Oct 31 2012

Halloween and the Spectrum of Evangelical Identity

Picking up on the old definition “An evangelical is a fundamentalist who likes Billy Graham,” Russell D. Moore, the Dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, used a tongue-in-cheek approach to classify evangelicals based on their position with respect to Halloween.  This is in an article published today in The Christian Post.  But on a deeper level, this comical analysis reveals a lot of truth about how evangelicals are divided on the issue.  My comments are in parenthesis.  I welcome your comments to each class listed below!  Enjoy!

1. An evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up for Halloween. (This is unfortunately a majority of so-called american “evangelicals”)

2. A conservative evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up for the church’s “Fall Festival.” (With the stipulation that… it’s no longer dressing up for “Halloween”)

3. A confessional evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up as [Calvin] and [Luther] for “Reformation Day.” (Reformation Day celebration begins on Halloween… Now, we’re getting closer to real Calvinistic fundamentalism 🙂 )

4. A revivalist evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up as demons and angels for the church’s Judgment House community evangelism outreach. (Heaven vs Hell theater drama…?)

5. An Emerging Church evangelical is a fundamentalist who has no kids, but who dresses up for Halloween anyway. (Isn’t an Emerging fundamentalist an oxymoron? 🙂 )

6. A [real evangelical] fundamentalist is a fundamentalist whose kids hand out gospel tracts to all those mentioned above.

Oct 30 2012

Perspective on Halloween

Most people view Halloween as innocent entertainment and fun, and some even make the argument that it is a “Christian” holiday by invoking the Catholic celebration of All Saints’ day.  In 835, due to Germanic and Irish influence, All Saints’ day (All Hallow day) was moved by Pope Gregory IV from May 13th to November 1st.  Therefore, on October 31st the world celebrates the All Hallow’s Eve or commonly known in modern times as Halloween.

But the truth is that Halloween symbols and rituals are deeply rooted in paganism and occultism.  The carved and lighted pumpkin, references to witchcraft and broomsticks, superstition about bats and black cats can all be traced to western european occult practices which survived in parallel with Christianity over the years.  It’s no wonder that October 31st is an important date in the Occult calendar of Druids, and witches, Satanists, and Pagans mark Halloween as one of their most “holy” days.

The Bible is very clear in asserting that children of God cannot associate themselves with the darkness found in things like Halloween rituals.  Apostolic teaching often uses antonyms such as “light” and “dark” to make the case that we are designated as holy and separated from the things that God abhors. Apostles Paul and John both make strong references to this:

Ephesians 5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

1 John 5:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

May God keep us in the light!

Oct 29 2012

An Approach to the Problem of Evil

The so called “problem of evil” is a favorite among Philosophy 101 professors in attacking the faith in an omnipotent and omnibenevolent God.  If God is all-powerful and all-good, then why does evil exist?  Their argument points out that the existence of evil cannot be reconciled with the existence of such God.  This “problem” argues that God is either not all powerful and therefore is unable to stop evil, or He is not all good and therefore He allows or even causes evil.  This argument is nothing more than a philosophical weapon in the armamentarium of depraved humans “who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom 1:18).

Here is how pastor Voddie Baucham approaches this question, in an entertaining but powerful way.  Enjoy 🙂

Oct 28 2012

Delight in the Lord!

The Westminster Shorter Catechism is one of the most important documents to come out of the English Reformation in 1600s.  The first doctrinal point in the statement is profoundly deep and very important for believers to understand:

WSC Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

David understood this concept as “delight in the Lord” approximately 2600 years before the reformers drafted the above catechism.  David takes it not as an option, but as a command.  He states in Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  This entails a daily walk with God where the believer allows himself to be led by God as stated in Psalm 119:35 “Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.”

As children of the Triune God revealed in the Bible, we must understand that He is glorified in us when we delight ourselves in Him.  Studying the Bible is our “delight in the Law of the Lord” which is the action of the righteous man in Psalm 1, praying is our communication with Him, and attending church is our fellowship with His Body.  Deficiencies in any of the above will diminish our delight in the Lord.

Let the command given by God to Joshua apply to us!

Joshua 1:8  “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.”