Should Christians Participate in Halloween?
An often debated topic in Christian circles around this time of year is whether or not Christians should be participating in Halloween. With roots in Satanism, can Christians participate in the day with a clear conscience? In this post I will seek to explain why I participate in Halloween as a Christian. That being said, I do need to make a couple of caveats first:
In what ways can a Christian participate in Halloween and glorify God?
The biggest reason I see for Christians participating in Halloween is because it is a tremendous opportunity to meet people and build connections in our communities that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to. The hope is that one day, be it on Halloween or someday down the road, the gospel can be proclaimed as a result of the connections made that night and the lost will be won to Christ. Trick or Treat is one of a few opportunities where people we don’t know will knock on our door and ask to interact with us. As Christians, we are not called to be lights hidden under a basket, but lights put on a stand to shine before others! (Matthew 5:14) I believe we should invite those conversations and interactions! Let’s seize the opportunity to meet people and imitate Christ to them, even in the smallest of interactions such as saying hi and giving them some candy.
Is Halloween the only day we can do this? Certainly not. I would hope we are seeking to be lights every day in our communities; but this day is a particularly unique day and I don’t believe we should turn off our lights and close our doors to the opportunities this day presents.
Shouldn’t Christians be ashamed or afraid to possibly be associated with the Satanic side of Halloween? Aren’t we called to look different than the world?
As I stated above, I don’t think the vast majority of our culture associates Halloween with Satan worship, so I think this concern is a bit over-exaggerated. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a legitimate question there though. Because there are people who do associate/participate in Halloween as Devil worship. So I will spend the rest of the time responding to this question with this group of people in mind.
If we look to the Bible, we find that Paul describes a strategy he used to reach the lost of his time:
In these verses, Paul describes finding a common ground with the lost, meeting them where they are at and using that common ground as a platform to preach the gospel. This doesn’t mean he joins them in sin, that would be wrong; but it does mean that he’s not afraid to be near them in their sin or to be acquainted with them in their sin. So just because we choose to pass out candy in hopes of having a gospel conversation, doesn’t mean that we are sinning or in error. If we were to join in celebrating evil and worshipping the Devil, absolutely, that would be wrong and abhorrent. But there’s nothing inherently wrong about passing out candy and dressing up in a costume. And if that means doing it on the same night that others are worshipping evil, so be it; the actions and intentions of their hearts do not correlate or reflect the actions or intentions of our hearts.
Paul isn’t the only one who used this approach to evangelism. In fact, he learned it from Jesus Himself! There are countless examples of Jesus Himself moving towards sinners in the midst of their sin, meeting them where they are at and calling them out of sin. One of the most evident is described in John 1:1: Jesus put on flesh and came to live amongst sinners. That’s you and I! Praise God that Jesus moved towards us in our sin, that he wasn’t afraid to associate with us or be “tainted” by us! The very fact that we are even offered salvation, is due to the fact that Jesus became as we were in order to share the Good News with us. For the sake of time and length of this blog post, I will list several other examples quickly:
In the same way that Jesus was sent by the Father into the world, we have been sent into the world to do the same (John 17:18), to seize every opportunity to let our lights shine bright over the city, and not to hide our light under a bushel in fear.
Why do you have to “look like the world” to be a light?
As I stated above, dressing up and passing out candy like the world does is a way of meeting people where they are. If we don’t pass out candy, no one is coming to our door asking to interact with us. Do we have to wear costumes to do it? No, but can we not have some fun while we do it? Can it not be a conversation starter or a means to share a laugh with a stranger? Candy and costumes are not a requirement, but they are also not condemned. I see them as a way to form a bridge and establish some common ground in hopes of creating gospel opportunities. It’s a way to break down some of the barriers and demonstrate that Christians are approachable and, dare I say it, fun to be around! Just because I “look like the world” because I pass out candy and wear a costume on Halloween, doesn’t mean that I condone everything that happens on that night, in the same way that saying I’m a Christian doesn’t mean that I condone everything that every Christian has ever done.
While I appreciate the Christian who has hesitations about participating in Halloween and considers those hesitations in light of the Bible, I also think we have to be really careful not to prescribe a new “law” and hold every Christian to it. Galatians 5:1 says we have been set free in Christ, no longer bound by the law, but free to exercise wisdom where there is no clear cut “yes” or “no” expressed in the Bible. To write a “new law”, such as saying Christians can’t pass out candy or dress up in costumes on Halloween, is to re-yoke them to a law that can’t save them and that ultimately harms them.
Our responsibility as Christians is to worship God in everything we do. Worship comes from the heart and isn’t always discernable by external actions. For example, look at Jesus’ words about the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. By external appearances, they are doing all the right things, making sure to look holy and distinct from the Gentiles. But Jesus calls them whitewashed tombs! Their external actions are not a reflection of worship of God in their heart. In the same way, it’s possible that in doing the same things that the world is doing, there is something different going on in the hearts of Christians. To look at a Christian and say they are in sin for doing something that on the surface looks very much like the world is unfair.
We can’t make not “looking like the world” the standard that we measure against. If that becomes the benchmark, how can we pray? Because there are many religions that pray to false gods. We wouldn’t want to be accidentally associated with those false gods because we look the same in that we all pray. The world goes to work. If we wanted to ensure that we don’t look like the world, we would have to abstain from working for fear of being associated with the world. The same goes for makeup and fashion trends. Are we not allowed to practice those cultural trends for fear of “looking like the world”? What about country music or even worship music that doesn’t align perfectly with our doctrines? Do we have to abstain from that as well? Is it wrong to have ministries that go in to strip clubs or interact with women involved in human trafficking in hopes of sharing the gospel with them? If they were afraid of looking like the world, being perceived as customers or pimps, these ministries wouldn’t exist. Can a Christian do yoga for exercise? The list goes on and on. It’s impossible to live in this world and not in some ways “look like this world”. That can’t be the standard. It’s not the standard.
The Lord knows what is being worshipped in each person’s heart. It’s the responsibility of each person to worship God in the best way they know how in the circumstances they are put in. If that means that you worship God by abstaining from participating in Halloween, all glory to God! And if it means that you worship God by participating in Halloween, all glory to God!
Should we fear demonic oppression on Halloween?
In conversations I’ve had, it’s been mentioned that Satan worshippers prep all year for this day and curse the candy they hand out and that participating in Halloween makes us more vulnerable to demonic oppression. I recognize that there is a spiritual battle going on in this world and I don’t deny that the battle rages on Halloween. But that battle rages every other day of the year as well. To fear this specific day more than any other day just because those who worship Satan have been prepping for it all year gives too much credence to them and the Devil. The Lord is Sovereign (Colossians 1:16). Period. Everything that happens on this day is in His hand. Abstaining from passing out candy and dressing up in costumes doesn’t make us any safer from demonic oppression than dressing up and passing out candy makes us more susceptible to it. To say this is true would be to put our faith in our actions more than in our Sovereign Lord who has promised to keep us until the end and has sealed us with His Spirit.
The posture of fear exhibited in this question comes from listening to and believing lies rather than what is true. To live in fear is not of the Spirit (1 Timothy 1:7). Rather than do that, let’s consider what we know to be true:
How should you respond?
While we have been discussing Halloween specifically in this article, the reality is that this applies to so many other areas of our lives. All of the time we are put into situations where we have to evaluate if and how to participate. I hope that you will be able to apply some of the wisdom shared here to those situations as well. Here are the main takeaways:
In conclusion, I believe Christians can participate in Halloween with a clear conscience. As Christians, we are called to be lights in the darkness, not lights among other lights. Halloween is a great opportunity to shine the light of Jesus in places we otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to. Of course, participating in Halloween is not a specific calling and therefore we are free to exercise discernment in regards to our participation. A Christian should not participate if they believe they are in sin by doing so. Trust the Spirit of Wisdom that the Lord has given you. Participate or don’t participate, but do it to the glory of God.
- If someone is truly having a conscience issue about it, I would not encourage them to participate. I do not believe you should participate if you feel unsettled or as if you would be sinning by participating.
- When I say participate in Halloween, I do not mean to encourage anyone in worshipping Satan or demons. I do not intend or encourage any participation in the occult. While Halloween does have roots in Satan worship, the day has really morphed over time into something different. For the majority of our culture, it’s more of a cultural tradition to dress up and pass out candy than it is a day for worshipping evil. That’s not to say that there aren’t still people worshipping Satan on that day, but many people aren’t even aware of those things, let alone participating in them. The Halloween I’m describing is the cultural holiday in which people dress up in costumes and ask for candy.
In what ways can a Christian participate in Halloween and glorify God?
The biggest reason I see for Christians participating in Halloween is because it is a tremendous opportunity to meet people and build connections in our communities that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to. The hope is that one day, be it on Halloween or someday down the road, the gospel can be proclaimed as a result of the connections made that night and the lost will be won to Christ. Trick or Treat is one of a few opportunities where people we don’t know will knock on our door and ask to interact with us. As Christians, we are not called to be lights hidden under a basket, but lights put on a stand to shine before others! (Matthew 5:14) I believe we should invite those conversations and interactions! Let’s seize the opportunity to meet people and imitate Christ to them, even in the smallest of interactions such as saying hi and giving them some candy.
Is Halloween the only day we can do this? Certainly not. I would hope we are seeking to be lights every day in our communities; but this day is a particularly unique day and I don’t believe we should turn off our lights and close our doors to the opportunities this day presents.
Shouldn’t Christians be ashamed or afraid to possibly be associated with the Satanic side of Halloween? Aren’t we called to look different than the world?
As I stated above, I don’t think the vast majority of our culture associates Halloween with Satan worship, so I think this concern is a bit over-exaggerated. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a legitimate question there though. Because there are people who do associate/participate in Halloween as Devil worship. So I will spend the rest of the time responding to this question with this group of people in mind.
If we look to the Bible, we find that Paul describes a strategy he used to reach the lost of his time:
“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I become as one outside the law (not being outside the law but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
In these verses, Paul describes finding a common ground with the lost, meeting them where they are at and using that common ground as a platform to preach the gospel. This doesn’t mean he joins them in sin, that would be wrong; but it does mean that he’s not afraid to be near them in their sin or to be acquainted with them in their sin. So just because we choose to pass out candy in hopes of having a gospel conversation, doesn’t mean that we are sinning or in error. If we were to join in celebrating evil and worshipping the Devil, absolutely, that would be wrong and abhorrent. But there’s nothing inherently wrong about passing out candy and dressing up in a costume. And if that means doing it on the same night that others are worshipping evil, so be it; the actions and intentions of their hearts do not correlate or reflect the actions or intentions of our hearts.
Paul isn’t the only one who used this approach to evangelism. In fact, he learned it from Jesus Himself! There are countless examples of Jesus Himself moving towards sinners in the midst of their sin, meeting them where they are at and calling them out of sin. One of the most evident is described in John 1:1: Jesus put on flesh and came to live amongst sinners. That’s you and I! Praise God that Jesus moved towards us in our sin, that he wasn’t afraid to associate with us or be “tainted” by us! The very fact that we are even offered salvation, is due to the fact that Jesus became as we were in order to share the Good News with us. For the sake of time and length of this blog post, I will list several other examples quickly:
- John 4: Jesus meets the Samaritan woman (currently in an adulterous relationship) at the well and engages with her. He isn’t afraid to associate with her. His concern isn’t how this will appear to others who might witness it. His concern was for her.
- Matthew 8:2-3: Jesus reaches for the leper. He is not afraid of becoming unclean because He knows He has the power of God. Again, He’s not afraid of the public perception. He is concerned with meeting the specific needs of the man in front of him, both physical and spiritual.
- Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34: Jesus participates in weddings, religious events, dinner parties, etc. to the point where he is accused of being a glutton and a drunkard. He “looked like the world”, did a lot of the same things that those around him were doing, but he did it with a pure heart and motive and was not in sin. He was being missional by meeting people where they were at in that moment, even in their sinful doings.
In the same way that Jesus was sent by the Father into the world, we have been sent into the world to do the same (John 17:18), to seize every opportunity to let our lights shine bright over the city, and not to hide our light under a bushel in fear.
Why do you have to “look like the world” to be a light?
As I stated above, dressing up and passing out candy like the world does is a way of meeting people where they are. If we don’t pass out candy, no one is coming to our door asking to interact with us. Do we have to wear costumes to do it? No, but can we not have some fun while we do it? Can it not be a conversation starter or a means to share a laugh with a stranger? Candy and costumes are not a requirement, but they are also not condemned. I see them as a way to form a bridge and establish some common ground in hopes of creating gospel opportunities. It’s a way to break down some of the barriers and demonstrate that Christians are approachable and, dare I say it, fun to be around! Just because I “look like the world” because I pass out candy and wear a costume on Halloween, doesn’t mean that I condone everything that happens on that night, in the same way that saying I’m a Christian doesn’t mean that I condone everything that every Christian has ever done.
While I appreciate the Christian who has hesitations about participating in Halloween and considers those hesitations in light of the Bible, I also think we have to be really careful not to prescribe a new “law” and hold every Christian to it. Galatians 5:1 says we have been set free in Christ, no longer bound by the law, but free to exercise wisdom where there is no clear cut “yes” or “no” expressed in the Bible. To write a “new law”, such as saying Christians can’t pass out candy or dress up in costumes on Halloween, is to re-yoke them to a law that can’t save them and that ultimately harms them.
Our responsibility as Christians is to worship God in everything we do. Worship comes from the heart and isn’t always discernable by external actions. For example, look at Jesus’ words about the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. By external appearances, they are doing all the right things, making sure to look holy and distinct from the Gentiles. But Jesus calls them whitewashed tombs! Their external actions are not a reflection of worship of God in their heart. In the same way, it’s possible that in doing the same things that the world is doing, there is something different going on in the hearts of Christians. To look at a Christian and say they are in sin for doing something that on the surface looks very much like the world is unfair.
We can’t make not “looking like the world” the standard that we measure against. If that becomes the benchmark, how can we pray? Because there are many religions that pray to false gods. We wouldn’t want to be accidentally associated with those false gods because we look the same in that we all pray. The world goes to work. If we wanted to ensure that we don’t look like the world, we would have to abstain from working for fear of being associated with the world. The same goes for makeup and fashion trends. Are we not allowed to practice those cultural trends for fear of “looking like the world”? What about country music or even worship music that doesn’t align perfectly with our doctrines? Do we have to abstain from that as well? Is it wrong to have ministries that go in to strip clubs or interact with women involved in human trafficking in hopes of sharing the gospel with them? If they were afraid of looking like the world, being perceived as customers or pimps, these ministries wouldn’t exist. Can a Christian do yoga for exercise? The list goes on and on. It’s impossible to live in this world and not in some ways “look like this world”. That can’t be the standard. It’s not the standard.
The Lord knows what is being worshipped in each person’s heart. It’s the responsibility of each person to worship God in the best way they know how in the circumstances they are put in. If that means that you worship God by abstaining from participating in Halloween, all glory to God! And if it means that you worship God by participating in Halloween, all glory to God!
Should we fear demonic oppression on Halloween?
In conversations I’ve had, it’s been mentioned that Satan worshippers prep all year for this day and curse the candy they hand out and that participating in Halloween makes us more vulnerable to demonic oppression. I recognize that there is a spiritual battle going on in this world and I don’t deny that the battle rages on Halloween. But that battle rages every other day of the year as well. To fear this specific day more than any other day just because those who worship Satan have been prepping for it all year gives too much credence to them and the Devil. The Lord is Sovereign (Colossians 1:16). Period. Everything that happens on this day is in His hand. Abstaining from passing out candy and dressing up in costumes doesn’t make us any safer from demonic oppression than dressing up and passing out candy makes us more susceptible to it. To say this is true would be to put our faith in our actions more than in our Sovereign Lord who has promised to keep us until the end and has sealed us with His Spirit.
The posture of fear exhibited in this question comes from listening to and believing lies rather than what is true. To live in fear is not of the Spirit (1 Timothy 1:7). Rather than do that, let’s consider what we know to be true:
- John 1:5 says that darkness does not overcome light, but light overcomes darkness! We are the light and we have the Light! We have nothing to fear!
- Matthew 8:2-3 tells of a leper being cleansed by Jesus’ touch. This is amazing! Jesus didn’t become unclean when he touched the leper, the leper became clean! And we participate in this world with the same authority of Jesus and with the Spirit of God inside us! We don’t have to fear being “tainted” by the world; the world will be cleansed at the Word of God.
- Romans 8:38-39 says that nothing will separate the Christian from Christ, including demons. We don’t need to fear being stolen away from him! He holds us with His Mighty hand and He won’t let go!
How should you respond?
While we have been discussing Halloween specifically in this article, the reality is that this applies to so many other areas of our lives. All of the time we are put into situations where we have to evaluate if and how to participate. I hope that you will be able to apply some of the wisdom shared here to those situations as well. Here are the main takeaways:
- God has given us the Spirit to lead us and guide us. The Spirit helps us to exercise wisdom in every area of our lives. Each person should exercise their own wisdom in their circumstances and not condemn others who exercise their wisdom in a different way. In Matthew 11:19, the Scriptures show that John the Baptist chose not to eat or drink and yet Jesus chose to eat and drink. Both exercised their wisdom in opposite ways and neither was wrong (although both were persecuted). In Acts 16:3 Paul has Timothy circumcised, but in Galatians 2:3 Paul does not have Titus circumcised. The same person with the same decision to make, but wisdom dictated two different choices based upon the circumstances. Another way this plays out today is when you see a homeless person standing on the corner at a stop light. To one person, loving him might mean giving him money. To a second person, loving him might mean not giving him money. The point here is to trust the wisdom the Lord gives you for your particular circumstance through the Spirit. Measure it against the Scripture, not against others’ decisions.
- Worship our Sovereign Lord in all you do and act according to what your conscience allows. 1 Corinthians 10:31 encourages us “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” You can’t worship God in sin. If you believe you are sinning, it’s no longer worship. So don’t go against your conscience. The Lord has given it to you to help lead and guide you.
In conclusion, I believe Christians can participate in Halloween with a clear conscience. As Christians, we are called to be lights in the darkness, not lights among other lights. Halloween is a great opportunity to shine the light of Jesus in places we otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to. Of course, participating in Halloween is not a specific calling and therefore we are free to exercise discernment in regards to our participation. A Christian should not participate if they believe they are in sin by doing so. Trust the Spirit of Wisdom that the Lord has given you. Participate or don’t participate, but do it to the glory of God.
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Posted in Halloween, Freedom in Christ, Discernment, Guidance of the Holy Spirit, Trick or Treat, Christian ethics
Posted in Halloween, Freedom in Christ, Discernment, Guidance of the Holy Spirit, Trick or Treat, Christian ethics
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