Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? – Ep. 4 Show Notes

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In this episode, I share four thoughts to help you prayerfully discern whether you should participate in Halloween as a Christian. We’ll look at what the Bible says about not participating with evil, whether modern cultural Halloween celebrations fit into what the Bible calls evil, and how to make a wise choice about whether to participate in Halloween based on your personal convictions and what’s best for your witness of Jesus to others. See below for episode notes, Bible passages, and additional resources.

History of Halloween + Christian Perspective on Participation in Halloween

These are some Christian YouTubers and podcasters who unpack the history of Halloween, as well as perspective on whether Christians should participate in Halloween in the following episodes of their content. For more videos like this, see my blog post 8 Blogs & Videos for Christians Deciding What to Do About Halloween.

1. Don’t Participate With Evil

As followers of Jesus, we shouldn’t participate in anything evil. Scripture tells us to live as people of light, carefully determine what pleases God, and take no part in the works of darkness. The Bible specifically forbids occult practices such as witchcraft, sorcery, divination, consulting spirits, psychics or mediums, astrology, and similar activities. We also shouldn’t participate in sinful behavior or celebrations that glorify evil, darkness, or things God says are harmful. The evil spiritual realm is real just like the holy and good spiritual realm is real, and we can expose ourselves to demonic influence in our lives is we engage in these kinds of practices that God forbids.

Scripture References:

Ephesians 5:8–11
Leviticus 19:26, 31
Deuteronomy 18:9–14
Isaiah 8:19–20
Galatians 5:19–21
Revelation 21:8; 22:15
Ephesians 2:1–3
2 Corinthians 4:4
Ephesians 6:10–12

2. Discern Genuine Evil From Harmless Fun

Some commercialized, cultural Halloween activities—like carving pumpkins, wearing a fun costume, eating candy, or enjoying fall activities with family and friends—aren’t identified in Scripture as sinful or spiritually dangerous. We don’t handle the Bible well when we flippantly equate harmless fun with practices God explicitly condemns. We need discernment that takes spiritual evil seriously without treating every innocent activity as demonic simply because it’s October 31.

Related Resources:

Can You Be a Christian and Love Wicked? (Everyday Walk episode)
On Magic and Miracles by Marian Jacobs (Book)

3. Follow Your Convictions

The Bible gives clear commands about some behaviors that all Christians must follow. But there are other matters where God hasn’t given a universal command, leaving room for different practices based on personal conscience and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Whether to participate in the harmless, cultural aspects of Halloween—and in what ways—is a matter of personal conviction.

Seek God in prayer, consider wise counsel from mature Christians, and obey the conviction He gives you. Scripture also tells us not to condemn other Christians for their different convictions on disputable matters or elevate our personal convictions into commandments everyone must follow.

Scripture References:

Romans 14
1 Corinthians 8–10
Colossians 2:16-23

Related Resource:

How Christians Should Handle Personal Convictions and Gray Areas (Everyday Walk episode)

4. Think About Your Witness

As Christians, everything we do should represent Jesus well. Depending on your relationships and community, you might choose to abstain from Halloween activities because participation could confuse people who genuinely practice occult about your faith. Or you might choose to participate in ways consistent with Scripture and your convictions, using opportunities like neighborhood trick-or-treating, fall festivals, or church outreaches to build genuine relationships and show people the love of Jesus.

Ask God to help you recognize opportunities to love, encourage, serve, pray for, and share the gospel with others—not just on Halloween, but every day. Prayerfully consider which approach best helps you represent Jesus to the people around you.

Scripture References:

Acts 1:8
Colossians 3:17
Colossians 4:5–6
2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Related Resource:

Joel Bomberger’s testimony of praying for people while trick-or-treating with his son. (Scroll to the last slide of the post for the video testimony.)
Phylicia Masonheimer (Every Woman A Theologian) on the history of Halloween and how her family approaches the holiday since they live in an area with a lot of occult practice: Facebook video and podcast
Jeremy Jenkins (All Things All People) article on the light of Christ in seasons of darkness and a podcast on wicca and the occult

Let’s Talk

How do you process and approach Halloween engagement as Christian? Be respectful as you share. Discuss this episode in the comments below.

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