Category: Halloween

Here is part 2 of the continuing saga of, “Can we expect treats at the Pastor’s house or what?”

So, does anything go? Absolutely not! You can be full out “Christ transforming culture,” but I don’t think you could ever really do a ‘strippers for Jesus’ ministry, unless it was recovering strippers who stayed clothed. There are elements of culture that are so corrupted that redemption means their absence. However, this means that some things in culture are left alone, but we always hope and pray for the redemption of people. What is the test? I think the right answer for Christians is always, “Jesus.” Jesus ate and spent time with sinners. Jesus was available to the prostitutes. What does this look like for elements of culture such as Halloween? Well, that’s the question, isn’t it? Another piece of scripture before moving on – Philippians 4:8b “if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” The closing of Philippians encourages us to put our minds on things that are good and worthy of praise. As I shared above, the experiences that I relate to Halloween – fellowship, family, sharing, friends – are all things worthy of praise.

So, does anything go? Or, pastor, don’t you believe in the powers and principalities? Continue reading “Thoughts on Christians and Halloween: part 2”

We are getting close to Halloween, and I know that you are all waiting very anxiously for my final word on whether or not you can celebrate it. I picture you by the computer, costume in one hand, lighter in the other. Do I do this or not? What does Pastor Andy say? Well, here is the first of three posts on this. I think I’ll do a new post each day, so check back tomorrow for part 2. Enjoy, and if you decide to go with a no on Halloween and have extra candy you need to get rid of please see me.

I received an email this week commenting on the Halloween poll and my upcoming thoughts on participating in Halloween. In the email the person wrote that the blog post really got her thinking, and then she also wrote about the things that could unite or divide us. I include that because I think this is the direction that we need to go in terms of how we engage culture – because after all, that is what this question really is about, right? How does a Christian engage culture with all of its dirtiness, shades of evil, redeemable qualities, etc.

Full disclosure: as a child we always participated in Halloween and it was really more of a family time and fun time. Continue reading “Thoughts on Christians and Halloween: part 1”