Halloween and Christians: What Matters Most?

Everytime October rolls around, the church’s age-old dispute over Halloween begins all over again. Christians everywhere step up to the microphone and take to arguing back and forth about whether or not they should be participating in the activities. One group reminds everyone of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, and the evil origins of carvings, costumes and candy. The other group tries to point to Halloween’s more Christian roots and the transformation of Samhain to All Saints Day and All Souls Day, to All Hallows Eve and eventually to Hallowe'en.

Every year October 31st passes and November 1st arrives and nothing really changes, except that one group has a little more sugar in their blood and both groups are a little more annoyed and even angry at the other.

Now here’s the thing. At the end of the day I think that there is validity to both arguments. Both groups are right. Halloween probably does have pagan roots and ties to Samhain, and it also probably can be traced back to All Hallows Eve. That being said, I think the issue of participating in it or not is a little more complex than either of these arguments make it. I don’t think it is as simple as calling Halloween an evil holiday and throwing it all out, or calling it a Christian or even neutral holiday and taking it all in.

Forget about the pagan and/or Christians roots for a second and think about Halloween from some other angles. What about the commercial aspect of Halloween and the fact that its revenue in America is second only to Christmas? What about the imaginative part of it that reeks of people wanting to escape the weariness and boringness of life and find some sense of adventure? What about Halloween’s obvious emergence out of an anxiety that people felt or feel between summer and winter, between life and death? Or what about the focus of many communities to make Halloween “a safe day for our children” in response to the vandalism that has so often overtaken it?

There is so much more to this single October evening than we often realize, both good and bad. There are evil roots and beautiful roots. There is violence and vandalism. There are smiles and laughter. There are opportunities to be salt and light and opportunities to be consumed by the darkness. It is a complex day, and the decision to participate or not is a complex one. So complex that I do not believe the church will ever be totally agreed on it. And frankly I think that is OK. God has allowed us the freedom to think biblically about complex cultural issues and to not always completely agree on them.

In fact, I would say that agreeing about Halloween is not what matters most. Here is what I think matters most when it comes to using discernment on complicated and divisive matters like this one: Having grace for your fellow believer.

No matter how we interpret and engage with Halloween, are we willing to have grace for other Christians? To not judge, but to have the humility to say, “This is what I have discerned. This how I am going to respond. But I know that I could be wrong.” Wouldn’t it be something if instead of unbelievers recognizing how much Christians fight about Halloween, they saw how much grace we had for another and how much we loved one another even when we disagree?

All cards on the table. I am going trick or treating in a few hours with a lion, a cow and a little fireman. I cannot wait. I know others in my congregation have come to different conclusions, and they will be at home enjoying the evening doing something completely different. And that is OK! What matters most tonight is that that my participation is based on me trying to think biblically about Halloween, and my engagement with and my speaking about other Christians who disagree me is saturated in the kind of grace that reflects the Savior that we will together gather to worship this coming Sunday, side by side.

Book Review: “The Unhurried Pastor"

BOOK REVIEW

“The Unhurried Pastor: Redefining Productivity for a More Sustainable Ministry”

By Brian Croft and Ronnie Martin

Published by The Good Book Company, 2024

I started and finished this book over the course of two evenings. I am not a fast reader by any metric, but I just couldn’t put this one down. It probably didn’t hurt that I also had just began a six-week sabbatical, the purpose of which is for me and my family to find some much-needed rest from ministry and sweet refreshment in the Lord. Since my sabbatical started I have been actively focused on trying to get “unhurried” (is that a real word?), so finding a book entitled The Unhurried Pastor was like a thirsty man finding a sign for water.

The real question though was whether this book would be more than just a great title. Does the sign actually point people to real, thirst-quenching water? Do Brian Croft and Ronnie Martin actually, in The Unhurried Pastor, lead readers/pastors deeper into the unhurried ministry?

Before they dive in to the deep stuff, Croft and Martin lay out their thesis for the book, and it goes like this: to redefine how the work of a pastor is done so that it will lead to joy and longevity for the pastor.[1] In the pages that follow, in an attempt to fulfill that statement, they work through eleven different subjects, most of which are spiritual practices, and a few that one might call spiritual traits or attitudes (i.e. hopefulness, humility, etc.). These eleven are the keys. Croft and Martin believe sincerely, as comes through in their writing, that wholeheartedly engaging with and living out these eleven practices and traits are what will inevitably lead pastors to that joy and longevity that so often seems to be missing from pastoral work.

As far as I can tell, all that Croft and Martin are doing in these eleven chapters is reminding pastors of what matters. They are helping re-prioritize. Through personal pastoral stories (which are powerfully told), together with the Scriptures, they lead readers into seeing what the pastoral life (if not simply the Christian life) should be consumed with, and what it has unfortunately become consumed with in the name of productivity. The chapters are so simple. That’s what makes for a quick read. And yet they are deeply convicting and hope-giving, which is why it should probably be a slow read.

I have got to say, it is a bold move to put the word redefine in the thesis of your book. After so many centuries of pastoral work being done and so many books having been written about it, are Croft and Martin really the ones who are going to redefine it or even a piece of it? It sounds crazy, but according to their own words, that is what they set out to do. Now here is the even crazier thing: I think they did it. At the very least, for me, they contributed something significant, probably much to the chagrin of some in my congregation, to the redefining of my pastoral work. I say contributed because some of that redefining in my life and ministry began with the writings of Eugene Peterson, and has now been taking further by The Unhurried Pastor.

My only grievance with the book, I wish that they had included more Eugene Peterson in it! Perhaps because Peterson has been so impactful in my own understanding of pastoral work, I do wish he had come up more. Of course it is noted in the introduction what an inspiration he was to the project, and that inspiration and influence is obvious throughout all of the pages. But I went in expecting his writings to pop up on more pages. Obviously though, I realize that this is an unfair criticism. If I wanted to read Eugene Peterson, then I should go and read Eugene Peterson.

All in all, this was a great read. For pastors, for anyone in vocational ministry, and even for Christians outside of it, I cannot recommend this book enough. When my sabbatical began, I was aware of the need for re-prioritizing. My pastoral life has not always (and especially lately) been sustainable and honestly not always too joyful either. What I was unaware of was has how exactly to re-prioritize it. The Unhurried Pastor has been a gift to my soul in this way, and it came right at my time of greatest need. Croft and Martin have blessed me beyond on measure, or rather, the Lord through them.

[1] Brian Croft and Ronnie Martin, The Unhurried Pastor: Redefining Productivity for a More Sustainable Ministry (The Good Book Company: Charlotte, 2024), 13.

Book Review: “The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity"

“The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity" by Michael J. Kruger

There is something so wonderful about a book small enough to start and finish in one sitting and dense enough to leave you mulling over the ideas for days, weeks and months. Michael Kruger’s latest book out of Cruciform Press, The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity, is exactly that.

In fifty short pages Kruger sums and responds to the major premises of modern liberal Christianity, as they are laid out in Philip Gulley’s book If the Church Were Christian: Rediscovering the Values of Jesus. Relying heavily on J. Gresham Maschen’s classic work, Christianity and Liberalism, Kruger masterfully breaks down Gulley’s ten main principles, recognizing both the slivers of truth in them and the many reasons why they fail to give life and succeed at distorting the Gospel.

In an increasingly liberal/progressive Christian culture, this is a much needed book. The church needs people like Kruger who are willing to be a voice in the wilderness; willing to stand up to liberal claims and to intelligently explain to the church why they just don’t work.

A lot of the tenets of liberal Christianity initially seem very appealing. The gentle, clever and seemingly unconfrontational language they are often cloaked in makes them appear to be the very things Jesus would be about. It is not until you slow down and begin to examine each one through a biblical lens that you start to realize how unbiblical, unloving, and ultimately destructive the tenets are. That slowing down and examining is what Kruger has done here. He has done the hard work for us, and then has packaged it into the simplest and most accessible form possible: a fifty-page book that requires no prior expertise to grasp what is being written

This is a brilliant book. An informing book. A transforming book.

The size, the price and the content makes this one a must-read for every Christian living in the midst of an increasingly liberal Christianity.

Do yourself a favour.

Book Review: “Why I Am Roman Catholic"

“Why I Am Roman Catholic” by Matthew Levering

I went into reading this book thinking only that it would help me better understand the Catholic position on matters of life, faith and doctrine. What I didn’t expect was that my heart would be so stirred for Jesus, and my faith increased. While there were certainly some things that Levering wrote about that I disagreed with, those things took up very little space. For most of the book I felt like I was reading the challenging, encouraging, inspiring, Christ exalting words of another Christian brother, which I was!

In just under two hundred pages Levering takes readers through six unique chapters: 1) Why I Am a Christian, 2) Why I Am a Catholic, 3) What I Have Found Especially Beneficial About Being Catholic, 4) What I Have Found Difficult About Being Catholic, 5) Catholics and Ecumenism, and 6) Catholic Theological Exegesis. The amount that Levering fits into each one of these chapters is impressive. Even more impressive though is his obvious knowledge of Church History, and the number of sources he relies on and incorporates into each chapter. He rarely gets through a paragraph without having cited and/or quoted at least two different historical voices, plus Scripture. This doesn’t take away from his own writing, it enriches it by giving it a firm historical foundation, and by providing an amazing bibliography!

While the whole book really was exceptional, the standout chapters for me were Why I Am a Christian and Why I Am a Catholic. Reading chapter one, Why I Am a Christian, was a needed and uplifting reminder to my own heart as to why I am a Christian. As Levering told his own story of struggle and conversion, and as he basked in things like the glory of the cross of Christ, the goodness of God and the harmony of the Scriptures, I couldn’t help but remember why being a follower of Christ is not even a question for me. As Peter once rhetorically said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6.68). Or as Levering writes himself, “As soon as I believed there was a God, I understood that I could not do anything other than live for him” (Why I Am Roman Catholic, 25).

Reading chapter two, Why I am Catholic, was a similar experience to chapter one but with some more education involved. I came away with a better understanding of some of the points of disagreement between Levering and myself, such as the Catholic view of Mary and certain parts of the Eucharist. And more than that, I came away again spurred on to love Jesus more. Even without agreeing wholeheartedly, I couldn’t help but say ‘Amen’ as Levering expounded on the Lord’s supper and talked about God’s love for and purpose in marriage. Again, it was like reading the wonderful words of a brother in Christ from a neighbouring denomination.

Now, all of that being said, my caution to readers (non Catholic readers that is) as they read this book is that Levering does indeed seem to consider Protestants as a little less or a little lost compared to Catholics. His chapter on ecumenism is very encouraging and welcoming, but there are still statements like, “While Catholicism is the full realization of the church of Christ, other Christian churches - Orthodoxy first and then the Reformation churches - participate in that church in varying degrees” (130). Of course, in Levering’s defence this a great movement forward from other times and voices that would not put Catholicism and Reformation churches in the same sentence. And on top of that, Protestants would probably make similar statements if they were writing “Why I am a Protestant.”

All in all, a great read. I don’t doubt that this will be an important book for Catholics. I think it is just as important of a book for Protestants. It is a well written reminder not only of where Protestant and Catholics disagree but, and more importantly where they are united. In the words of my Catholic brother, “I love Christ’s cross because, like St. Augustine, I know I need it” (29).

Book Review: “A Theology of Play: Learning to Enjoy Life as God Intended"

“A Theology of Play: Learning to Enjoy Life as God Intended” by Kevin M. Gushiken

As soon as I saw the title, “A Theology of Play,” I was intrigued. I am not the kind of person that struggles with finding time and motivation to play. That part comes fairly naturally to me. But I have wrestled often with wondering whether God even wants me to play and to have fun? Like, is it alright to go skateboard, or should I be reading Scripture in all my free time? More then that, if play is a part of God’s design and intentions for me, then how can I make skateboarding and other activities of play glorifying to God?

Gushiken provides answers to those questions and many more in his book. He addresses the person like me who loves to play but carries some level of guilt about it, as well as the person who doesn’t make time for play but needs to. He examines things like the common barriers to play, the need for spontaneous play, the relationship between suffering and play, finding freedom from guilt and shame in play, and magnifying God’s glory in our play.

Of course, the most important part for me of these aspects of play is not Gushiken’s thoughts on them, but God’s. Does the Bible provide answers to my questions about play? Can a person actually discover a Theology of Play in Scripture without distorting verses to try and justify it?

My impression from page one and on was that Gushiken is a man who is well versed in the Scriptures, who gives great exegetical thought and care to his study, and who, in this book in particular, was/is seeking to know what God’s Word has to say on the subject at hand. This is not to say that you shouldn’t read this book and then like the Bereans, examine the Scriptures to see if these things are so. We should do that with any book we read. But I do think you can read this book with confidence that Gushiken is equipped to and devoted to genuinely and intelligently finding insights into play that are absolutely found in and based on Scripture.

All that being said, if I had any greater hopes for this book, it would be that Gushiken would have provided further insight into his study. Again, he does a good job of showing the biblical basis for each chapter, but I would have loved to see even more! With Theology in the title, I was hoping it would be a little bit more technical than it was. But, in his defence, then the book may have been less accessible to a wide range of readers.

All in all, a great book. It is a strong and biblical argument for play being something designed and ordained by God, for our joy and His glory.

If you struggle with seeing a reason to play, or if you struggle with guilt in your play, this one’s for you!