Hallowpalooza

Episode 60 - Hallowpalooza

There is a growing popularity of all things Halloween in today's culture.  Contained within the modern observance of the holiday is everything from the innocuous child's trick-or-treat costume to the gratuitous celebration of the macabre.  Its prevalence--in house/yard decorations, the horror film genre, the haunted houses and cornfields--can hardly be ignored.  Look no further for proof of the trend than the record-setting $10 billion Americans spent on Halloween in 2021.

Ben vants to pluck the stake from his sensitive heart in order to lead a spooky debate: to trick-or-treat, or to not trick-or-treat?  Chad creeps up behind the question and presents his own set of haunting perspectives, as the two evaluate the pros and cons of Halloween and Horror in American culture.  What are the historical origins of this holiday?  For the sake of striking a balance in the culture, where should men draw the line between permissible and problematic when it comes to Halloween?  And how might (if any) the scary and grotesque have a place in the life of a Christian?     

SHOW NOTES:

E. Michael Jones interview:  The Fascinating Rise of the Horror Genre — Culture Wars

History of Halloween referenced in episode:  Halloween: Origins, Meaning & Traditions - HISTORY

Protestant -Catholic comparison of approaches to Halloween:

Catholic:  The (Fake) Pagan History of Halloween | Catholic Answers

Protestant:  Should Christians celebrate Halloween? | GotQuestions.org