Friday, October 21, 2011

Zombies? Bring 'Em On!

My father was a year-round prankster, but at Halloween he really got weird! I never personally saw this, but my Mom swore that one year Dad climbed on our roof, draped himself in a sheet, and scared to death little "trick or treaters" who came to the door for candy. He would jump out from the chimney and shout "whooa" as they screamed and ran from the doorway. Dad got to keep a lot more candy that way, but I suspect he did it because he loved playing pranks.

Americans spend millions of dollars on Halloween costumes and parties. We more or less take for granted the skeletons and scary masks in store windows at this time of year. Last year at Halloween I was in Germany on a mission trip. Germany is just beginning to experience something like the American Halloween tradition. I took a picture of a Halloween carnival advertisement, which the Germans I talked to found distasteful. I imagine Halloween will catch on there and across Europe as it gives an excuse for devilish behavior.

I'm not against Halloween (little kids dressing up and collecting candy), but I do find it paradoxical that our enlightened American media and entertainment world disavows any need for a God to counterbalance evil in this world and yet finds itself fascinated by zombies. Zombies are everywhere, along with vampires and witches. Why are these personifications of evil so interesting to us when any notion of sinful behavior has been wiped away by the "intolerant of intolerance" crowd? To call something "bad" is to be a bigot or worse. How then, can there be a force of evil?

If there is evil(as Hollywood seems to insist), there must also be good. Otherwise, how would we recognize evil? The Bible teaches that only God is good. He alone holds back the forces of evil in the world. Without His mighty power, we would be overcome by the "prince of darkness" and his minions. Picture a fourth, fifth or sixth dimension which we can't see filled with battle scenes pitting the forces of good against the forces of evil (see 2 Thess. 2: 7-12). Ah, but believers know how this story ends. The good guys win!

"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one" (2 Thess. 3:3)." Believers, take heart this Halloween! The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 Jn.4:4).