Halloween is a Sweet Time to Share the Gospel

Darcie @ Leighton Lane
Oct 8
3 min read

A woman hands candy to five kids in Halloween costumes. They hold pumpkin buckets, smiling. Night background, lit, joyful mood. Leighton Lane text. Share the Gospel this Halloween.

It's mid-October, the days are shorter, and the chill in the air is noticeable, even in the Deep South, where I live. This time of year is one of my favorites, because it is the beginning of gatherings filled with family and friends. I am an extrovert, so forgive me if the thought of back-to-back holiday festivities conjures more dread than glee in your heart.

Speaking of dread. The mention of Halloween in Christian circles elicits a varied response, and it is often a subject of hot debate.

So, should Christians have fun on Halloween?

Ha! That was a trick question. Christians should have fun any day of the year.

While I am not here to persuade you either way or disrespect your stance on whether or not to participate in Halloween as a Christian, I have enjoyed dressing up and eating candy (particularly chocolate) since early childhood.

I often had homemade costumes as a child, and I remember being so embarrassed to participate in the costume contest at church dressed as a photo album. Money wasn't always plentiful, so my mom pinned photos to an old shirt and called me a walking album. I actually won the trophy that year. Most years, I fashion homemade costumes for my children, and they die laughing (or die a little inside)! They are troopers.

My take on anything secular is the intent of the heart. Whether that is Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or trick-or-treating.

Jesus is always the reason for every season and every minute of the day.

Satan loves to steal our joy, and I refuse to let him have his own day.

If you choose not to participate in Halloween, I respect your decision, but I would encourage you to use it as an opportunity to share the Gospel with trick-or-treaters.

Here is why!

The other week, our Children's minister asked the kids, "What are some of the popular Bible stories you have heard many times?" Most of the children started chiming in with answers such as Adam and Eve, Jonah and the Whale, Noah's Ark, Jesus' birth, and Joseph and the colorful coat.

But two new children had come with a friend. These two precious girls had never heard of any of these treasured stories, not even the story of Noah's Ark.

The hard-to-swallow truth is that many children do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

So, should Christians spread the Gospel on Halloween?

That is also a trick question. Christians should spread the Gospel every day of the year.

'How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'--Romans 10:14-15 (ESV)