On Fri, 10-28-05 1:40 pm
Jollyblogger has written an informative and typically reasonable post about Halloween and the Christian response to it. What follows is a comment I started to post there but thought it not considerate: better that I should defile my own blog instead of his. Here’s what I was thinking:
You know, there’s a difference between being fools for Christ and just being stupid. There are people in the United States, in your town (likely), and in your church (perhaps) that live in poverty, can’t make ends meet, can’t afford medications for things like – this is a fact – chemotherapy, and we sit around a whine and debate the pros and cons of Halloween, wondering if we should take our $50,000 SUV to run our sugar-crazed kids around the upscale neighborhoods or put on our $150 running shoes and get a little aerobic exercise instead.
“To use the old sermon illustration, most Christians don’t give a shit that other believers are living in deplorable conditions – and the proof that most don’t care is that they’re more upset that I said “shit” on a Christian blog than they are that people live like that.
“We – and I include myself – need either to stop playing around and calling ourselves Christians or to get serious about living in a way that people will recognize that we’re Christians – without bumper sticks, asinine fish emblems, expensive crosses on gold chains, tee shirts, or anything else to let the world know that we’re God’s chosen people. I suspect many nonbelievers are happy to have us display such visible identifiers: it’s like belling the cat. The fact that we have to have such trinkets is evidence of our decadence and our failure to embody Christ.
“For Christ’s sake, a lot of us need to get back in the closet and not come out until we’re ready to live a life that glorifies our Savior. And maybe Halloween will take care of itself.”
Uhm, I’m certain your rant here has its target and that there are Christians (especially in Orange County, where I live) who fit your bill here, but not everyone with an interest in the conversation is as calloused as you portray.
I drive a Vespa. I don’t put fish on anything or wear Christian clothing brands. I support missions not just with money. The only bumper sticker I have cost twenty-five cents and advertises my favourite diner. My shoes cost twenty-five dollars and I typically wear them for three or four years. I can’t afford chemotherapy and I can’t afford to visit the dentist (it’s been nine years now). And I wasn’t upset by your use of vulgarity (it didn’t strike me as appropriate, but it didn’t bother me either).
And yet, I find the conversation about the Christian celebration of holidays to be both valuable and revealing. It’s important because it has been made important. Despite how modest my income is, I will typically spend two hundred dollars every Halloween to host a party for friends and family. I do this because I think the value of fellowship and friendship and fun and celebration exceeds the value of other things I could spend that money towards. And so, I take a considerable interest in the discussion. And not, I think, wrongly.
I believe that anytime Christians are in error that affects those around them, discussion is necessary – as you must believe as well, if this post is any indication. Because I believe many Christians are in error on this issue and their error creeps over into their judgment of others, I think that discussion of this is vital for the health and maturity of the church.
Michael:
I don’t know that I disagree with much that you say here (oh, I probably disagree with the “appropriate” judgment, but that’s a minor point – but you do know what skubalon means, don’t you?). I intentionally write hyperbolic polemics at times just to stir some people up. I am well aware that my description did not fit everyone – nor was it intended to – even as not every woman in Israel was a fat cow when Amos called them such.
But I remain convinced that most Christians talk about things more than they work for or toward things, and we would be far better off shutting up some times and letting the tongue in our shoe do the talking (to paraphrase J. Vernon McGee).
Certainly education is needed – which is why I linked to and promoted David’s post – but a lot of people have this same argument and debate every year. And then they feel like they’ve done something. They haven’t.
I think it’s fine that you have a party; I’m pretty sure the OT requires us to put money aside for parties. My best friend, a pastor in Madison, WI, sets up his own little donut shop in his garage on Halloween and gives away fresh, hot donuts to all the kids and adults. No tracks, no Christian music playing in the background, no tee shirts, posters, or anything else. Is he doing something? You bet he is: there are a whole lot of people in his neighborhood who thinking that there’s at least one Christian family that likes people and isn’t busy condemning them for dressing up as monsters or demons once a year.
So I don’t disagree with you. I just wasn’t talking to you. Sadly, it’s usually the people that don’t need to read posts like this one that do, while the one’s who do need to read it stay away.
BTW, you’ve got a great looking site.
Dr Angry
“even as not every woman in Israel was a fat cow when Amos called them such.”
Now that is funny. LOL!
You know Mike, I have been reaing some of the Halloween posts, and trying to understand why it even is a national cultural phenomenon for you guys there. What I find a bit amazing is the argument I’ve seen that it’s “a way to meet the neighbours”. I left a comment at the Jollyblogger in which I asked “what are they doing the rest of the year?”
Not doing Halloween isn’t polarising here as a lot of non-Christians aren’t into it – it’s just a commercial thing that hasn’t caught on hugely but has grown a bit since some-one introduced it. My non-Christian friends don’t like it at all.
I think I’d be with the guy in his garage if it was an unavoidable event. But then people can do things like that at other times too can’t they? I’ve been in some great neighbourhood street parties, bbqs and so on. One of them was organised by two non-Christian neighbours and they got permission to close the road off and we bbqed the food in the middle of the street while the kids ran around playing.
Anyway – I’ve been thinking of you. God bless.
Dr., thanks for the compliment to the site; I try. Really, I think you’re right that a lot of people write/talk too much and act too little. I just felt unjustly included in the rant because you posted this a few comments after mine on The Jollyblogger’s site
I drive a compact Nissan and wear $40 walking shoes, but I still feel the subject of your rant. I confess, though I can’t afford them, my heart is often intent on that $50,000 car or over-priced consumer item when I should be focused on the work of the Kingdom.
Good stuff.
right on! I think most Christians (myself included) are trying to bypass the big issue of what am I doing to further Christ’s Kingdom by focusing on something as unimportant as whether to celebrate Halloween or not -drives me crazy!
thanks for the great quote by J.Vernon McGee.