Dr. John Hull had pastored in local churches for about 20 years and he often finds it interesting how divisive Halloween can be - both the day itself and whether parents should allow their children to participate in it or not.

Questions are often raised with regards to Halloween: Is this somehow an endorsement of darkness or demonic activity? Is it a flirtation of witchcraft and things which are wrong and inappropriate in the life of the child?

Or is it just a day where the children can dress up, get candies and have wonderful memories?

Halloween can truly be a divisive subject but it doesn't have to be.

Dr. John Hull lists out the ABCs of Halloween for parents, grandparents and church eladers.

Adaptable

As a dad and a granddad, Dr. Hull would like to encourage you to be ADAPTABLE.

There may be some other ways in which one can celebrate Halloween in a local church setting. When he was a pastor, there were certain churches who held Noah's Ark parties on Halloween and have the kids dressed up as various animals for it. The kids loved it!

There may be some alternatives in your area where the children can play games, win prizes and get candies.

Either way, be adaptable and not judgmental. Do not be a hard-liner and set on doing things your way. The key is to enjoy each other's company and have fun.

Benevolent

Whatever your position is on Halloween - for or against - John just want to encourage you as a Christ follower to simply be BENEVOLENT.

We should be kind, loving and gracious to other parents who might have a different opinion from us. While we may not see eye to eye with regards to this issue, we do not have to be disagreeable. We should not be judging people just because people are doing what we think they should or shouldn't be doing.

It is not our place to form some judgment on others as to where they stand in their relationship with Jesus Christ. That's between them and the Lord.

Convictional

At the end of the day, God has given you a conscience. God has given you the ability to determine within your own spirit what is right and what is wrong.

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…" Colossians 3:15

The word "rule" here means to be the judge. If you don't have the peace of God to let your children participate in Halloween in whatever capacity, then be obedient and pursue that peace. If you have peace about letting your kids do that, then pursue that peace.

We can find all kinds of bible verses and throw it back and forth at each other. However, we can approach Halloween with these 3 simple steps, when the sun comes up the next day, we will have kids who had had fun and stayed safe.

Make good choices and let the peace of God rule in your life this Halloween.