Rather than teach the paganism out, just sponge it up and re-label it. It takes so much less time to grow the church this way! After all, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. And so conversely, we may say, the straightest way between two points is the shortest distance. If we go directly from pagan practice to church practice with little to no cleansing, we will very shortly be at a larger body of participants! But while the geometric maxim is undoubtedly true, in the abstract, as to distance and time and their relation to motion and relocation, any schoolboy will know that the actual distance is only oneconsideration in determining the validity of the route. And besides, what does geometry care about morality? Loads of Celts may become loads of Catholics by painting Druid traditions white, but never will a son of Belial become a son God by calling his sin a sacrifice.

Must we make the case that no true Christian ought to have anything to do with Halloween or any of its pop-culture spin-offs (think ‘trunk or treat’)? Surely this is clear if only one verse in the Bible is known! “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them!” (Eph.5:11) Just so, the church ought never have fabricated a “Hallowed evening” and “All-saints” festival in order to answer the darkness of Druid tradition in a land it wished to “Christianize”. But it is not Halloween itself we are concerned about for now. And yet, it is a certain Catholic monk and a certain October 31^st we ought to recognize. And we ought to remember because we will little understand or appreciate the glorious mercy and mysterious wisdom of God in perfecting His church throughout history unless we look to the individual lives of those that He set on fire with truth and used to lightentire generations.

October 31, 1517, at high noon,a stocky and fiery German monk named Martin Luther walked down the streets of Wittenburg to make a statement. The Lord had, for many years prior, been wringing the rudiments of Catholic doctrine out of this man and filling him back up with the blessed old doctrines of grace. These doctrines of salvation would later come to be called Reformation doctrines because of the great Reformation of the Church largely ushered in by this one courageous monk.

His problem had been that he had been searching the Scriptures! And there he found these great and singular truths: The just shall live by faith! (Gal.3:11).And,in Matt.4:17, he found that this faith wore the same shoes as repentance and that on these feet and these feet only, a person might hope for salvation at last.Not a religious life, not the promises of the Pope or a priest, not any works of the flesh or mere promises of men would suffice! Faith in Christ, and a life of real repentance for sin – these were the way of salvation. So, come Halloween 1517, the issue was the Church’s doctrine of Indulgences.

Very simply, indulgences were a sort of ration sold by the Catholic church to acquire forgiveness for one’s self or one’s dead relatives. While the pope (and he even gave his word on it!) would have people to believe that buying an indulgence would secure the release of anyone from the penalty of their sins, Luther believed all such notions put souls in danger of hell. He felt he must speak up! So he did in the form of 95 short propositions commonly called his 95 Theses. These he nailed in the full light of day to the door of the church in Wittenburg to open discussion among the concerned. Luther had no idea the fire God would start with that piece of paper! Would they have the tricks of Rome, or his treatment of Scripture? Within a month his assaults upon the doctrine of indulgences were being debated in Rome. Luther risked everything for the truth! He risked his position and therefore his livelihood, he risked his reputation and standing among his peers, and to be sure he risked his life. His notions flew boldly in the face of Catholic doctrine and practice!

“Those who believe,” said Luther, “that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers!” (Thesis #32) No, indeed, “it is vain to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though … the pope, were to offer his soul as security!” (Thesis #33) “Nor are they[indulgences] the merits of Christ and the saints, for, even without the pope, the latter always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outer man.” (Thesis #58)

“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Mt.4:17), He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance” (Thesis #1); and “every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt!” (Thesis #36) “Yet, it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh.” (Thesis #3) Far from the folly of preaching indulgences, taught Luther, we ought to preach grace. For “the true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last (Mt.20:16). On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first. Therefore the treasures of the gospel are nets with which one formerly fished for men of wealth. The treasures of indulgences are nets with which one now fishes for the wealth of men!” (Theses #62-66)

Five hundred years ago this October, one bold monk had a message for the ages! It was the Catholic church for him, but it might easily be for us your denomination of choice. How many now are “buying” into religion and taking home a false peace – trading money for lies from prophets who speak in God’s name and are not of God’s family (Jer.23:21). Where are the voices in the wilderness that will out-shout the Devil’s clergy and rather than a cry of ‘Peace, peace’ will proclaim ‘Cross, cross’! What preachers are grabbing the damned by the collars and weeping, “Not you! Not anything you have done! Not what your priest or pastor says! But this: You had better turn from your sin and believe the glorious Gospel of the glorious God! And walk ye in the light all the days of your life!”

Even now, the Devil goes about in holiday clothes! May God send us an army of Luthers!