The Gift Devotional
The Gift Devotional written by staff and members of Temple Baptist Church is available for download online. You can download a free PDF copy of the devotional guide here. We will also have weekly sermons that go along with the devotional. You can download or listen to those from the church website. This project was put together and edited by Anna Emily and Christopher Wright. Christopher includes this introduction to the devotional: Dueling Christmases ”For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 The Christmas season has always had a bizarre bipolarness to it for me. It wasn’t until several years ago that I really started to...
How Should Christians View Halloween?
Once again as we approach October 31 I would like to re-cap some of the discussion and thoughts on this issue, mainly the conversations that have taken place on Avoiding Evil over the years. I will do this by asking a series of questions and including my own thoughts on the issues. Does the history and origin of this spooky holiday disqualify Halloween from being celebrated by Christians? While it is true that the origin of Halloween dates all the way back to the Celts and has its beginnings in pagan ritual and superstitions, our celebration of Halloween is wholly different than what October 31st meant to the Celts. You cannot possibly compare the two. Honestly, we are attempting to compare the putting on of costumes and going door to door to collect candy...
Halloween: Just Good Fun Or Demonic Tradition?
Originally Posted On October 25, 2004 In my search to discover more about the history of Halloween I was taken to the History Channel’s website. On October 31st, 2004 they are airing a show on the history of Halloween, but if you can’t wait until then there is plenty of information on their website. Here is a quick overview of the history of Halloween from the History Channel’s website: Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that...