Wow there are a lot of thoughts on Halloween. And maybe surprisingly, it really is a complex issue. There certainly ARE things that are wrong about Halloween, as there is with anything. Drunkenness, sexual immorality, attempting to contact spirits are all prohibited by scripture. But what about things like dressing up and getting candy by going door to door? What should we think of churches that have events around this time? Does outreach justify the risk of celebrating this holiday?
This week we chatted about Romans 14 on our podcast. For context, this is where Paul was addressing the meat that Christians were buying in the market. It had been blessed to pagan gods, and some Christians disagreed with others about whether the meat should be bought and consumed. What’s amazing is that Paul said (paraphrasing of course), “You’re both right”. He says that we have to respect our convictions AND the convictions of others. That if we feel something is wrong for us, then it IS a sin to participate. At the same time, just because we have a conviction, it doesn’t mean it is a conviction for someone else. Of course, these would only apply to manners that are not “made concrete by scripture” as Rachelle says in The Anything But Quiet Time.
But we also want to serve the people around us. If a close relative is struggling with something like Halloween, we should be willing to forgo celebrating, at the very least in the presence of that person. Of course every situation in life has nuance. But while we should adhere to Romans 14:21: “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble“, how far does that apply? Should I cancel my Halloween plans because I saw one comment on the internet? Could that be a path to legalism?
Also, if I am pro Halloween, am I taking it seriously enough? Am I rooted in something that I have freedom in Biblically, or am I letting this culture mold me on aspects of it that are not right? This is why I love the words of Mike Winger from the BibleThinker podcast. He discusses for about 35 minutes before he takes questions, and it will challenge you no matter what your thoughts are on this day. Really good, Biblical stuff. – Carder