From time to time you will hear about such-and-such famous Christian's tirade about Halloween. About the evils of dressing up like a goblin or a witch or some other Satan inspired character on a very "dark" holiday. Now, personally I agree with these sentiments as they regard satanic characters. However, I was raised dressing up for Halloween and going trick-or-treating. It was fun!
As a parent of a very self-aware child who likes to dress up and have fun, I am caught in a dilemma. I remember the fun I had dressing up and going door to door. I see the excitement in her eyes as she thinks about dressing up and meeting new people in a costume. But I disagree with the overtones associated with Halloween. So, what should I do?
I was watching a speaker at one of our youth retreats a couple of years ago, and in one of his talks he talked about going to "Harvest Parties" as a kid growing up. For those of you who don't know, Harvest Parties were really popular among Christian groups as a Halloween alternative. He spoke about being restricted to bible characters, and he had some good ideas. Like John the Baptist--after he was beheaded. Or the six headed monster from the book of Revelation. Talk about creative!
I think our response as Christians to things like Halloween should not to withdraw and retreat from things that offend us. Nor should we attack. I fully believe that the grace and love of God are more than sufficient to change the world--even holidays like Halloween. We always complain about how commercialism and secularism are attacking Christmas. Well, I believe that if we leverage our resources and love people in the process, we can take back Christmas and submit Halloween to Jesus Christ!
Our church is doing a Trunk or Treat even this Halloween, giving kids in our neighborhood a safe alternative to going door to door. Maybe you will see me as a bible character this year...
