They are weird and different already because their parents no longer belong to this world! The Bible says we are sojourners and pilgrims simply walking through this world. We are not supposed to stop and pitch our tents towards Sodom. By admitting that we do not want them to feel different means we are admitting that we want them to become acculturated to the culture of the world! Then we wonder why they stray so easily when they grow up. Because we never stood for anything when they were young!
"I only dress my kids up as angels and Bible characters!"
Once again, it is not about us. It is about what this day is. While you send your child off in their princess outfit, they are trick or treating with other kids dressed in the most evil and horrific of costumes. I have already seen this year on Facebook proud parents displaying their kids costumes. Witches, ghouls, zombies (of which there is a growing satanic fascination with in this country), and any other number of undead and evil representations. Do we seriously think this is lost on the impressionable minds of our kids?
"Well, I am stealing back the day by having a harvest party, or a hallelujah party, or a trunk and treat, or by evangelizing door to door!
First of all let me say that while it is not appropriate for us to participate in Halloween we certainly should provide tracts and candy for those who come knocking on our door. We should not close our door to people walking in darkness but rather show them the light. As to the altering of the satanic holiday, this is simply putting a bow on a rotting corpse. It does not matter what we want to call it. The day is what the day is. We have 364 other days of the year to go evangelizing so why are we choosing Halloween? We have to stop lying to ourselves to feed our worldly desires. We are stealing nothing back. We are in fact pausing our lives to acknowledge October 31 st, when we should let it pass as if it means nothing to us - because it should mean nothing to us.
"I don't want to be completely irrelevant or even antagonistic to culture and those weird Christians on the block, the ones everybody tries to avoid because they believe that being for Jesus also means being against fun. "
These are the actual words of Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in an article he wrote defending the church's embrace of the Easter Bunny. But it is the same argument I hear regarding Halloween from many Christians. It is born out of the purpose driven mentality and the seeker friendly philosophy. It blurs the lines between what is right and wrong in favor of cultural relevance. It changes the gospel so that it is more palatable to unbelievers. Take out all that sin and repentance stuff and replace it with hyper grace and love. You want to celebrate Halloween? Knock yourself out! Pay no attention to the entire Bible. Pay no attention to the fact that we are supposed to be different:
"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless."You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. - Matthew 5: 13-16 (NIV)
