I have had several people ask me the question lately of whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween. Why not get an answer from someone who knows what he is talking about? Here is an excerpt:
Conservative Protestants might well object to the practice of Halloween on the grounds that it offers up a theology of the afterlife they do not agree with (i.e. they do not believe in purgatory or limbo), but it would be well if they evaluated the practice on the proper historical grounds, and not make the mistake of thinking the practice originally had purely pagan much less demonic origins, which is not in fact true. Some churches today in fact have used the occasion to teach children about the saints in heaven and how they got there, especially focusing on the martyrs and the book of Revelation.
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Readers may be interested in my short explanation of Halloween. Though it’s directed toward a Jewish audience, it includes the Pagan and Christian history of the holiday.
And I encourage readers who really want to know the whole story to read Nicholas Rogers’ Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night.