Well, it’s the big day.

Honestly, I like Halloween.  I always have.  I loved dressing up and trick-or-treating as a kid.  It saddens me that we don’t get that many trick-or-treaters.  I guess a lot of parents think it’s not safe.

I never understood the Christian parents who got caught up in the “paganism” or “satanism” of the holiday.  I respect that point of view, but I think it’s taking it way to seriously.  It’s just a day for kids to dress up.

But speaking of taking things too seriously, have you noticed something, well…different about Halloween lately?  Kind of like Christmas, Halloween has changed.  It’s a bigger, sexier, multi-billion dollar holiday than it’s ever been…even in a bad economy.

And I’m still left saying, aren’t we taking this a bit too seriously?

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Hey everyone, today I’ve got a cool guest post from Tor Constantino a lifelong believer, former journalist, current PR guy and blogger from DC. You can find him here on Twitter and on Facebook.

Halloween is nearly here, and it’s a tricky (pardon the pun) holiday for Christians given its pagan roots and association with various festivals of the dead.  Some Christians are dead set against it, but thanks to slick Madison Avenue packaging and hyper-candy-consumerism, Halloween can be as acceptable to Christians as a “fun-sized” Baby Ruth® bar.

Yet, for a holiday intended for children, adults still manage to screw it up a lot, with sexy costumes and lousy candy.  Consider this: Good Idea, Bad Idea, Halloween Edition.

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We live in a cynical age.

You’ve probably noticed it.  I don’t know how you could avoid it.  It’s everywhere.

It’s in every person who feels jaded by life, by the church or by their jobs.

It’s in every person who’s lost faith in people, in “the system” or in God.

It’s in every one of the myriad of spoof movies that are spewn upon audiences each year.

It’s in every hipster whose wardrobe is made up of the most outdated, mismatched items in the thrift store.

I’ve got plenty of cynicism in me.  But I’m working on it.  Because I think it might be killing my generation.

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It seems like everyone wants to put labels on everyone.  You know, put everyone in a box.

When I tell a new acquaintance that I’m a pastor, I instantly see a thousand calculations pass through their minds about the kind of person I must be, the things I must like to do, the politics I must have, the thoughts I must think.  Almost inevitably, the very first question out of their mouths is what kind of church do I pastor?  By that, they mean to ask if I’m Presbyterian or Baptist or something like that.  Another box with another label.  Even calling myself “non-denominational” puts me in a box, a box marked “miscellaneous.”

Maybe that’s a good label for me: miscellaneous.  Maybe I am just a miscellaneous person.

Let’s check all the other boxes and see if I fit in with them…

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You know, I’m not Catholic…

…But I can see how the tradition of confession has its benefits.  But I’m not going to confess all my deep, dark sins to you today.  That would just use up a bunch of blog posts all in one shot, wouldn’t it?

But in the spirit of confession, and having some weird fun on Friday, I will make three random confessions to you right now about myself.  Read on, and then make a random confession of your own!

Here we go…

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…already.

Yeah, stores start peddling Christmas crap early.  But when I saw the eggnog in the grocery store this week, it just seemed weird.  Who is buying Halloween candy and eggnog?

Many Christians are gearing up for another round in the battle for Christmas: demanding that cashiers reverently say, “Merry Christmas” instead of the abhorrently sacriligious “Happy Holidays,” and planning the biggest, most garish Nativity scenes for courthouse steps to show everyone why Christmas kicks Hanukkah’s and Ramadan’s asses.  Christmas is as American as Jesus and apple pie, and if there’s one thing we take as seriously as America, it’s Christmas.

But we’re forfeiting a key battleground in the fight for Christmas’ spirit, and if we give it up, all may be lost.  I’m going to tell you what it is, and propose a new Christmas tradition.

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