Halloween: What's a Christian to Do?

by Steve Russo

Long Summary Coming Soon

144 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A CHRISTIAN CRITIQUE, FOLLOWED BY A PROPOSAL FOR EVANGELISM

Steve Russo is an evangelist, author, and speaker on the TV program "24/SEVEN." He has also written other books such as Keeping Christ in Christmas: Helping Families Find Their Focus. He wrote in this 1998 book, "Most thoughtful Christians wrestle with celebrating this holiday because of its apparent connections with the occult. However, since it is such a popular holiday with our culture, there is great pressure to conform... it is important to step back and examine its true origins. We will also look at how the early church responded to the celebration of Halloween and the way it is currently celebrated in our own culture." (Pg. 9)

He observes, "The festival Samhain was closely related to the seasons of the year: a time when crops should be harvested... The gates that separated the living and the dead ... were opened... With the belief in the wandering spirits of the dead came the custom of preparing offerings of special foods and dressing up as these spirits and wild animals. These customs were widely practiced in ancient Ireland, which was converted to Christianity... Christian missionaries then began a redefinition of calendrical celebrations. To a large extent the early church adopted and accommodated the traditional religious beliefs and practices of those it sought to convert... Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with Samhain ... continued to be practiced on October 31. This day became known as the Eve of All Saints' Day..." (Pg. 10-11)

He notes, "trick-or-treating is a more recent American phenomenon and dates back to the 1930s. It is a custom that was intended to control and displace communally disruptive pranking activities... Prior to the 1960s Halloween was widely seen as an opportunity for child's play and adolescent pranks. Today it can be a scary night for both parents and children... Reports of anonymous sadists who laced candy with poison or razor blades began to affect the practice of trick-or-treating as early as the 1970s. In the 1980s these fears were augmented by alarming news reports that satanic cults were kidnapping and murdering children." (Pg. 12)

He observes that "The jack-o'-lantern tradition grew out of Celtic belief during the Dark Ages. Jack-o'-lanterns were carved from turnips to ward off evil spirits. Legend has it that the jack-o'-lantern is the lantern of an Irish watchman who loved to play pranks on God and the devil. Because of this, he was cursed to carry his lantern throughout all time to light the way for the spirit world." (Pg. 20-21)

Ultimately, he suggests, "Because Halloween is such a huge business... Why not take advantage of all this fanfare and use it to 'turn on the light' of God's Word with an alternative... Remember that participating in an ALTERNATIVE is not the same thing as celebrating the HOLIDAY... The right alternative can be safe and fun for kids and yet still honor God. It's important that our kids do not feel as if they are missing out on something just because they are Christians. Ultimately, Halloween can be a great opportunity to 'overcome evil with good.' (Rom 12:21)" (Pg. 90-91)

He proposed, "take advantage of the fact that trick--or-treaters automatically come to your door. When you answer the door, give them some candy and a Christian tract on fear or some other topic related to Halloween." (Pg. 92) Later, he adds, "There are also certain times of the year when people are more curious about the supernatural, and Halloween is one of them. So let's follow Paul's advice in Ephesians 5:16 and make 'the most of every opportunity' by taking advantage of the massive attention our society gives to Halloween." (Pg. 115)

As with his book on Christmas, Russo's criticisms are balanced by his more "positive" suggestions, and this book will be of interest to all Christians studying the holiday.

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 5 out of 5]

My parents had this book when I was growing up and they passed it along to me when I became a parent. I appreciate the history given here and going into a lot of Bible passages on things being permissible but not beneficial, and about demons and witchcraft, etc. I take issue with them presenting alternative choices. There is also Bible passages talking about not having the appearance of evil and not causing a brother to stumble in your behavior of permissible things. If you wear a rainbow shirt to a pride festival, you could justify all you want saying that it is representing Noah in the flood and God’s promise, but from an outsider looking in, all they see is you promoting the cultural idea as you’re attending that festival where that rainbow has a specific cultural meaning. Parentheses this is not saying to stop any use of the rainbow, it’s just referring to a specific instance where your behavior would most likely not be promoting things of the Lord parentheses that said, this book did give a nice historical and cultural look at Halloween and how the festival has come to be and how it has changed throughout cultures and generations. It goes into the spiritual side of things some also, and provides many biblical references. If you have never looked into this subject before, I would highly recommend this as a starter book.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book on my shelves for a few years now and I'm so glad I finally read it! Russo gives a succinct history of Halloween and shares how we should be approaching the holiday as Christians. While I wish part of this book were more in-depth, and found a few sections repetitive, I thoroughly enjoyed the information packed into this short text. I devoured it in one sitting!

There was a good bit of the book devoted to parenting and making Biblically aligned choices for you children. Although this did not apply to me, I still found it to be valuable reading. A book of this nature can easily turn legalistic, but I felt Russo did a great job of balancing solid theology with practical approaches to life in reality. I'd highly recommend this!

[Michael Cerqueira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vejo dois objetivos propostos no livro: Mostrar que o Halloween tem origens obscuras e sugerir como um cristão deve se portar diante do tal. O primeiro é alcançado muito bem, e o autor explora as raízes históricas, usando inclusive de testemunhos para argumentar. O segundo, grosso modo, é tratado muito mal, sem compromisso com a ortodoxia.

[Joc-e-lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Point de vue intéressant...un peu faible sur le contenu historique des origines de Halloween, mais bonne approche biblique qui porte à réflexion.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book hoping it might answer some questions I had regarding the history of halloween and also the current context of halloween for those that practice paganism, wicca, or other similar spiritual path.s Had I read the back cover more closely, I would probably have seen that the book would fall short of this goal.

The book is simply written. It answers basic questions regarding the history of and present day beliefs and activities surrounding halloween. If someone is looking for a quick read on these matters in addition to some basic ideas for Christian parents to ponder when parenting in a world that embraces this "holiday," this may be a good book for them to read. On the other hand, if you are looking for something deeper, as I was, keep looking; this isn't the book for you.