Allhallows Even Is Redeemable

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I hate, hate, hate halloween!

The stark difference between the light & darkness is evident as we christians purpose to follow Christ in the way we live. I take what 1John 1:5-6 says seriously: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.

We decided decades ago that we would have no part of anything connected to halloween. We were the house that turned off all the lights to keep anyone from knocking at our door. Our children did not dress up & beg for candy, & we would not engage with any church (or other) related alternatives. Part of our conviction came from the idea that there was nothing redeemable about halloween.

Fast forward to a few years ago, when, for a variety of reasons, I began questioning my position & researching the whole phenomenon.

The first thing I want to say is that I still hate halloween. Christians are commanded to expose the deeds of darkness (Eph.5:11) in an effort to redirect people to the Light of Christ.

The glorification of this holiday has progressed exponentially over the years. I used to be able to shield my children & avoid the halloween aisles in stores, but you can’t do that anymore. The fascination with death & the exaltation of all things grotesque is everywhere this time of year. Our hatred for all things evil should remain steadfast, as it is an affront to our Holy God & everything He calls good.

The following are a few key questions that served as a springboard to my investigation.

~~ What kind of sources am I gleaning from?

The Bible talks about there being safety in a multitude of counselors (Prov.11:14). Safety from what? Safety from reading into something more than what is actually there, as well as not taking something serious enough.

One thing that investigative research has taught me is to vet my sources & consider each perspective in order to evaluate accurately. We need that multitude of counselors to protect us from error. For example, October 31st is most definitely a “high holy day” for the spiritual hosts of wickedness & their human affiliates. I have heard countless testimonies of people who were delivered from the evils of witchcraft, satanism, the occult, New Age, etc., & they all attest to the significance of this day for the realm of darkness.

When you hear about the experiences of those who have come out of this world it’s easy to see the dramatic difference between the darkness they came out of & the light they now walk in. But, there is almost always a hyper-sensitive component to their dire warning. While their cautions have merit & should be considered, I have noticed that they have a tendency to feel so strongly about their message that they can inadvertently exaggerate, or even falsify, the evidence to support their position. We need to be aware of this & proceed with caution.

If you want to gain a deeper understanding of something you have to collect, analyze, & discern the evidence from a variety of sources that represent multiple sides of an issue. Always, always consider the source & understand their perspective as you gather information & formulate your opinions.

~~What is the foundation of my conviction?

As we gain spiritual maturity it is always wise to revisit & reevaluate our convictions. We need to ask ourselves if we have built it on a foundation of faith or fear, & then take a careful look at the fruit it has produced. A conviction that is not from God will often manifest as condemnation that can cause even more confusion & draw us away from God. Whereas a conviction from God will draw us closer to Him with a heart of repentance that frees us from deceptions and false beliefs.

We all need to “be fully convinced in his own mind…” (Rms.14:5-6) when it comes to our personal convictions & how we apply the principles of Scripture to our lives. We must be willing to correct wrong thinking when presented with truth. It is critical for our convictions to be rooted in truth rather than a belief based on inaccurate information or the misapplication of Scripture. It’s a lazy person’s hermeneutic to proof-text Scripture to fit a specific confirmation bias.

“The Word of God informs our conscience and is a light to our path (Psa.119:105). Personal convictions should never be based solely on what we “feel” about a matter. …the Bible does not deal directly with every situation. Forming personal convictions on issues not specified in Scripture requires us to search out the guiding principles in the Word.” (GotQuestions)

~~Is an ungodly origin justification enough to ban the day?

One of the things I’ve discovered is that many of the origin stories that I based my original opinion on have been proven to be false.

The history & origin of something is an important thing to consider, but if those were deciding factors we’d need to 1) ban the celebration of birthdays with cakes & candles, 2) call our months & the days of the week by different names, & 3) reconsider bridesmaids due to the fact that they were instituted to trick evil spirits into going after them instead of the bride. And, what about baptism? Should we cease from baptizing believers because the Babylonians practiced this as a pagan ritual long before Christianity?

The origins of halloween are very obscure. The evidence shows a convergence of traditions that have evolved with time & cultures. For example, the origin of giving children treats in the U.S. can be traced to states almost banning the event altogether due to mischievous boys picking October 31st as a day to pull pranks, some of which were starting to become dangerous. In an effort to quell the mayhem there was an exchange of candy for their cooperation to cease their troublesome behavior.

As christians, we need to steer clear of bolstering presuppositions based on some kind of fake-lore or pseudo history. We are called to a higher standard & the origin argument is simply too weak for it to be the deciding factor.

~~ Have I fallen into the trap of legalism?

Sometimes, in our well-intentioned efforts to “contend for the faith,” (Jude 3) we can be snagged by legalism. The enemy knows that we are all susceptible to a surprise attack & we need to be cognizant of his sneaky ways. While a discussion is merited, a disagreement about halloween should never be elevated to gospel proportions when it’s more of a matter of conscience. This is not a contest to be won, & when a disagreement shifts from being a civil debate to a quarrelsome attack (Rms.14:1) we need to either agree to disagree or shut it down & be willing to walk away. It’s pharisaical to imply that man-made ideas are commands from God & that one person’s conviction supersedes all others.

~~ What is my view moving forward?

I’ve come to a few conclusions that I hope will be helpful to you as you prayerfully navigate this tricky subject.

~ Every day belongs to the God who created them. (Psa.118:24)

Satan does not get to own a single day, so let’s not give him one. This is a spiritual battle designed to win back the territory that has been stolen. We may not be able to prevent the attention that Satan & his minions receive, but we can flip the agenda to one that focuses on God & celebrates life rather than death, witchcraft, violence, & horror. Halloween presents itself as the victor, but in Colossians 2:15 we’re informed that Christ, through His death & resurrection, disarmed the principalities & powers of darkness, making a public spectacle of them & triumphing over them. Christ is the Victor!

~ Throughout history, christians have always lived among cultures where sinful acts were practiced & false gods worshipped.

They had to decide what kind of approach they would take with the evil they encountered. To darken our homes & hide is no different than what the Israelites did when they retreated to the mountains when God commanded them to engage the ungodly in order to make Him known. In Matthew 10:16 Jesus said that He was sending His disciples out as sheep among wolves. It was critical for them to remain innocent while they exercised wisdom.

~ There’s a difference between celebrating & participating.

To celebrate an event is to embrace & engage in what has already been established & promoted, good or bad. However, it is possible to participate in the same event, but as an active agent whose purpose is to promote an alternative to the emphasis on the dark arts.

I conclude by saying that I no longer believe that halloween cannot be redeemed. Believers are commanded to act wisely & redeem the time (Col.4:5). We are also told to live wisely, “making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil” (Eph.5:15-16). How we go about fleshing that out may look different from one culture & time to another, but the objective remains.

We’ve been commissioned to dispatch good news...

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1Jn.1:5)

May we overpower the darkness that is so pervasive on October 31st. For me, that means turning on all the lights & asking God to give me opportunities to share the Light of Christ with those who live in darkness.

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