This week, Grammy Award-winning Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae posted a video entitled “Watch This Before You Celebrate Halloween” on his YouTube channel.
Though he admitted that he doesn’t consider himself an expert on the subject, Lecrae weighed in on whether Christians should celebrate Halloween.
Lecrae began by saying, “When I think about Halloween, I think about all the people who say, ‘Man, there’s so many demonic elements to it — ghouls and ghosts and killing and scary stuff. Why would you even want to entertain that?’ ”
The “Coming in Hot” rapper agreed celebrating demonic activity is wrong, but says he decided to investigate the origins of Halloween to see whether Christians should stay away from the popular holiday.
What Is Halloween?
“Often times, things start off as something and end up becoming something completely different,” Lecrae said. He explained that the origin of Halloween is rooted in a Celtic holiday “where people would dress up to ward off evil spirits.”
Lecrae went on to share that in some Jewish cultures, they pray for those who have passed away on Halloween. Further, a Catholic Pope declared it a national holiday.
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There are some religious aspects to Halloween, Lecrae explained, but “over the years I think that’s just been kind of mixed up and meshed up with different ideologies.” The artist compared it to a game of telephone, arguing that the meaning and significance of the holiday has morphed over time.
Lecrae said, “I don’t think, in its origins, it was meant to be some demon worshiping type of situation.”
Lecrae’s Halloween Perspective
“There’s the good, there’s the bad, and there’s the redeemable,” Lecrae said. “The Bible says all things on earth are good. The earth is the Lord’s and He’s there in it. So everything on earth belongs to God.”
God said that when He made the earth “it was good,” Lecrae continued. “So things are good…Rocks aren’t bad [and] trees aren’t bad because when God made those things, they are inherently good.”
Explaining the fall of humanity into sin as described in Genesis 3, Lecrae emphasized that the hearts of humans can be bad, “because we have fallen short of God’s glory. So we are the ones who are corrupted.”
Is Halloween Redeemable?
In considering whether a holiday featuring ghouls and scary imagery is redeemable, Lecrae said, “I think we let Satan have stuff that ultimately belongs to us in the first place.”
Lecrae explained what he meant by discussing how skulls and bones have become images associated with evil. “I think we think they [are evil] because that’s what we’ve allowed the culture to say — skulls are evil. [But] I got a skull in my head and God says I’m wonderfully and fearfully made. So that means my skull is as well.”
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Lecrae argued he doesn’t think there is anything wrong with children dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating. “I don’t think there’s anything inherently sinful or wrong with that,” Lecrae said.
Lecrae went on to clarify that if believers spend Halloween celebrating death, evil, or corruption, then they begin wading into “murky waters…for example making murder look like something that it’s not. It’s a terrible thing,” Lecrae said.
Ultimately, Lecrae expressed that choosing whether to celebrate Halloween is a matter of personal conviction.
“If you feel a moral conviction that you shouldn’t do it, then don’t do it,” Lecrae said. “But if you can sincerely walk without conviction and you feel comfortable, hey, there’s some redeemable aspects of it and I’m with you.”
Watch Lecrae’s full video below.