Every year as October 31 approaches, Christians tend revisit this question:

Should followers of Christ celebrate Halloween?

This is a very good question to ask. It’s a question that deserves thoughtful, biblical reflection and response.

And every October, I see the same responses about how Halloween absolutely, unequivocally cannot be celebrated. And I know several faithful believers who have prayerfully reached a different conclusion than I have—and I respect that.

But, just as the abstain view gets a good deal of play, in recent years I’ve seen more responses that would align with where I fall—yet from a more adversarial or even mocking standpoint toward those who abstain…which I don’t believe is helpful.

So, I believe it’s equally as important for folks to hear (or in this case read) the defense of celebrating this holiday from a follower of Christ, a pastor, and as someone who has wrestled with something I took for granted celebrating for nearly all my life.

So, here goes…For our family and close community, we’ve chosen to participate. We dress up, the kids go Trick-r-Treating, the adults hand out candy and treats to both kids and adults, and we enjoy an evening engaging with the neighbors of the community where our church small group meets.

We don’t do this because we take spiritual darkness lightly–it’s actually the exact opposite. We take Christ’s victory over darkness seriously. And it is this that we celebrate.

So here are a few biblical, theological, and historical realities that have shaped our convictions and thinking:

Christ Has Won

In Colossians 2:15, Paul tells us that, through the cross, Jesus disarmed the powers of darkness and put them to open shame. Hebrews 2 reminds us that through Christ’s death, He broke the devil’s power over death and freed those enslaved by its fear. And in 1 Corinthians, Paul again declares, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (An image of a defeated Death and quote of “Death Has Lost Its Sting” that I have on my forearm).

Christians should not minimize evil or deny spiritual warfare. And we should proclaim that darkness will not have the final word.

By celebrating Halloween, we don’t celebrate darkness. Instead, we celebrate the Savior who has overcome it.

Death Doesn’t Win

Throughout church history, Christians have responded to death with the hope and joy of the resurrection. An ancient Easter sermon attributed to John Chrysostom taunted death with Paul’s words. Medieval Christians often showed the devil as a foolish and defeated foe. And in Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress,” the reformer reminds us that Satan’s ultimate defeat is certain.

There is a looong Christian tradition of mocking death’s claim to victory. This isn’t because death isn’t serious (it’s deathly serious…I’ll see myself out), but we know that death is defeated because Jesus is risen.

Because of the resurrection, Christians can have a reason to rejoice in the face of death–and even mock it.

History Matters

This may be my most controversial point…but Halloween is a Christian holiday.

Halloween gets it’s name from All Hallows Eve, which is the evening before All Saints Day. While we are Protestant, these days have historically been associated with remembering Christians who had died and celebrating the hope of resurrection. And October 31 also marks Reformation Day, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany in 1517.

But, that’s history (and in some instances Catholic) you might say. Sure. The Halloween of 2026 has a mixture of this understanding, Celtic folklore, and other secular traditions. So, that should be enough for us to not celebrate, right?

This is where I agree (partially) with the Halloween detractors. None of these historical reasons mean that every Halloween tradition or celebration is Christian or appropriate. But, it does remind us that the history of the holiday is more nuanced than we take at face value.

Ultimately, Psalm 24:1 reminds us that, “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”

Every day and every holiday belongs to the Lord, including October 31 and Halloween.

Conscience Matters

One of the convictions we find in church history (particularly post-Reformation) is that of Christian liberty. The Westminster Confession of Faith states that, “God alone is Lord of the conscience.” Romans 14 teaches us to extend grace in matters where believers may faithfully reach different conclusions. And in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul draws a line between participating in pagan worship and activities that may have association with pagan practices.

So here’s the deal: Scripture clearly prohibits the practice of witchcraft, idolatry, and the occult. But, it doesn’t prohibit costumes, pumpkins, or sharing candy with neighbors. But again, that doesn’t mean that every activity is wise or beneficial. Discernment matters and families may establish different boundaries.

Ultimately, Christian liberty allows us to exercise wisdom without requiring every believer to reach the same conclusion.

Light is Meant to Shine

In Ephesians 5, Paul calls Christians to reject the works of darkness. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus tells us to be the light of the world. Then in John 17, Jesus prayed that His followers would remain in the world while being protected from evil.

Our calling as followers of Christ is to live distinctly as His people while remaining meaningfully present among the people He’s called us to love. Sometimes that means abstaining from a particular activity. Other times, it means participating with discernment and a Christ-centered purpose.

As followers of Christ, we should want to be faithful to Jesus while remaining present and engaged in our communities.

Which brings us to the next point.

Hospitality Matters

We live in an increasingly disconnected society. Many of us barely know the people living just a few houses away from us. As a natural introvert–this can be especially true for me.

But on Halloween, something wonderful happens. Those same disconnected families are outside. Children walk the streets dressed up in funny or scary costumes. Parents gather in driveways around fires to chat (like our small group does with families in the neighborhood where we meet). Neighbors who would usually be too shy or unbothered to knock on a door to ask for a ball back from your backyard…they knock.

For one evening, our neighborhoods feel a little more like actual neighborhoods. And the reality is by staying inside, locking the doors, shutting off the porch light…we miss a great opportunity as Christians to practice hospitality.

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul reminds us to engage people for the sake of the gospel. So, what if we used the evening to welcome people, learn names, offer a little generosity, and begin building relationships? Our neighbors aren’t evangelistic projects–they’re people made in the image of God and worthy of genuine love and friendship.

And sometimes meaningful gospel conversations (like we’ve had several times over the last 5 years of taking this approach) grow naturally out of ordinary acts of kindness.

Joy is Our Response

I promise, I’m almost done.

Listen, as a Christian and a pastor, I fully believe Satan is real. I believe spiritual warfare matters. And I believe Christians should take seriously Scripture’s warnings about occult practices and the works of darkness.

BUT I also believe Christ has triumphed over such evil.

Satan is not sovereign. He is not Christ’s equal as if they’re in this cosmic wrestling match to determine the fate of humanity. Satan and Death’s ultimate defeats are certain.

Throughout church history, believers have sometimes expressed this confidence by mocking the devil and laughing at death’s claim to victory. We don’t do this through arrogance or carelessly, but through the joy of knowing Jesus reigns.

Listen, we can take evil seriously without allowing fear to define our lives. We can acknowledge the darkness while celebrating the Light. And we can joyfully proclaim that death has lost its sting because Christ is risen. And we can celebrate Halloween as recipients of that victory without making up things to be afraid of.

The best way to mock the devil is to make much of Jesus.

One Last Thing…I promise this is it

At the end of the day, I don’t think every Christian or Christian family needs to celebrate Halloween. Some will participate while others won’t. Both can be seeking to honor Jesus in that choice.

Romans 14 reminds us to be gracious to one another in matters of conscience, pursuing peace and encouragement. And I think that’s a beautiful opportunity for the church to demonstrate unity amid differences.

There are several families in my church that don’t celebrate Halloween. And there are several families who do. Yet that difference doesn’t matter–we are of one body.

So yes, our family celebrates Halloween. But we celebrate because Jesus is King, the resurrection is our hope, and our neighbors are worth loving.

Every year, October 31 is another opportunity to spend time with our church small group, participate together in hospitality, and reflect the joy and hope we have in Christ.

The grave is empty. Christ is risen. The porch light (or in our case, fire light) is on. So, come on by, we’ve got candy and the love of Christ to share!

Soli Deo Gloria