Pastoral Perspective: The Christian relationship with Halloween

There are all kinds of well-founded opinions on the Christian relationship with Halloween. My view may be different than your view. And if that’s the case, you can give into the cultural pressures to cast off anyone and everyone who thinks even mildly different than you, or you can continue reading. We may still disagree at the end and that’s OK. I’d still like to be your friend.

OK, disclaimers over. Let me lay out a few foundational truths about the Christian view of evil, demons and spirits and then I’ll end with an encouragement to all Christians this weekend.

Most of us, Christian or not, know about the cosmic battle between good (God) and evil (Satan, or the devil) that entered the physical realm in Genesis when God made humankind. And even though Adam and Eve listened to the lies of Satan and sinned against Almighty God, beginning in Genesis 3, God gives Satan his death sentence (Genesis 3:15). To be clear, Adam and Eve introduced sin into the world in Genesis 3:6 and it took God only nine verses to come back at the serpent who sowed the seed of discontentment and mistrust into Adam and Eve.

Why did it take God only nine verses, not nine chapters, to prophecy Satan’s future demise? Because God is not, never has been, and never will be intimidated by evil. God handles evil like my kids handle Halloween candy; He devours it and puts an end to it. If you have a Bible, read the book of Revelation and you’ll get a better idea of what I’m talking about.

If that’s how God deals with evil, then how should Christians, His followers, deal with evil, demons, spirits and all that goes with those things? Now, of course the Bible has a lot to say to answer this question, but let me take you to a few main places. Ephesians 6:12 tells Christians that our struggle is not against anyone with a nose, hair, ears or official government position, but against cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil. This passage reminds Christians not to point a finger at a seen enemy or ruler, but to realize there is an unseen cosmic battle going on right now that is trying to draw our attention away from what matters most.

Now, I realize some Christians have used this verse to boycott Halloween because Halloween is one of the devil’s schemes to draw us into the spiritual forces of evil at work right now. And although that sounds like a valid point, I have found that the main reason a person holds that position is out of fear.

We should boycott Halloween because if we observe this pagan holiday we could be seduced by the spiritual forces of evil Ephesians 6 tells us about and Christians should be weary. Many think Halloween is the devil’s trap to destroy Christian distinctiveness. Christians sometimes use the excuse of wanting to remain holy, which is a good thing, as a way to justify their fear of how Halloween might infect us.

Christians are told in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control. Fear is not meant to be the determining factor in any decision the Christian makes. More than that, fear should never even enter into the equation because Christians should know how God deals with evil. He doesn’t cower back, and neither should the Christian. God devours and defeats evil and so should Christians. Why? Because we, Christians, know that He who is in us is greater than He who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

So, what is the Christian relationship with Halloween? I would argue it should be one of redemption rather than rejection. Are there parts of the Halloween observance that I personally don’t like or agree with? Of course! But the opportunity of Halloween drowns out any potential fear the devil may want to sow in my heart.

As a Christian, I am not meant to operate from fear, but faith. I am not scared of evil or demons or spirits because I have the Holy Spirit of the Living God inside of me. He has crushed the head of the serpent and I walk in the wake of His victory.

Observing Halloween should take wisdom, yes, but it should also be seen as a divine opportunity to love your neighbor as yourself. So, Christian, I implore you to take to the streets this weekend, or maybe just turn your porch light on Sunday evening, and practice radical hospitality because you know whatever evil is out there has an expiration date. The church Jesus instituted was meant to storm the gates of hell (see Matthew 16: 13-20), so let’s do that this weekend in love … and let’s bring some candy with us, too!

Pastor Josh Anderson is Life Development Pastor at Pontiac Bible Church