Why I Choose Light Over Halloween

Every year around this time, I find myself speaking out about Halloween. And every year, I know there will be people who disagree with me. Some may even be offended by what I have to say. But my heart isn't to offend anyone. My heart is to challenge the Church to examine what we're embracing, what we're teaching our children, and whether we're truly walking as children of light.

I do not celebrate Halloween. I don't believe Christians should celebrate it, and I don't believe changing its name somehow changes what we're participating in.

What concerns me more and more is watching churches take Halloween, dress it up in a different package, give it another name, and somehow decide that makes it acceptable.

Call it a fall festival, a harvest party, trunk-or-treat, or whatever else you choose. If the entire celebration is planned around Halloween, with costumes, candy, and activities designed to replace trick-or-treating, shouldn't we at least stop and examine why we're doing it?

I'm not questioning the hearts of those who organize these events. I realize many pastors and churches genuinely want to provide a safe environment for children and an opportunity to reach their communities. I understand their intentions.

But here's my question.

Why do we feel the need to imitate something the world is already doing in order to reach people for Jesus Christ?

Have we forgotten that we're supposed to be different?

Have we become so concerned about making sure our children don't miss out that we're overlooking the opportunity to teach them why we choose not to participate?

I hear people say, "But it's just candy! It's just costumes! It's just children having fun!"

Children can have candy any day of the year! They can dress up and play games on other occasions. They can enjoy fellowship, laughter, and wonderful memories without connecting those things to Halloween.

They aren't being deprived because they don't participate in Halloween.

What they gain from learning to follow their convictions and stand apart from cultural pressures can be far more valuable than a bucket full of candy.

But What About Christmas and Easter?

Every year, someone inevitably brings up this argument.

"Well, you celebrate Christmas and Easter, and those holidays have pagan origins too! So what's the difference?"

Let's talk about that.

First, I recognize that traditions surrounding Christmas and Easter have complex histories, and some customs have been influenced by cultures and practices outside of Christianity.

We don't know the exact date Jesus Christ was born. Scripture doesn't give us a calendar date. December 25 became the traditional date of celebration centuries after His birth, and historians still debate exactly how that date was chosen.

But when I celebrate Christmas, I'm not celebrating a pagan deity or worshiping the winter solstice.

I am celebrating the BIRTH of my Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST!

John 1:14 tells us:

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us..."

I'm celebrating that God loved us enough to send His Son into this world!

And as for Easter, I personally prefer to call it RESURRECTION SUNDAY!

Why? Because I want the focus to remain on what Jesus Christ accomplished for us!

The Christian celebration of His resurrection goes back to the earliest centuries of the Church and is connected to the biblical Passover season. Some cultural customs that developed around Easter are another matter.

But I'm not celebrating a bunny or a basket full of eggs.

I'm remembering the suffering, the cross, the blood that was shed for our sins, the burial, and the glorious RESURRECTION of our Savior!

He conquered sin and death!

HE IS RISEN!

That's what Resurrection Sunday means to me.

Now let's talk about Halloween.

Why I Believe Halloween Is Different

Look at what Halloween has become known for.

Ghosts, goblins, witches, haunted houses, demons, skeletons, death, horror, and fear.

Yes, I understand that many people see these things as pretend or innocent entertainment. I understand that not everyone who wears a costume or attends a party has any interest in the occult.

But I also believe spiritual warfare is real. I believe witchcraft and occult practices are real, and I believe Scripture gives us serious warnings about participating in such things.

Deuteronomy 18:10–12 warns God's people against occult practices, including divination and sorcery.

And Ephesians 5:8 says:

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light."

Then Ephesians 5:11 tells us:

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

We are called to walk in the LIGHT!

So why are we becoming increasingly comfortable surrounding ourselves with imagery that celebrates fear, darkness, and the occult?

Why do we spend the rest of the year teaching our children about spiritual authority, resisting the enemy, and standing firm in the truth of God's Word, yet become so comfortable with these things for one night?

Even when others believe the activities are harmless, shouldn't Christians be willing to examine what they're participating in through the lens of Scripture?

I believe the Church needs to recover spiritual discernment.

Not everything the world celebrates needs a Christian alternative that resembles the original.

Sometimes being set apart means simply saying, "We're not participating in that."

And that's okay!

What If the Church Prayed Instead?

Here's something I've been thinking about.

What if, instead of trying to make October 31 another night of costumes, candy, and entertainment, we made it a night of PRAYER?

What if churches opened their doors for worship, intercession, and discipleship?

What if families gathered together to pray over their children, their schools, their neighborhoods, and their communities?

What if we spent that evening teaching the next generation about their identity in Christ, the authority of Jesus' name, and what it means to walk as children of light?

Can you imagine churches across this nation filled with believers praying and worshiping together?

Not out of fear, but out of faith!

Not hiding from the darkness, but shining the light of Jesus Christ!

We say we want revival. We say we want awakening. We pray for God to move in our communities and across this nation.

But awakening has to begin with the Church.

How can we expect the world to recognize the difference Jesus makes if we're continually trying to make the Church look more like the world?

We don't need to imitate the world to reach the world.

We need to represent JESUS!

It's Time to Examine What We've Accepted

I realize this subject is uncomfortable for some people. I know Christians have different convictions regarding Halloween, and I am not questioning someone's salvation because they attend a fall festival or allow their children to wear costumes.

But I AM asking us to examine why we do what we do.

Are our traditions grounded in Scripture, or have we gradually accepted things simply because they've become normal in our culture?

Are we teaching our children spiritual discernment, or are we teaching them that fitting in matters more than standing apart?

Are we equipping believers to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, or are we constantly looking for ways to make Christianity resemble whatever the world is already doing?

These are questions I believe the Church needs to be willing to ask.

And as for me, my convictions haven't changed.

I will not celebrate Halloween, and I don't believe changing the name of a Halloween-centered event changes the deeper issue for me.

I would rather see that time devoted to prayer, worship, evangelism, and equipping God's people.

I would rather see children learning that following Jesus doesn't mean participating in everything their friends participate in.

And I would rather see churches becoming known for the presence and power of God than for how successfully we can recreate the world's celebrations.

Church, It's Time to Awaken!

Jesus said in Matthew 5:14:

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."

We aren't called to blend into the darkness. We're called to shine!

We aren't called to disguise darkness in more attractive packaging. We're called to reveal the LIGHT of Jesus Christ!

And we aren't called to follow the world. We're called to follow HIM!

We don't need to make darkness more appealing. We need to let the LIGHT shine brighter!

Church, it's time to AWAKEN!

It's time to walk in truth, spiritual discernment, and the authority Jesus Christ has given His people.

Because a world surrounded by darkness doesn't need a Church that looks just like it.

It needs a Church that shines with the LIGHT of JESUS CHRIST!

— Cynthia Prather
Eagles' Awakening