Has the Church been Halloweened?

It’s that time again: Halloween. One church announcement reads: “Mountains of candy. Crazy decorated trunks. Fire eaters, break dancers, jugglers. Come to Trunk-or-Treat this Thursday. Doors open at 5:30 pm.” And what else are we opening our doors to?

I know there are a ton of conservatives who will be throwing eggs at Christian halloweenies, convinced it is wrong to participate in a day whose origins are as pagan as witches, vampires, ghosts, and devils. Others will innocently claim we have moved far away from Halloween’s beginnings—just as we have from those of Christmas.

So let's put the question to the “redeeming values” test. Does Halloween have any redeeming value, that is, good qualities about something outweighing the bad things? Certainly Christmas has been redeemed from its pagan beginnings. But can the same be said for Hallows Eve, the night before “All Saints Day,” as it is called. Is this an unholy trick? Have we been halloweened!

The Pastors' Graveyard

Yesterday I spoke of the true meaning of “understanding the will of the Lord.” Today let me tell you what we came to understand by the end of our 7 day fact-finding mission in Belize.

We learned that 80% of the pastors have no training in teaching the Bible nor in pastoring. And those that do have training received it in Guatemala—there is no pastor training or equipping in the San Ignacio area. We learned that being a pastor (or a missionary) in Belize is ‘life-threatening.’ Many missionaries, not prepared for the Satanic strongholds they encounter, leave after their first year in ministry.

This is what they encounter: the Garifuna—descendants of African slaves—are nominally Catholic, but hold to their traditional beliefs and practices, such as the dugu ritual, through which they honor their dead ancestors; the Mayans hold fast to strongholds of superstition and sorcery. And finally, the Creoles (the dominant ethnic group of African/British descent), practice obeah, a form of witchcraft.

Considering what these evangelical pastors are up against, it is no surprise that evangelicals there refer to their country as the “pastors’ graveyard.” Given all of the aforementioned, can you see the tremendous need for pastors to be trained to teach sound doctrine, as well as a thorough understanding of the life-changing truths, i.e., "Unless a Grain of Wheat:Treasures of Truth"? Tomorrow I will tell you how God is raising up pastors to bring about spiritual renewal and how Altha and I are understanding the Lord's will for us in Belize.