 | Pastor Dave grew up in northern New Jersey in a very diverse cultural area. He attended Central College in Pella, Iowa received a BA in sociology and psychology. He was an offensive guard for their NCAA Div III National Championship team in 1974. In speaking for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he sensed a call to full time ministry. Meeting is future wife Sandy at Central, went to Michigan to finish her college while Dave started Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Dave married Sandy in 77 and completed his Masters of Divinity degree in 78. Pastor Dave’s first church was in Fort Lee, New Jersey, home of the George Washington Bridge. Their three children were born there and he also served as a Police and Fire Chaplain for the city. In February 1991, they came to Wichita to start Harvest Community Church. In 2006, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological (Presbyterian) Seminary in St Louis. During that year he gained a daughter-in-law with now 2 grandsons of 3 years and 6 months old. Besides Pastoring at HCC for the past 20 years, he has been Director of the SCSD & WPD Police Chaplains for 11.
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Religion
2008-10-01 15:56:00
Wrong to celebrate Halloween?
Question: Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate Halloween?
Answer: Growing up in New Jersey on Halloween was always fun. The night before would be “Mischief Night” where we would run from angry neighbors after we soaped their windows on their cars or TP’d their homes or did a host of pranks to irritate them. Especially that old cranky crotchety neighbor who gave us all a hard time during the year for walking on his sidewalk or getting too close to his lawn.
The next day was Halloween or candy day. The costume was made up and I always wanted one of those store bought costumes. I got my first one when I was in 3rd grade and I was disappointed because the mask with the little elastic band broke by the third house we visited in the neighborhood. They also were light and some nights they were cold and thin. We would come home with bags bulging with every sort of goodie imaginable. It was a sugar addict child’s dream of heaven. Now was it wrong to celebrate Halloween?
Halloween is rooted in an old ancient Celtic pagan festival signifying the end of harvest. It was a time to store and slaughter livestock to prepare for winter. The festival on the 31st of October was special to the Gaels also because they believed the separation of the dead and living became close to being non-existent on that day and evil spirits would come and cause diseases and sickness among the people. They would celebrate and wear masks mimicking and placate the spirits through the rituals.
Now we as Christians are cautioned in the scriptures to “test everything, hold on to the good and avoid every evil” (1 Thess 5:21-22) and “abhor that which is evil and cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). We need to avoid the evil practices of the world and not become polluted by them (James 1:27). This is not only with the subject of Halloween but in everything we do. But like the scripture says, we can take the good from situations and experiences and redeem them for the glory of God. The history of the church has done this time and time again. Paul never condemned Christians for eating meat offered to idols, for its own act but only cautioned them not to do it if it was an offense to a brother or sister who came out of paganism with a weak conscience and it bothered them. (1 Corinthians 8 & Romans 14) But the food was seen by Paul as a gift of God. (14:20) Paul also when he witnessed to the pagans in Athens (Acts 17:16-31), he does not use any scripture in message but uses quotes from the pagan philosophers to reason with them to come to Christ. He was using those quotes for the glory of God.
Now the church has followed the Biblical tradition and seen the good in the world’s things and redeemed it for the glory of God. Luther, for instance, took some of the old bar tunes of his day and made them with new words beautiful hymns that we still sing in church today. In my younger days we used to take rock n’ roll tunes like “The House of the Rising Sun” which was a tune written about a house of prostitution in New Orleans and we would redeem it by using the words, to “Amazing Grace” and it was a hit with our both believer and unbeliever friends. The Church did this also with Halloween. In the early church Popes Gregory III & IV moved “All Saints Day” in May to the same day as Halloween and made it a spiritual holiday. The Protestant Reformed tradition that my denominations come from made it Reformation Day.
Halloween came to the United States by way of the Irish migration after the Irish Potato Famine of 1845. The Scottish version took hold in the United States where children would put on costumes and go from door to door ringing doorbells saying, “trick or treat” to solicit candy from a neighbor. I believe as Christians we can celebrate it as a fun time to share with our children and their friends. We can redeem it for the glory of God and use it as a great opportunity to witness and enjoy the life God has given us. If you feel it is the devil’s day, then let’s steal it from him and give it over to the glory of God. Celebrating this great life with you that God has given us and willing to taste test the candy your kids bring home, Pastor Dave.
