Apologetics

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Compared to when I was a kid, it seems that Halloween is becoming a bigger deal. Take the following newspaper article for example:
“Molly Gold didn’t take the kids on vacation this summer, and she has cut back on extras like books from the book fair and school T-shirts for her 11- and 13-year-olds. But she’s not skimping on Halloween. She’s decorating the house with pumpkins, ghosts and black cats, and she’s handing out the “good candy”: M&Ms.” (Megan K. Scott; Associated Press; Oct. 21, 2008)

In fact, this behavior has been noticed by no less of an authority than the issuers of the Visa Card. According to Visa Inc, “75 percent of Americans plan to celebrate - and spend on - Halloween. Among those, the average person will spend $47 on candy and decorations . . . (T)his spending represents an increase of 18%.”

Speaking of decorations, as you drove around this past Halloween season, you undoubtedly noticed that several people had put out lights and displays. Well according to Jim Lauscher of The Village Christmas Shoppe in Salt Lake City, "Halloween in the state of Utah is the second biggest holiday for decorating.” In fact, “Halloween villages at The Village Christmas Shoppe outsell similar Christmas decorations 3 to 1.” (Tom Wharton; The Salt Lake Tribune; Sep. 29, 2008) (Is it just me, or did anyone else see the irony in the last sentence?) Actually according to retailers, that statistic is true across the country.

So is Halloween’s only drawing card the candy, the costumes and the fun? Personally, I don’t believe so, and many of you if you are honest with yourselves don’t either. If someone mentions the word “Halloween” to me, the first things that come to my mind are visions of ghosts, witches, haunted houses and horror flicks. To ignore this season’s supernatural side is extremely naïve. I would go so far as to say, it is probably the most spiritual holiday in America. No, I am not minimizing the spiritual importance of Christmas or Easter, but the overall awareness of the general public of the unseen world is probably at its highest around Halloween.

So why would we as human beings be so interested in a spiritual holiday? Are we not just flesh? I mean, we walk around in the stuff in a physical world. We get up everyday, drive our metal and plastic composite vehicles to a specific geographical location – be it a building or job site. We work with solid, material objects whether they are tools or computers. Because of our day-to-day lives, the physical world might seem to be the only reality there is.

But the Bible says just the opposite is suppose to be true. “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things where not seen are eternal.” (II Cor. 4:18) From God’s perspective, the supernatural world is more real – and more permanent – than the physical world which is always in our face. Furthermore Jesus warned that if believers are not careful, the cares of this world could choke God’s word right out of their hearts. (Matt. 13:22)

So we as Christians are to be spiritually minded, but are there any other times, besides Halloween, that unbelievers become aware of the fact that there is more to this life than the physical? Yes, and one those times is when they are confronted with death – their own or that of a loved one.

Many of you have heard the phrase there are no atheists in a foxhole. Well I experienced it first-hand. Back in 1981, I was in the Navy, and my ship was one of the escorts for the U.S.S. Nimitz when two of her F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan fighter jets over the Mediterranean Sea. Because the leader of Libya had already declared the area that we were in a “zone of death,” we went to battle stations expecting retaliatory action. Based on our prior briefings, we the crew knew there was not only a possibility of another attack by jets, but our adversary also had cruise missiles. Someone losing their life in an engagement was a very real possibility.

So as we sat and waited, there was dead silence throughout the ship. The slightest restless motion echoed throughout the repair station to which I was assigned. I know I was in constant communication with God at that time, and from the lack of talking, I am sure everyone else had their focus turned inward. Although nothing else happened that day, I always wondered how many deals were made with God.

How about when a family member or close friend is on their deathbed? They would have to be a pretty hard-hearted atheist not to hope that after the last breath is drawn, that a part of their loved one will carry on – whatever form that may be based on their belief system.

The Bible has words for that something that carries on. It is the soul and the spirit, but unfortunately believers use them as synonyms at times. Soul, spirit. Spirit, soul. What’s the difference? In Heb 4:12, it say that “the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and the spirit…” So from a biblical viewpoint, they are separate entities, and one way to interpret Heb. 4:12 is that if we study it according to the Word of God, the distinction between them becomes clear.

In Ps. 42:5, the question is asked, “Why are you downcast, o my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” As you can see, several emotions are attributed to the soul. In fact, many Bible scholars believe that our emotions are part of our soul. These same scholars assign our thoughts and memories to the soul realm. Take this verse for example: “For I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” (Ps. 139:14) Actually our very identity lies within the soul. “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps. 42:2) So it is our soul that will appear before God.

Now here’s the interesting thing about the soul. It can have two states of operation, and to see what they are, let’s go to Eph. 2:1. Paul is talking to believers and he says, “And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin.” I am acquainted with many unbelievers, and some of them are the most energetic and active people I know. What does he mean they “were dead?”

Part of the reason why we struggle with that term is because we are operating under the wrong definition of death. Death from a biblical perspective does not mean to stop moving or to cease to exist. To see how Paul defines it, we just have to drop down a few verses in Eph. 2. “(T)hat at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (v. 12) In summary, we were separated from God.

In fact, if you really think about, all deaths are a type of separate. Physical death occurs when the soul and spirit separate from our fleshly bodies. Also the Second Death, mentioned in Revelations is simply eternal separation from God – the lose of all hope of ever experiencing the goodness God again. (Brr, a chill just went down my back.) So it is also the soul that is in need of salvation. There are numerous verses through the Bible about the saving of the soul. My favorite is “Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (Jam.5:20)

So if our emotions are of the soul, and thoughts are of the soul and our identity is in the soul, and it is our soul that is saved, what does the spirit do? In my opinion, the best place to find that answer is in the Gospel of John Chapter 4. Many of you are familiar with the story. Jesus is passing through Samaria and meets a woman at the well. As they talk, the topic turns to worship. At first, the woman is concerned about where is the proper place to worship, but Jesus tells her location is irrelevant. “But, the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

You see my, friends; the spirit is the part of us that communicates back to God. I don’t understand all of the implications of God creating us in his image, but I believe one part of it is that he put within us a spirit, like unto his own. This same spirit is only truly content when it is in contact with its Creator – the “God-shaped void” that C. S. Lewis talked about. Once your spirit makes contact with God, you are no longer separated from your Creator and your soul becomes alive.

As we pointed out before, death does not mean activity stops, so while the soul is dead, what is happening to the spirit? It seeks out other avenues of spiritually of contact. If it is not God, who is the only other spiritual entity available? To answer that let’s put Eph. 2:1 in its context. “And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (v. 1-2) Lucifer, Satan, the devil is more than willing to provide the poor, isolated spirits other supernatural opportunities.

The mass media is more than willing to meet that need. Why do you think movies like The Exorcist, Poltergeist and Ghostbusters were so popular? It is the same reason why Medium and Ghost Whisperer are two of the top television shows. The enemy is shrewd, though, and knows that most people would be uncomfortable with a steady diet of evil. So counterfeits like Angels in the Outfield and Touched by an Angel are also offered to make them feel better about themselves.

As you probably guessed by now, Halloween is just another chance for the unbelievers to satisfy that thirst within them for something spiritual. Several churches have seized upon this heightened spiritual awareness. Instead of haunted houses, they have developed programs that present a scriptural depiction of life-after-death, and they have proven to be highly successful witnessing tools. For most of us, we don’t need anything that elaborate. Just keep your ears open around the workplace. When the topic turns to the spiritual side of Halloween, inject a little biblical truth into the conversation, and let the Holy SPIRIT do his work.

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