Halloween. Like it or not, the season is here. Christians can disagree over whether it's okay to dress up or go trick or treating. But I am not interested in that discussion at the moment. My focus is much more fundamental. I want to talk about evil itself. The evil that is increasingly celebrated at Halloween.
The “Spirit” chain of Halloween stores has grown from 63 in 1999 to nearly a thousand this year! In our neighborhoods, many homes now put more effort into decorating for Halloween than they do Christmas.
The other day I passed a car with a giant applique depicting a young woman with a bloodied axe. Just what I want my four year old granddaughter to see. And by the way—how would it somehow be “more acceptable” if she was fourteen? Does the sight of a bloodied axe at fourteen become less evil? I think not.
Consider the exponential increase in Fright fests, gore stores and Haunted Houses. I read online about a “Club AntiChrist” Halloween party. Among other things, it features a performance by Sexor…snake-hipped belly dancing from Hell. Okay, so that's an extreme.
But horror isn't just for Halloween anymore. Not just for movie theatres. It's gone beyond Twilight and Freddy Kruger. Now it's highly successful television fare. Even favorites like the CSI series seem to cherish and embellish every possible moment of blood and gore.
As our culture has been desensitized, it takes more and more to truly shock us. So the “slightly scary” of a generation ago, has been replaced by the ghoulish and ghastly.
But to my point: how does any of this help a follower of Jesus follow Jesus? You say, “Brother Jon, you're preaching to the choir.” Not at all. Christians are among the biggest consumers of this stuff! (1:45)
Many listeners will disagree but I boldly make the statement anyway. It is wrong for us to watch this stuff, to buy this stuff–in the theatres, on television, or at parties. It's wrong.
The culture’s comfort notwithstanding, our growing fascination with gory will NEVER bring glory to Jesus. Ever. Let's have nothing to do with the dark side.