As September draws to a close, conversations about Halloween will begin. Sadly, I have already seen one Christian friend advocate for leaving a church if they celebrate Halloween. But is this Biblical? Can a Christian celebrate Halloween? Is it necessary to leave a church if they give a different answer than we do? Or perhaps we should disfellowship a Christian who celebrates?
As Christians, Scripture should be our guide to all issues, including this one. It is important, however, not to just throw random Bible verses around. This is something even the devil can do, and does so frequently. What's important is to take the Bible in context. A verse must at least have some relevance to an issue in order to be justly cited.
To give an analogy, while dogs are popular pets in Western nations, they are considered "unclean" in others. Imagine someone from such a culture (or even a Westerner who is, for some personal reason, opposed to them) decided to make a doctrine out of their preference. To defend their view, they turn to Matthew 7:6, which says "Do not give what is holy to the dogs...". Boom. As Christians, we're supposed to be holy as God is Holy (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16), so it is wrong to share our home with a dog. Did I just make a convincing case against dog ownership? I hope not, because I really rather love my little pup, and I will fight anyone who tries to take him from me.
So, clearly, Scripture must be taken in context. The problem is, those who take the strongest stance against Halloween, especially those who advocate dividing the Church over the issue, can never do this.
This does not exclude the fact that there are some things, commonly associated with Halloween, that are simply unacceptable for Christians to take part in. Why any parent would be ok with letting their child dress up as the devil, for example, I'll never know. Ouija boards, similarly, are a no no. But just like actual sins, these can be shown from Scripture.
But the Scriptures used to sow division over the issue of Halloween never actually speak about, nor even directly to, Halloween. Take, for example, 1 Corinthians 10:21: "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons." This is one of the aforementioned verses that rather explicitly condemns celebrating devils at Halloween, but surely it's possible to separate the two? Can you partake of some festivities on October 31st without celebrating the devil? Absolutely!
In fact, by blessed coincidence, Reformation Day also falls on October 31st. This, ironically, celebrates freedom from the Roman Catholic Church, a religion notorious for its attempt to reconcile necromancy with the Christian faith. Does it make any sense to condemn Christians for celebrating an escape from necromancy because it happens to fall on a day when the world tends to celebrate necromancy?
In truth, it doesn't matter how close Christians get to Halloween as long as they avoid the sinful aspects of it. See, the thing about time is it flows the same for everyone. We all experience October 31st, and there is no "skip button". But we do have explicit permission to celebrate, or abstain, if we wish: "Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s." (Romans 14:4-8).
But there are those who will argue that Halloween should be an exception, because it's still seen as a pagan holiday. There are two problems. First, no exceptions are ever listed. It doesn't say "you may not judge another man's servant... unless he celebrates Halloween, get that devil worshiper out of here". The onus is on those who oppose Halloween to prove, from Scripture, that there is something specific about October 31st that demands a suspension of festive liberty. But throughout Scripture, this is never seen.
But also, do we not go to church on Sunday? On SUN-day? As in the day of the week that is specifically named because it is the day on which certain pagans, our ancestors, used to worship the sun? They set it apart as a special day of worship, we set it apart as a special day of worship. What's the difference? Simple. The spirit is the defining factor. Not the spirit of the day, but the spirit of the observer. When Christians go to church, we (ought to) do it to have fellowship with our brethren as we collectively worship our God. What spirit do Christians celebrate Halloween in?
With "weaker brethren", the answer should actually still be avoidance. If you are not fully convinced in your own mind that it is ok to celebrate Halloween, you should heed your own doubt, for "...whatever is not from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23). Therefore, if a Christian believes Halloween is sin, it is sin for that Christian.
But what if you are convinced in your own mind? There are some things your conscience cannot cleanse. You cannot, for example, dress in an obscene outfit, attend an adult party, and hook up with a stranger, no matter how clean your conscience feels. Why? Because to even look upon a woman with lust is adultery (Matthew 5:28), and "Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!" (Matthew 18:7). But can you gather with your fellow believers, dress in fun (non-demonic) costumes, cut funny faces into pumpkins, or even have a few drinks? Find me one Scripture that says no.
But though we can certainly control what we do, and influence our brethren through solid arguments, there is nothing we can do to stop the world from observing Halloween in their way. They absolutely will watch demonic movies, dress as evil things, indulge in witchcraft etc., and we can't stop them. But we can make sure Halloween backfires on the devil.
Without doubt, the most popular Halloween tradition is trick or treating. Kids dress up and go door to door seeking candy. Almost like reverse missionaries! One night every year, you don't have to go out into the world. Satan brings the world to you!
This is a brilliant opportunity to make use of. Here I am in 2017, sitting outside my house dressed as a priest holding a "Bible" (which is actually just a box with a phone inside it playing music). To my left, between me and the bowl of candy, you see a box of various tracts. If the kids took a tract, they got double portions.
I don't know the effect of this. It's possible the tracts just get binned, as they normally would if handed out by a street preacher. But is it not also possible a kid, or even their parents, may receive a Gospel presentation I otherwise would not have been able to give them? Am I guilty of some grievous sin for this attempt to spread the good news of salvation? Quite the contrary. I am fulfilling the Great Commission. [Update: In Halloween of 2022, a child actually asked if he could take one of the CMI business cards after reading the questions listed on the back, such as "does God exist?", which I am almost certain lead him down an interesting path towards Jesus].
Now, do I think all Christians should do this? Certainly not. It's just a suggestion, and just as weaker brethren cannot judge we who celebrate Halloween, so also can stronger brethren not dictate if and how others celebrate. If you would rather sit in your room with your lights off and a "no trick or treaters" sign on your driveway, God will not be angry.
But His word does explicitly command Christians to unite around the truth, and not quarrel over doubtful issues. What we celebrate is something God very explicitly tells us is between ourselves and Him. Therefore, it is more of a sin to condemn Halloween than to celebrate it with a clear conscience. Therefore, my final words on this issue will be Paul's: "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." (Romans 14:19).