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***For a companion post, read my blog 8 Blogs & Videos for Christians Deciding What to Do About Halloween

Some people might think asking questions like “should Christians celebrate Halloween” is just an excuse for believers to justify compromising with culture or a lazy attempt by Christian pastors and influencers to stay culturally relevant. I disagree.

I think any sincere Jesus follower can and should ask questions about how we engage with culture because, as His disciples, we’re called to bring every area of our lives into submission to Jesus (Galatians 5:24-25). So, let’s spend our time together today figuring out how to think biblically about whether you can celebrate Halloween as a Christian.

The History of Halloween

If you watch these videos by Phylicia Masonheimer, Remnant Radio and Mike Winger you’ll learn that the current understanding of Halloween has origins in both *Church history (All Saints Day / All Hallow’s Eve) and pagan/Wiccan practice (Samhain). Some liturgical Christian traditions still observe a form of All Saints Day, and there are those today who practice Wicca and the occult as their religion who celebrate the pagan rituals associated with Halloween.

There’s also the reality that, over time, our mainstream culture has commercialized and normalized watered-down versions of the pagan/Wiccan influences of Halloween (e.g. the scary costumes, horror movies, etc.). The culture makes light of evil, supernatural things.

But it’s also true that much of Halloween today has simply become dressing up like your favorite movie character, fun with family and friends, and loading up on candy. So much to consider! How do we discern what parts of Halloween celebrations could be engaging with evil and which ones are permissible?

Where does God stand on His people participating with evil?

If you read that heading and you’re a Christian who loves Halloween, and you’ve been lectured a million times before, don’t check out just yet. I might not be going where you think. Stick around til the end.

Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. (Ephesians 5:10-11)

The Bible is consistently very clear on this question. Ephesians 5:6-13 teaches believers not to participate in the worthless deeds of darkness, but rather to live in the light and carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

In the Old Testament law, God warned His people, the Israelites, not to practice fortune-telling, use sorcery, interpret omens, engage in witchcraft, cast spells, function as mediums or psychics, call forth the spirits of the dead (which are just evil spirits posing as the spirits of the dead, by the way) or to consult with people who do these things. (Leviticus 19:26, 31 // Deuteronomy 18:9-14 // Isaiah 8:19-20)

In the New Testament, God forbids Christ followers from sorcery of any kind, pretty much summing up all that stuff He warned the Israelites about in one word. (Galatians 5:19-21) So, this is serious stuff. The Bible describes those types of behaviors as sinful and displeasing to God. We’re even warned that they can be spiritually dangerous. We can give evil spirits space to influence our lives if we engage with demonic or occult practices. That’s not something to mess around with, whether you’re a Christian or not. (Ephesians 2:1-3 // Ephesians 6:10-12 // 2 Corinthians 4:4)

So, the sinful/negative elements that we see come into play every year around Halloween and some of the negative ways Halloween is marketed and celebrated in our culture dishonor God and should be off-limits to us as Christians. Things like:

• Drunkenness and wild partying
• Sexually provocative or immodest costumes
• Gory or evil/demonic costumes
• Witchcraft/occult/new age activities
• Romanticizing and glorifying fear/horror movies

As followers of Jesus, we have no business participating in any of those kinds of things on Halloween or at any other time–not in decorations, costumes, or in whatever types of activities or celebrations you participate in. We don’t want to engage with anything sinful or make light of something God says is evil and harmful.

Does that mean all Halloween participation is evil and off-limits for Christians?

Now, is celebrating Halloween equal to doing all of that stuff God said not to do? Is it the same thing as celebrating evil? Is it sinful for Christians to participate in it? Not necessarily!

For the most part, Halloween celebrations today have become something totally different than they were in their origins, YouTubers Allen Parr and Justin Khoe explain this concept of genetic fallacy really well in their videos on Halloween. As we said, people do still practice the darker/occult aspects of it, but that’s probably not what the average person or family is going for when they celebrate commercialized Halloween today.

You’re not celebrating evil or worshipping a demon if you dress a kid up like a superhero or dress yourself up like your favorite pop culture icon to get Skittles from the neighbors. Doing that is way different from using an Ouija board to connect with evil spirits for entertainment in your friend’s basement.

So no, celebrating Halloween is not inherently a celebration of evil. It depends on how you are participating in it. Christians can engage and enjoy culture–Halloween included–but we must do so in a way that abstains from evil or disobedience to the personal convictions the Holy Spirit has given us individually. (Romans 14 // 1 Corinthians 8 // 1 Corinthians 10)

So, when it comes to the innocent things like fall festivals, carving pumpkins, costume parties, and loading up on candy, there’s room for each individual believer to pray and seek God’s guidance whether they can and should participate in those things with a clear conscience and a wise witness. However, don’t confuse genuine evil activity with harmless fun and vice versa. And, be careful not to condemn other Christians for having a different stance on this topic than you do.

Halloween and Christian Witness

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. (Colossians 4:5)

Here’s something I think a lot of Christians miss in the Halloween debate. Participating in Halloween activities can actually be a great way to integrate yourself into your neighborhood, workplace or school, or to build relationship with people who don’t share your faith. As you meet people and interact with your community, you never know what doors God will open in the future for friendships, gospel conversations, or opportunities to serve that could point people to Christ.

But there is another side to this. In her Facebook video and podcast Phylicia Masonheimer explains something important we need to consider, especially for people like her and her family, who happen to live in an area where there is an active culture of occult/Wiccan practice.

Innocent costumes and candy aren’t inherently a bad thing. But even casual participation in Halloween could be a burden on your Christian conscience and even on your Christian witness in an environment where your actions might be misunderstood by those who actually practice darkness as their religion.

It just depends on the situation and how God is leading you personally, but consider both sides of this argument, as you think about the evangelistic outreach aspects of Halloween.

Having Fun Is Godly

As we wrap, remember it’s perfectly okay to have fun in a way that is good, and clean, and still honors your faith. No “spiritual” purpose needed. 1 Timothy 4:3-5 tells us that God wants us to enjoy what is good in the world He created. So what should Christians do about Halloween? Seek God’s guidance, follow your convictions, respect your fellow believers, avoid evil, HAVE FUN! 🙂

***For a companion post, read my blog 8 Blogs & Videos for Christians Deciding What to Do About Halloween

Let’s Talk: Do you celebrate Halloween? What ways have you found to participate in Halloween in a way that values your Christian faith at the same time?  Did you gain some new perspective on this conversation from this article?  Discuss this post in the comments below.