our Lord is. Searching for eggs and eating chocolate isn’t evil, not remembering the resurrection of Christ is. Celebrating death and witchcraft is evil, no matter how many believers we remember on this day.

Now before I go further, I can already hear some of you saying, ‘I get that death and evil are celebrated on this day, but that’s not why I celebrate it. Can’t I just dress up and eat candy with friends without celebrating evil?’ Technically yes, I would agree that you can. There is a world in which I believe one can celebrate former believers who have passed away while dressing up and eating candy with others and not partake in the celebration of death and evil, but that is much easier said than done. I agree with what John MacArthur said in a questionnaire when he was asked about celebrating Halloween. He mentioned how he doesn’t celebrate Halloween for the reason that every year, Halloween seems to get darker and more evil than the previous. So while I can’t completely rule out the possibility of celebrating this holiday without practicing evil, I would argue that it is incredibly difficult to do so with the rise of evil activity taking place during the celebration of this holiday every year. With my current knowledge of the bible and current outlook on society, I would encourage believers to lean more towards the ‘reject’ side of the camp than the ‘redeem’ side of the camp when it comes to this event. Whichever view you take though, may we remember to align ourselves with Christian conduct and live according to 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22. Examine what you participate in, hold fast to what is good, and abstain from what is evil.

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Sources

[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.

[2] Piper, J. (2023, October 25). What are your thoughts on Halloween? Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-are-your-thoughts-on-halloween\

[3] Definition of paganism. (2023). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paganism

[4]Preaching for God’s Glory. (2022, October 21). John MacArthur on Halloween (Should Christians celebrate Halloween?) Al Mohler, Chandler Ruslan INEP [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSTWcpgmOqw