Crosstalk: October 5, 2016

According to the National Retail Federation, in 2016, Halloween spending is expected to reach 8.4 billion dollars. That's an all-time high in the history of their national survey. According to the same survey, 171 million Americans (more than half of the nation) plan to celebrate Halloween, which includes many people who claim to be Christian.

Is the celebration of Halloween really just harmless fun or is there more behind the mask? Joining Jim to provide some answers was Dr. David Brown. Dr. Brown is the pastor of First Baptist Church of Oak Creek, Wisconsin. He holds a Masters Degree in Theology and a Ph.D in History, specializing in the history of the English Bible. He is also the president of Logos Communication Consortium, a research organization that produces a large variety of materials warning Christians of present dangers in our culture.

Our Pilgrim forefathers knew of Halloween's occultic roots. They banned it from being celebrated in the U.S. During the Irish potato famine from 1845-1846 a number of Irish immigrants fled and came to the U.S. bringing with them their holidays and occult influences. One of them was the celebration of the end of Summer with sacrifices to the lord of death and evil spirits (Samhain).

Dr. Brown referenced The American Book of Days by George William Douglas where it describes Halloween as having its origins in ancient Baal festivals while other customs derive '...from the taking of omens from the struggles of victims in the fires of Druidic sacrifice.'

So while Halloween trivializes much of its occultic roots, the fact is, it has a demonic and very bloody history. On this Crosstalk you'll learn the origins of the term, 'Halloween'; the term, 'bonfire'; the Halloween costume; Halloween's heroes like witches and Dracula; the meaning of and history behind the Jack-o'-Lantern; the significance of the phrase 'trick or treat' and much more.