Recently on Instagram stories, Hailey Bieber innocently asked for Halloween costume ideas from her followers. She immediately received backlash from some in the faith community who commented, “Aren’t you a Christian?” and “Fake Christian.” To which Bieber took the high road, replying, “Yes, I still dress up for Halloween” and, “Our kids are gonna celebrate too.”
So let’s talk about it. Should Christians celebrate Halloween? Here are three reasons why we think you should.
Growing up in an evangelical Christian home, Halloween was the one holiday I was never quite sure what to do with. My family and church always celebrated Christmas and Easter, of course. But Halloween? That one wasn’t so simple.
Some Christians completely ignore Halloween and wait for it to pass on by. Others fully embrace it—candy, pumpkins, costumes and all. Still others, like my church growing up, try to implement an alternative.
Some churches host fall festivals or similar Halloween alternatives. The intention is to create a fun and safe environment for kids that isn’t directly associated with the traditional holiday.
My church offered Hallelujah Night, which included fun games, a hayride, candy and “No costumes, please.” This is what I did every year when I was young. (Yes, I’m 29 years old and have never gone trick-or-treating.)
3 Reasons Believers Should Celebrate Halloween
1. Because Christians are called to redeem everything.
I once heard a preacher say that as Christians, we interact with the world in one of three ways. We can either receive, reject or redeem the things of this world.
As it pertains to Halloween, to “receive” it means to embrace and celebrate it as is, to “reject” it means to not participate at all and to “redeem” it means to approach it with a uniquely Christian perspective.
And though I know Halloween isn’t a perfect holiday, it is for many people an innocent, fun and tasty way to spend time with their families. And for that reason, it’s totally redeemable.
In fact, if you approach it with the right perspective, trick-or-treating can actually be an opportunity to minister to the people around you, which brings me to my next point.
2. Because it’s a great opportunity to meet your neighbors.
If you’ve been to your neighbor’s house in the last 30 days, chances are it was to ask them to turn down their music so your kids could go to sleep.
But Halloween is the only day of the year when neighbors go to each other’s houses to have fun (and get chocolate!). In other words, participating in Halloween actually forces you to get outside yourself and meet the people in your neighborhood.
And who knows what conversations you might have, and what opportunities you might get to encourage or even pray for one of your neighbors?
3. Because it’s a teaching opportunity with your kids.
Halloween allows you to teach your kids the importance of getting out of their comfort zones and interacting with other people.
For all the times we tell our kids to put their phones down and look someone in the eye, trick-or-treating requires kids to do just that.
They have to be brave and knock on a stranger’s door, look them in the eye and have a conversation. And it comes with a tasty incentive.
All things considered, Halloween might be one of the most enjoyable and even ministry-focused things you will do with your family this year. {eoa}
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