Trunk or Treat Thoughts

I have been reading some debates on whether not we as the church should do events like Trunk or Treat and allow our kids to dress up on Halloween.  Here are a few of the comments and then my thoughts.

Here are the two sides of the debate:

1. You ignore the holiday completely and witness to your community by your upright stance against such an evil day.

• Common Biblical example: Daniel and his friends refusing to eat the King’s food.
• Daniel 1:8
  “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”

2. You embrace the holiday and participate in the festivities with the intent of witnessing to your neighbors and friends.

• Common Biblical example: Jesus dining with sinners.
• Matthew 9:10
  “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples.”

3. Note: There is always a third side to any debate that says there is two sides… just so you know… so, the third option would be any of the gray area between the first two ends of the spectrum.

• Common Biblical example: Paul’s letter to Titus on purity.
• Titus 1:15
  “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” 

From Rob
"We are very active in our neighborhood all year long. Kids are in and out of our house all the time. Our house is always filled with neighbor kids. But on Halloween we don't lock ourselves in the house, we go do something fun as a family. Quite frankly, I think our neighbors would be shocked if they saw us running from house to house getting candy on Halloween because it wouldn't match who they see us as and that is exactly how I want it to be.  "


From Darci
"I try my utmost to respect everyone's belief. I take offense when someone attacks where I sit. If you aren't comfortable with it and choose not to do anything, I am fine with that...but respect that I enjoy the holiday and take every opportunity to teach to the kids that the holiday CAN glorify our Lord and Savior."

From Eric
"Um. Why do we choose one day to be afraid of the Devil? One day to recognize that there is a celebration of evil? This stuff happens every day. Going out trick or treating isn't necessarily a celebration of evil as it is a celebration of Candy. If we revere Halloween as the only day that the Devil comes out to play then we're giving him 364 other days of playtime. I think rather than teaching kids that one day out of the year is a day to stay indoors and not do anything doesn't fully prepare them for the spiritual battle that we all face.
Just my opinion."


From Me (Matt)
I believe I call into category #2 above.  Yes, there are things that are wrong about Halloween, but there are also things that are wrong with how we as Americans celebrate Christmas. Does that mean we should not celebrate Christmas too.  I feel wee need to be out in our neighborhood building community with those that see us and how we live on a daily basis. I agree with Rob above, I like his idea of not going house to house, but what about hosting a neighborhood block party and letting the kids play together, eat soup around a fire and have some fun together.  That is what I enjoyed the most about last night.