PODCAST: Five Ways for Christians to Think About Halloween

By Connecting Faith to Life | 28m
Published in October of 2021

SUMMARY: After reminiscing about the questionable choices of having haunted houses at church and judgment houses in the 80s and 90s pastors Tommy Meador and Trey Rhodes of Northwood Baptist Church (North Charleston, SC) touch on the history of Halloween before discussing five ways to approach Halloween.

Don’t be ashamed to live out your convictions
Don’t pass judgment on others who don’t share your personal convictions
Don’t use Halloween as an excuse to live contrary to what you believe as a Christian
If you participate in Halloween, keep it light-hearted
Consider how you can redeem parts of Halloween for God’s glory

The duo are quick to point out there are a lot of gray areas concerning Halloween, but two main focuses for Christians should be to not judge or be actively sinning.

KEY QUOTE: “In the gray issues we have to be careful not to pass judgment…Either way, do not pass judgment. If you are that person who stays home (and does not celebrate Halloween) then don’t pass the judgment on me because I chose to take my kids out. And likewise, if I choose to take my kids out I shouldn’t pass judgment on that person that chooses not to. I think there is some liberty here. You can make a choice here and neither choice is sinful. What is sinful is when you start to engage the darkness.”

Our latest curated media on Halloween:

ARTICLE: Have Yourself a Hallowed Halloween

Instead of outright rejecting Halloween, author Clarissa Moll suggests four unique ways to “creatively opt-in” to celebrate the holiday with your kids.

SHOW: Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? (The Beat)

The Bible does not contain a verse stating whether a Christian should or should not celebrate Halloween. With that in mind host Allen Parr provides five keys (avoid genetic fallacy, avoid misuse of Christian freedom, avoid being legalistic, avoid violating your conscience, and avoid anything that appears demonic) on how to approach the holiday.

ARTICLE: Engaging Our Neighbors in Re-Membering Halloween

How can we celebrate Halloween in a uniquely Christian way? Pastor Chadwick Anderson of Mattis Avenue Free Methodist Church (Champaign, IL) passes on a tradition of lighting a candle in remembrance of someone who has died. This tradition could help us connect with our neighbors in a meaningful way.