Costumes and conviction

Halloween will be upon us next week. There are many Christians who are torn over this evening. Should they participate or should they not? How can a night centered on ghosts and ghouls honor God?

First of all, make your decision driven by conviction. Not every family wants to participate in Halloween. Some do. Whether you decide to participate or to opt out of Halloween, be certain that your decision is reached out of conviction. Decisions and actions should flow out of conviction rather than guilt. Gray-area convictions should be discussed and agreed upon. There who always be some in the Christian community that will never agree with you, but they need to be just as respected as those who do. Unity in the essentials, diversity in the nonessentials and in all things charity.

Have fun. I have family friends whose Halloween tradition is to get ready for the Great Pumpkin. Their night involves watching the Peanuts classic before going to bed eagerly waiting for the Great Pumpkin to visit bringing gifts. For them, it's a fun family tradition.

Halloween is for children. I realize that grown-ups want to be children and dress up also. I have to ask why to adults think it is fun to scare 3- and 4-year-olds. Halloween seems to be the only time of year when it is socially accepted to terrorize children. An entire night can be ruined because some "grown-up" thought it would be funny to wield a blood-covered rubber knife at a child. Dressing up is the chance for a child's imagination to kick into overdrive. Costumes should be created with their best interest in mind.

Create talking points with your children. Halloween is one of those calendar events that gives parents a chance to talk to their children about their conviction-driven values. Instead of simply avoiding the house covered in spider webs and skeletons, mothers and fathers can talk to their children about why they do not want to go to that house to get candy. Families who choose a Halloween alternative to attend need to create an opportunity to share why.

Halloween can be a great teaching moment if acted on. It is more important to raise children who will learn to think through how their decisions do or do not honor God than to live in guilt.

Rob Hurtgen is a husband, father and serves as the associate pastor at the First Baptist Church in Jackson.