It’s Halloween season and the question for Christians is always, “Should we allow our kids to participate in Halloween?”

This is a great question that I’ve had to wrestle with as a father and as a Pastor. But before I tell you what I think, I want to walk through our traditional options when it comes to how we handle it. I recently heard Pastor Mark Driscoll sum it up this way: We can receive it, reject it or redeem it.

Option 1: Receive it.

This position thinks nothing of it. It’s just good clean fun for the kids. They get to dress up, go get candy and have a good time. No harm done.

Option 2: Reject it.

This position states the fact that it is a holiday of the dead. It is practiced and celebrated by the Occult and Wiccans everywhere. Why would we want to participate in such a thing?

Option 3: Redeem it.

This position decides to take an event that some see as harmless and others see as evil and turn it into a fun opportunity to be kind to neighbors and others in the community. They redeem the day as something that can honor God.

Personally, I have been in each of the three camps at some point in my life. Growing up I thought nothing of it. Even enjoyed scary movies and scaring other people. I got older and thought, this is a holiday celebrating Satan–avoid it at all costs! But where I am now is more in the position of option 3, and here is why.

We redeem other holidays. Christmas was originally a pagan holiday. Jesus was born in the Spring, but when they decided to pick a time to celebrate it, they attached it to a time the rest of the world was already celebrating–December 25. Easter Sunday was originally a pagan holiday. But then Christians chose to use it as the day to celebrate the resurrection. Even birthdays were pagan in the Bible. The only birthday’s celebrated were the Pharaoh and Herod; both godless evil people who demanded worship on their day of birth. But we redeem that practice every year to celebrate those we love.

So, when it comes to a national event where all of the community seeks to gather together, why wouldn’t the church want to capitalize on that? That’s why at Real Life Church – Valencia, we offer a Halloween Party for our community. Each year over 15,000 people come to the church so their kids can have a safe and fun experience. Many of which have never been to church before. And many who decide to come back for a service. Their thinking is, “we love how the church reaches out to the community, we’ll go back.”

Maybe for you, your family can drag the chairs out to the driveway, hand out candy and cider and meet your neighbors. It just might be the first time they see a real Christian be kind to them. Even if it is Halloween.

But that’s just my opinion. Good Christians fall into each camp. Which one are you in?

Learn more about Halloween at Real Life Church.