It's October. Normally I don't go around announcing the name of the months like some sort of calendar, but this month is different. Every child in the US knows what comes at the end of October. It approaches with ever-gaining momentum as candy pours into stores and is bought up by savvy consumers. It's a celebration marked with costumes, candy, and carved pumpkins.
Of course I'm talking about Halloween. It's a hot-button holiday. The Christian community denounces it by striking the fear of God into kids which only adds to the ambiance for the rest of society who cannot see any spiritual implications from All Hallow's Eve. These two sides feed into each other. The fear that the Church throws out regarding Halloween is soaked up by those who enjoy it, which just makes the Church try harder... Perhaps a new approach to Halloween is necessary?
It's been widely accepted that Halloween finds its roots in pagan superstition. The belief is that the barrier between this realm and the spiritual realm are at their weakest, so the souls that walk this world have a chance to speak before moving on. The costumes and masks sprang up as a way to fool these spirits into not taking any revenge on someone unrecognized.
Pretty spooky, also pretty lame as far as superstitions go. Why atheists don't attack Halloween is perplexing. Seems it'd be right up their alley. Haven't heard a word on it yet... but whatever.
Even so, the Church did adopt this holiday and celebrated it for quite a while. All Saints Day, being November 1st, was a time to commemorate those passed and to honor the saints. Many of the superstitions from the pagan rituals were maintained, but it's hard to escape any and all influence from a reclaimed holiday.
Our dates for Christmas, Easter and St. Valentine's Day are a few examples of holidays reclaimed from pagan/secular influences. Even with a solid amount of Christian emphasis, these holidays retain a great deal of their secular influences alongside the spiritual significance.
Halloween, however, seems to be one holiday that Christians just couldn't keep a hold on... Instead of attempting another takeover of a secular holiday (as the Church HAS done in the past with a good deal of success) the Church seems to be content to disavow the holiday altogether. Ignore the decorations popping up in the neighborhood and relegating any participants with disdain and disapproval.
If you talk with any Pastor for an extended amount of time on the subject of Halloween, you will inevitably hear passages like "Do not have even the appearance of evil." OR "Be in the world, not of the world."
However, we do a great disservice to the world by not engaging it. We think that opposition or pointing out the negatives will somehow persuade the masses that Halloween is terrible and scary. We indulge those who maintain that Halloween is for seances, devil worship, animal sacrifices and summoning spirits. Instead of shifting focus to something productive, the Church has fallen into the same mindset that the world has propagated and has, incorrectly, decided to battle on demonic ground...
The novel approach would be to shift Halloween back to honoring those who have passed, dispelling the superstitious notions of spiritism and by utilizing the holiday for Christ.
Think about this: At no other time in history has our culture been SO preoccupied with the "dead" things. Vampires, witches, zombies and a whole litany of other macabre are at the forefront of our culture. Even history is being brought into this fascination with Abraham Lincoln - VAMPIRE HUNTER! Seriously, we must acknowledge this fascination and realize what our role is supposed to be as Christians.
As Christians, we have abdicated our role of concern. The world seems so much more concerned with the dead than we are. This should not be. Yes, our focus is life. Yes, we are promised eternal life, that is what we strive for, that is what we know. BUT, our MISSION is to seek out the lost, to be a light in this world. IN THIS WORLD, we are to be more concerned with the dead - those lost to sin.
Suggesting a new approach to Halloween does not come lightly. I've been mulling this over for years. I cannot wrap my mind around the accepted approach of denouncing Halloween. I cannot comprehend the reasoning behind separating ourselves from the world on a holiday that could make a POSITIVE impact if the positive message of Christianity were poured INTO it.
The WHOLE point of Christ dying was to TRANSFORM the dead, sinful creature of man into a LIVING witness for Christ. Why have we failed Halloween, Church? Why have we failed to engage culture on the forefront? Are we too scared of the decorations?
Boldly, we must pour in the light and love of Christ in ALL situations. The opportunity for transformation is too rich to pass up. Let's rethink our approach to this day. (It's just as superstitious to imagine that dressing up and giving out candy equates to demon worship...)
