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Halloween

Some people in our church are looking to engage with a local community celebration of Halloween.  In Australia, Halloween is not a large or widely celebrated event, especially when compared with the USA where it is a major holiday with lots of assosicated commerical activity (especially with lollies etc.).

I think it is important for Christians to engage in a thoughtful, considered way with the cultures in which they find themselves.  I believe we can do this with confidence and don't need to be defensive.  So here are some links to various articles that provide some information:

Wikipedia Article
Christianity Today Article - Is halloween a witches brew?
From Mars Hill - What Christians should know about Halloween

These articles tend to take a middle way between strongly for or against Halloween and as such will provide a good overview and background.  (A simple search will lead you to many articles that are more polarized.)  

Then it is important to understand how Halloween is celebrated in your setting as it varies widely from place to place in: the sorts of activities, its importance, and the meanings that people in different places ascribe to it.

 

David Wanstall, 16/10/2012