Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

Pose this question to Google and you quickly get many pages of pros and cons:

"Why not? It's just a childhood fantasy!"

"Oh... NO! It's the devil's birthday!"

Given the fact that our paganized culture makes it impossible to protect the innocence of our kids for very long, how do we adapt? If we say a flat "NO!" and hide in the back room that night, does the young mind get the right message? Should we Christians be teaching our children to withdraw and hide, or to change the world?

If we spend our God-given money on witch and goblin costumes, are we guiltless? Halloween, and its attendant costume industry, is becoming darker and darker. More than ever, it's all about death, demons and witchcraft. These are things that God hates. Should we be teaching our children that those things can be "fun"?

But this night provides an easy way to teach our children to witness for Jesus by our own example, and then to begin teaching our kids those "big issues" as we talk about why we don't celebrate Halloween the same way as everyone else. The BIG ISSUES: (1) God is real and we need to glorify Him: make as many people as possible aware of His existence and His love, and (2) Satan and his devils are also real and they want to blow up your life. His target is our death. If that fails, he will lie his head off until we are too confused to know what to do.

So, what to do about the costume thing? Witches and werewolves, goblins and ghosts —none seem to help people think more about God. Fake angels aren't that much help, either.

But what if you had a way to spoil Satan's "holyday" by making everyone in your neighborhood think about God for a few moments? Closing the door and turning off the porch light isn't likely to do it. "That's just those 'Christian' spoil-sports at it again." If we go hide, Satan wins.

Well, what about those candy bags? Those cuties behind the masks are looking to have some fun. Fun is part of joy, so show the joy of the Lord and give some fun candy, but add the joy of sins forgiven.

For just a few cents you can give them a little booklet with an engaging story —and the God-glorifying Gospel— all in 24 pages that will fit in the bags, too. And is any parent going to let it go by without checking out what propaganda this kid came home with?

What a chance to deliver the Gospel to neighbors who wouldn't think of going to church with you!

For several years, Chick customers have kept our shipping department extra busy in the six weeks leading up to this infamous "holyday." They tell us that it is a perfect time to "evangelize" their whole neighborhood, all in one night. One (good quality) candy plus one Chick tract that's sure to get READ!

Witnessing never gets any easier than this: on that one night of the year they all come to your door asking for the best thing you can give. Money can't buy a better witnessing opportunity. This makes Halloween better than Christmas, to be able to give the words of eternal life.

With the wide variety of Chick tracts, sandwich bags of candy and tracts can be prepared for each age level, — including adults. Today, most kids come with their parents who hang in the background. They'll read them, too!

For just a little while, you'll know that almost everyone in the neighborhood is having to consider where they will be 100 years from now (heaven or hell).

And look carefully at the critters on your street. You just might see the Devil himself, coming to check out who's ruining his favorite holiday. You can probably get rid of him in a hurry by offering him a Chick tract, too.

A Few Suggestions on Doing Halloween God's Way:

1. Start your children young. If they have already gotten in the "Halloween habit" it's going to be more difficult to redirect them.

2. Have your candy and tracts ready to go in advance. If you make bags with candy and cartoon tracts, have them sorted by age.

3. Don't always answer the door yourself. Let your children do it part of the time. They will love handing out the candy and cartoons.

4. Make sure your kids know that when it's all over, they are going to get plenty of candy, so they don't think they lost that by not going door to door. Like all parents, you can control it so they don't eat it all at once.


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