Halloween has deep Christian roots, in celebrating the saints and the hope of resurrection, and should not be abandoned by Christians even if the culture distorts its meaning.
I love the idea of mocking the death, and mocking the macabre! Thanks for this article, it's given me a different perspective on Halloween, maybe even using it as a talking point to talk about Jesus.
This is my first year as a Christian and at my Anglican Catholic church we're going all out for Halloween night! Along with the 6 pm Mass there will be hot cider out front and a ton of candy, the doors will be open for the curious to see what's going on during Mass, and the Lady chapel will be open for candles and bells. Even our clergy are giddy with excitement. I no idea it was this big a deal for Anglicans. Yep, I chose the right church.
Mocking death is not exactly the appropriate attitude at a funeral, is it? But if you have tried that and have had success, I would very much like to hear how it went! I have never heard of anyone hiring a DJ or a bounce house for a funeral. Though maybe that could be something…
Though I will say at my aunt’s funeral years ago my brother and I were cracking mortician jokes with the hearse driver, with our aunt’s coffin in the back, no less. Grief hits us all in strange ways I suppose.
Completely agree! Funerals are usually a time to mourn, though we don’t mourn as those who are lost.
But All Saints’ Day (and Halloween) is not a funeral. We celebrate the saints for their new life and look forward to our own resurrection. They may be some moments of somber reflection, but it is also a celebration of life in Christ.
Thanks, Josh. Having had some encounters with the demonic realm, I have soberly concluded (the hard way) that the best counsel against “death” is rebuke (Jude 9). Provocative taunting only seems to intensify the opposition (in my limited experience, anyway).
God does it. Yes. There are many things He does I cannot and should not attempt to replicate, though! Rebuke, yes. Mocking? I am quite hesitant to do it, given Michael’s restraint (Jude 9). I should clarify that I am here associating death with the demonic, not just as an abstraction. God does seem to speak to death as though it were sentient. So I am not one to chance that to be merely poetic or rhetorical flourish. I’ll quote scripture in defense of demonic attacks, but I will stop short of going any further with it than that.
Respectfully disagree, brother. I’m onboard with remembering those saints who went before us however, we ought to be cautious about what we celebrate and how it’s celebrated. In our culture Halloween is plagued with demonic activity therefore I don’t think it’s wise to partake in the activities surrounding that day. Rather we ought to stand out…like a light in the darkness.
No day belongs to the demons. Every day belongs to us because life belongs to the children of God. Christians do not fear the demons, they only fear God. Christians celebrating Halloween in the distinct way in which they always have is such a shock to our pagan world. You can let the world steal what rightfully belongs to Christians, but I won’t.
Never claimed the day belonged to demons but agree with you brother, every day belongs to the Lord. I could see an argument being made to celebrate All Saints Day but the article seems to focus mainly on the celebration of Halloween. Which again, I would caution against partaking in the activities that trash world has associated it with (dressing up, etc.) Eph 5:11.
Do you think most Christians celebrating Halloween are also celebrating All Saints Day? If not, it’s giving off hints of antinomianism/carnality. ‘One foot in the world’ sort of thing.
Most Christians throughout the millennia have celebrated Halloween this way in conjunction with All Saint's Day. To only consider the last 70 years of American Christianity is to be quite narrow-minded.
The days of the week are all named after pagan gods which is why I have sworn off observing the passage of time (if I don't I will lose my eternal soul)
I can’t tell if this entire piece is satire, or if you’re actually being serious.
If you’re actually being serious, this is one of the most Spiritually uninformed and uneducated pieces of writing I have ever read in my entire life, and reeks of the traditions of man which have rendered the word of God of none-effect in this area of your life.
The three “big ones” you mention — Easter, Christmas, and Halloween — are all unequivocally demonic at their roots.
You seem like someone who may do research, and if you already have… I do pray that the living God would grant you His revelation that reaches far beyond and far deeper the surface layers of your intellect which has somehow come to the conclusion presented here in your article.
Absolutely and shamelessly serious. I think Halloween is a wonderful tradition that lines up beautifully with the Word of God that has been practiced by our Christian forefathers for Millenia. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue the traditions of the Church, Christ's bride and the pillar of truth. I pray that God would lead you into the beautiful tradition of Christ's bride.
Christ is Victor, Andrew! Even if these holidays were previously pagan (they weren't, and Inspiring Philosophy has compiled a TON of data in several YouTube videos) everything is rightfully God's. Don't steal people's assurance of salvation by telling them they can secretly worship the devil without even meaning to.
Of what? The resurrection of Christ? The resurrection of those who died in Christ? The honor of the martyrs? That we look to a blessed hope? That the church is the pillar of truth and we should follow her tradition? That God mocks evil and we should align our attitude towards evil with God’s? That we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses who came before us? This is all in the Scripture. Halloween is a thoroughly Christian holiday.
I love the idea of mocking the death, and mocking the macabre! Thanks for this article, it's given me a different perspective on Halloween, maybe even using it as a talking point to talk about Jesus.
I’m happy you enjoyed the article! Yes! Mock death! We win in the end.
This is my first year as a Christian and at my Anglican Catholic church we're going all out for Halloween night! Along with the 6 pm Mass there will be hot cider out front and a ton of candy, the doors will be open for the curious to see what's going on during Mass, and the Lady chapel will be open for candles and bells. Even our clergy are giddy with excitement. I no idea it was this big a deal for Anglicans. Yep, I chose the right church.
Bro, that sounds amazing! Happy God has led you to a good place!
This, along with Xmas and Easter, fulfils the circle of life:
Christmas, Incarnation: "the birthday of Life" as Leo the Great called it.
Halloween: Memento Mori - remember our death and others.
Easter: Celebrate the resurrection and victory over death!
Beautiful! Also, love your use of the Chi in Xmas ;) Gotta get the rage machine going
Haha thanks 🤣 I wondered if that would kick up a fuss lol
Btw Joshua, I gave your blog a shoutout and recommendation in my latest video, and quoted some of it too :) You can see it here if you like: https://www.tiktok.com/@lukejwilsonauthor/video/7430895200370806048?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7366702705723917857
Thanks so much man! That means a lot. I will definitely have to give it a look.
No worries, I enjoy what you post :)
Thank you for a different perspective...
Mocking death is not exactly the appropriate attitude at a funeral, is it? But if you have tried that and have had success, I would very much like to hear how it went! I have never heard of anyone hiring a DJ or a bounce house for a funeral. Though maybe that could be something…
Though I will say at my aunt’s funeral years ago my brother and I were cracking mortician jokes with the hearse driver, with our aunt’s coffin in the back, no less. Grief hits us all in strange ways I suppose.
Completely agree! Funerals are usually a time to mourn, though we don’t mourn as those who are lost.
But All Saints’ Day (and Halloween) is not a funeral. We celebrate the saints for their new life and look forward to our own resurrection. They may be some moments of somber reflection, but it is also a celebration of life in Christ.
Thanks, Josh. Having had some encounters with the demonic realm, I have soberly concluded (the hard way) that the best counsel against “death” is rebuke (Jude 9). Provocative taunting only seems to intensify the opposition (in my limited experience, anyway).
God mocks evil throughout the Bible. In Christ, looking back to His completed work on the cross and forward to our resurrection, we can too ❤️
God does it. Yes. There are many things He does I cannot and should not attempt to replicate, though! Rebuke, yes. Mocking? I am quite hesitant to do it, given Michael’s restraint (Jude 9). I should clarify that I am here associating death with the demonic, not just as an abstraction. God does seem to speak to death as though it were sentient. So I am not one to chance that to be merely poetic or rhetorical flourish. I’ll quote scripture in defense of demonic attacks, but I will stop short of going any further with it than that.
Respectfully disagree, brother. I’m onboard with remembering those saints who went before us however, we ought to be cautious about what we celebrate and how it’s celebrated. In our culture Halloween is plagued with demonic activity therefore I don’t think it’s wise to partake in the activities surrounding that day. Rather we ought to stand out…like a light in the darkness.
No day belongs to the demons. Every day belongs to us because life belongs to the children of God. Christians do not fear the demons, they only fear God. Christians celebrating Halloween in the distinct way in which they always have is such a shock to our pagan world. You can let the world steal what rightfully belongs to Christians, but I won’t.
Never claimed the day belonged to demons but agree with you brother, every day belongs to the Lord. I could see an argument being made to celebrate All Saints Day but the article seems to focus mainly on the celebration of Halloween. Which again, I would caution against partaking in the activities that trash world has associated it with (dressing up, etc.) Eph 5:11.
Do you think most Christians celebrating Halloween are also celebrating All Saints Day? If not, it’s giving off hints of antinomianism/carnality. ‘One foot in the world’ sort of thing.
Most Christians throughout the millennia have celebrated Halloween this way in conjunction with All Saint's Day. To only consider the last 70 years of American Christianity is to be quite narrow-minded.
The days of the week are all named after pagan gods which is why I have sworn off observing the passage of time (if I don't I will lose my eternal soul)
👏🏼
I can’t tell if this entire piece is satire, or if you’re actually being serious.
If you’re actually being serious, this is one of the most Spiritually uninformed and uneducated pieces of writing I have ever read in my entire life, and reeks of the traditions of man which have rendered the word of God of none-effect in this area of your life.
The three “big ones” you mention — Easter, Christmas, and Halloween — are all unequivocally demonic at their roots.
You seem like someone who may do research, and if you already have… I do pray that the living God would grant you His revelation that reaches far beyond and far deeper the surface layers of your intellect which has somehow come to the conclusion presented here in your article.
🙏🏻
Absolutely and shamelessly serious. I think Halloween is a wonderful tradition that lines up beautifully with the Word of God that has been practiced by our Christian forefathers for Millenia. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue the traditions of the Church, Christ's bride and the pillar of truth. I pray that God would lead you into the beautiful tradition of Christ's bride.
You’ve been warned, pastor.
"The three “big ones” you mention — Easter, Christmas, and Halloween — are all unequivocally demonic at their roots."
Absolutely and unequivocally false. They are all grounded in Scripture and apostolic tradition honouring what Christ has done.
Christ is Victor, Andrew! Even if these holidays were previously pagan (they weren't, and Inspiring Philosophy has compiled a TON of data in several YouTube videos) everything is rightfully God's. Don't steal people's assurance of salvation by telling them they can secretly worship the devil without even meaning to.
Where is the Bible scripture for this?
Of what? The resurrection of Christ? The resurrection of those who died in Christ? The honor of the martyrs? That we look to a blessed hope? That the church is the pillar of truth and we should follow her tradition? That God mocks evil and we should align our attitude towards evil with God’s? That we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses who came before us? This is all in the Scripture. Halloween is a thoroughly Christian holiday.