Every October, Christians ask the same question: is it okay to celebrate Halloween, or is it the devil's holiday? I don't think the answer is a simple yes or no. Here's how I think it through, and how our family has landed. My goal isn't to make our family the standard, but to help you think carefully about yours.
Where Halloween came from
Halloween is a mix of pagan, Christian, and American traditions.
Samhain. The ancient Celts marked the end of the harvest around November 1 and believed the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin. Most of what we know comes from Christian writers centuries later, so many popular claims are more legend than history.
All Hallows' Eve. In the 700s and 800s, the church set November 1 as All Saints' Day. The night before was All Hallows' Eve, which became "Halloween." The name itself is Christian.
Folk customs. In medieval Britain and Ireland, the poor went door to door for "soul cakes," people dressed up, and families carved turnip lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants brought these customs to America, where pumpkins replaced turnips.
Reformation Day. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses.
Today. Since World War II, Halloween has mostly been about costumes and candy. But its commercial side has steadily drifted toward gore and horror.
Here's the key: just because something is pagan in origin doesn't mean it's pagan in practice. Some early Christians, like Origen, criticized birthday celebrations as pagan. Thursday is named after Thor. No one thinks a birthday party or saying "Thursday" is idol worship. The question isn't where a custom came from, but what it means and does today.
Reject | Receive | Redeem
At Pillars, we talk a lot about grace and truth, because Jesus came "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14, ESV). Truth refuses what's dark. Grace embraces what's good. So the question is: what is good, and what is dark, about Halloween? To help us sort through this, I heard this concept years ago from another pastor, and it’s been a helpful way to think about cultural issues ever since. Here are the three ways to look at each part of Halloween:
Reject what dishonors God.
Receive what is good.
Redeem what can point people to Christ. In Athens, Paul quoted pagan Greek poets ("In him we live and move and have our being") and used their words to point people to the true God (Acts 17:28).
And here's the test I've used for years: if it's a sin one day of the year, it's a sin every day of the year. If it isn't sin in June, it isn't sin on October 31. "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath" (Colossians 2:16, ESV). Context and conscience still matter, though. Paul says to set aside even our freedoms if they would cause a weaker believer to stumble (1 Corinthians 8).
Reject: the genuinely dark
Scripture is clear about the occult. Deuteronomy 18:10–12 forbids sorcery, divination, and contacting the dead, and the book of Acts shows it still mattered in the church. Peter rebuked Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8). Paul called Elymas the magician an enemy of all righteousness (Acts 13) and cast a spirit of divination out of a fortune-telling girl (Acts 16). New believers in Ephesus burned their magic books in public (Acts 19:19). So we reject:
Witchcraft and the occult, including making light of them in costumes or decorations.
Glorifying evil, such as celebrating Satan, demons, or death.
Fear as entertainment, like horror movies, haunted houses, and scary decorations.
Debauchery, such as drunkenness and immodest costumes.
Fear is where we're stricter than a lot of Christians. I believe one of the main ways the enemy torments people is through fear. There's already plenty in this world to be afraid of, and I don't think it's wise to invite more in for fun. "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV).
Receive: the fun
Most of what families do on October 31 is morally neutral. Costumes, candy, pumpkins, and fall parties aren't sinful in June, so they aren't sinful on Halloween. A piece of candy isn't an offering to the dead. A pumpkin is a vegetable. Being afraid of everything isn’t discernment.
Redeem: the open door
Halloween is the one night your whole neighborhood comes to your door. We can hide inside with the lights off, or we can be the best house on the street. "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14, ESV).
Be generous and present. Give the good candy, sit on the porch, and learn your neighbors' names.
Share an invitation. Hand out a church invite card with the candy.
Join or host a harvest festival where costumes and fun happen in a godly setting.
Remember the saints and the Reformation with your kids on October 31 and November 1.
Pray for your street as you walk it.
Whatever we do, our "manner of life" should be "worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27, ESV). I've found that holding our convictions, without making a big deal of them, actually makes us stand out.
Where our family lands
We dress up, trick-or-treat, and hand out candy. We don't do haunted houses, horror movies, scary decorations, or costumes that are dark, demonic, or even moderately approach witchcraft. That's our conviction before God. Some families will draw the line somewhere else, and that's okay.
When Christians disagree
Christians tend to miss in one of two directions. Some minimize what's sinful and join in the fear-based, witchcraft-centered parts without thinking. That's grace without truth. Others reject the whole holiday as demonic, then get judgmental and snarky toward Christians who enjoy the good parts. That's truth without grace. Neither one looks like Jesus.
"Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:5, ESV). Think it through, settle your conscience before God, and extend grace to the family that lands differently.
Light on a dark night
Halloween puts death, darkness, and fear on display. But on the cross, Jesus "disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame" (Colossians 2:15, ESV). So we don't need to fear the night, and we don't need to celebrate the darkness. This October 31, may your porch light be a small picture of a much greater Light.