I was recently asked about how we handled the issue of Santa Claus as a Christian family, and thought I’d pass on my thoughts in a post.

As for me and my household, I determined early on to make sure that the birth of Jesus would be the primary focus in the celebration of Christmas. Whatever we’ve done needed to assure that Jesus did not get edged out to the periphery of what we are about as a family. I have no problem with other Christian’s inclusion of Santa Claus, and always wanted to stress to my family the liberty we have in Christ to decide such things. However, we would not include Santa Claus in our celebration on December 25^th each year.

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The gargoyles on Notre Dame in Paris

I have been asked over the years what I think about people letting their children “Trick-or-Treat” on Halloween. I think this comes up because our church has provided every year an alternative to Halloween, known as Reformation Day. For more information about this, and how you can get some excellent help for putting on a Reformation Day celebration, you can go to Doorposts.

Below I have provided an excellent article by James Jordan about this subject that I have given to people who are wondering about Christians participating in Halloween.

As for me, I tend to be in two minds about the subject. On the one half of my mind, I sometimes think that it is not all that healthy for Christians to be involved in. First, because in some cases, kids tend to get selfish attitudes about it all because they are out to get as much candy as they can (although this is a minor reason for me because children can be taught to be thankful – and because getting candy is so much fun that its hard not to want your kids to enjoy that part of it). Second, and more important to me, it is a distraction from the wonderful Christian tradition of celebrating what God has for His people throughout the ages. Third, and the most troubling aspect of Halloween is the way that it seems to glorify and celebrate outright evil and debauchery. For most people today, the good rational provided by Jordan (below) is nowhere in their minds.

On the other side of my mind, I generally think that parents that like to give out candy, and enjoy allowing their children dress up (appropriately) and go around to their neighbors and family for an evening of fun can do so with a clear conscience. Having said that, all things in our lives should be done in biblical decency and order – and with the goal of teaching our children to have godly fun. If your church provides something like a Reformation Day celebration, why not also take part in it?

“Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:22–23, NKJV)

Concerning Halloween
by James B. Jordan
August, 1996

It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils of Halloween, and it has become equally routine for me to be asked questions about this matter.

“Halloween” is simply a contraction for All Hallows’ Eve. The word “hallow” means “saint,” in that “hallow” is just an alternative form of the word “holy” (“hallowed be Thy name”). All Saints’ Day is November 1. It is the celebration of the victory of the saints in union with Christ. The observance of various celebrations of All Saints arose in the late 300s, and these were united and fixed on November 1 in the late 700s. The origin of All Saints Day and of All Saints Eve in Mediterranean Christianity had nothing to do with Celtic Druidism or the Church’s fight against Druidism (assuming there ever even was any such thing as Druidism, which is actually a myth concocted in the 19th century by neo-pagans.)

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“Now for something completely different!”

When I started to take history seriously as a young adult, I read as deeply as I could in the history of the Reformation on both the European Continent and in England. For most of the last 25 years I’ve held the view that Oliver Cromwell was a Christian hero, a Puritan fighting the Protestant cause, a pious and godly man that was used of God to establish the Protestant faith in England.

I don’t believe that any more. From my reading in the last few years I come to see he was something other than I was led to believe.  I most clearly came to my new opinions while studiously preparing to go to Ireland.

Instead of Cromwell living up to the virtue of his title of the “The Lord Protector,” Oliver Cromwell was a persecutor the likes of which England had never before or since seen. Instead of someone committed to building the Kingdom of God using the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, Oliver preferred to use swords of steel. Instead of being an agent of God’s peace on earth – he was a monger of war.  So, with playful song, I offer to you the Monty Python summary of Oliver Cromwell

Since my dear wife recently made a blog post that made it onto MY Facebook about her own thoughts about Facebook – I thought I’d share my own thoughts to see what kind of response I get!  Here you go:

How is it that so much time is given to Facebook?

How is it that so many people actually think that it represents true social living?

How is it that I, who have so little interest in Facebook, am considered behind the times socially?

I mean – Really!!!???