WESLEY GUILD (SA): Halloween

Friday, 28 October 2011

Halloween

Halloween
Halloween has become a controversial topic in Christian circles and there is a great deal of debate
regarding whether Christians should participate or allow their children to participate in it.
Some background
Halloween stems from an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. The Celtic new year was celebrated on 1
November and therefore, the festival celebrated on 31 October marked the end of the year. It was also the
end of Summer and the harvest. It symbolised the beginning of winter and darkness and came to be
associated with death. The Celts believed that at Samhain, the boundary between the spiritual and physical
worlds became thin and therefore, spirits of the dead returned to earth and wreaked havoc on this night.
Large bonfires were built in which crops and animals were burned as sacrifices to deities and costumes,
usually made of animal skins and heads, were worn as participants attempted to tell one another’s fortunes.
According to some sources, druid priests would also go from house to house asking for animals (or possibly
even humans) to sacrifice and those who gave offerings would be promised prosperity while those who did
not give were threatened with curses. Some believe that this is the origin of trick or treating.
Over time, as the Romans conquered Celtic territories, the festival of Samhain became incorporated and
merged with the Roman pagan festivals of Feralia and Pomona. When the influence of Christianity spread
to Celtic areas in the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV decreed 1 November as “All Saints Day”, a day to
honour saints and martyrs. It is believed this was done in an attempt to replace the Celtic and Roman
festivals with a church holiday. Since then, Halloween has become very commercial and secular and is the
second largest grossing holiday in the USA.
So while it is clear that Halloween has pagan origins, the question still remains:
about it today?
What should Christians do
What does Scripture say?
The Word is very clear about the fact that those who belong to God are not to associate themselves with
any form of paganism or anything that could mislead them or compromise their ability or willingness to serve
God. We are told to meditate on and fill our lives with things that are good, lovely and noble (Philippians 4
vs 8) and so we must ask ourselves whether celebrating Halloween is a compromise for those who follow
Jesus.
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1 Thessalonians 5 vs 21 – 22
“Test all things; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
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Deuteronomy 18 vs 9-14:
“When you come into the land, which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the
abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his
daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets
omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the
dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations
the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God,
for these nations which you will dispossess, listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you the Lord
your God has not appointed such for you.”

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Romans 13 vs 12:
“Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the Armour of Light.”
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Ephesians 5 vs 11:
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them.”
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Philippians 4 vs 8:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are
just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is
any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”
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3 John 11
“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does
evil has not seen God.”
Taking these Scriptures into account, perhaps we should be encouraged to view Halloween as a time of
opportunity to teach our children about holiness and what it means to be “set apart” for God, which does
involve abstaining from worldly things and refusing to go with the flow. It could also be an opportunity to
witness to others about why it is we choose not to get involved in Halloween activities. Ultimately it comes
down to deciding whether anything we do or choose to be a part of adds to and benefits our relationship
with God or detracts from it and whether, in everything we do, we attempt to give Him glory.

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Methodism

METHODISM In the 18th century churches in England were very discriminatory and were mainly formed by factory workers and mine workers. Scriptures were preached to them but they were never told about the love of God for them. John Wesley (one of the Anglican priest) with his brother Charles did not just confine themselves to preaching to the workers but went out of their way to preach to the crowds both rich and poor. The people heard and were converted and they formed a Christian group teaching people about faith and Christ. Rev John Wesley never intended to break up the Anglican Church and open his own church; his intention was to ensure that even the poor received the word of God. The people themselves left the Anglican Church and formed the Methodist church in 1795 after Rev John Wesley had died in 1791 still an Anglican. 1. The beginning of Methodism in S.A Methodism was started in Cape Town in 1806 by an organization of studies that met and conducted prayer meetings. As their numbers grew they wrote a letter to the head office in England asking for a minister. In 1814 the London Wesley Mission Society sent Rev John McKinney but he was not allowed to preach in Cape Town because the Dutch government was worried that he would split the Dutch reformed church. He spent 18 months in Cape Town frustrated because he was not allowed to preach and then eventually he sent Rev Barnabas Shaw. Rev Shaw arrived in Cape Town in 1861. As soon as he heard that he was to be sent to South Africa he started learning Dutch. On his arrival in Cape Town he was sent to preach to the heathen instead of the army. One of the members of the London Methodist Society in Namaqualand met with Shaw in Cape Town and advised him to go up to Orange River but Shaw stayed in Olifants River and opened a new station called Leliefontein. Between 1816 and 1826 he formed a strong church with Khoi-Khoi people. Between 1820 and 1825 he opened another station between Orange River and North East Namaqualand. In 1826 he was called back to Cape Town where he preached until his death in 1851. 2. The 1820 settlers The British government decided to increase the number of white people in Fish River with the hope of stopping the war between the Xhosa’s and the English. In 1820, 1600 families arrived in Algoa Bay and started the town that is now called Port Elizabeth. Amongst them was a Methodist minister, Rev. Shaw who stayed about 25 miles from Grahamstown where they built a small town called Salem. Grahamstown was the headquarters of the army in Eastern Cape. Near to this in Betheldorp and Graff-Reinet there were churches that were started by Rev Johannes van der Kamp from the London missionary society. Shaw was the only minister in Eastern Cape until the arrival of Rev Bathurst on Anglican minister in 1832. William Shaw did not just concentrate on Methodist but he preached the word of God to all people. He used Grahamstown as a mission in 1821. He used the English common of prayer to make the Anglicans feel at home. Methodists, Anglicans, Baptists and Presbyterians formed his first congregation. He did not only preach to the converted but he preached to the heathen as well. He had an inscript in Salem that said “There is not a single missionary between my residence and the Northern extreme of the Red sea”. In 1823 he started another mission called Wesley Ville between As soon as the congregation settled he started class meetings, an organization for local preachers and class leaders. He then opened a string of churches from Eastern Cape to Transkei as follows - Toworal South African Independence - The Cape of Good Hope and Grahamstown districts formed by and were supported financially by the British conference. New districts were later formed i.e.: 1853-Natal District 1863-Kaffrarian 1881-Transvaal All these 6 districts fell under the British conference. To promote unity and strength they met once every 3 years in a General meeting that was called the Trienial. In 1882 an attempt was made to form a South African conference of the Methodist but as Hewson says in his book “Introduction to South African Methodist” PG 84 “This was still, however not complete independence as South African conference was in union with and subject to the authority of the British conference “. 3. Union In the beginning of the 20th century there were 3 parts of the Methodist church. I) The Wesleyan Methodist church of Southern Africa This was formed by the districts that formed conference in 1882. II) The Transvaal and Swaziland District. This district was under the British conference and was supported financially by the British Wesleyan Methodist church. III) The primitive Methodist Mission The British started this section in Aliwal North in 1870 and Johannesburg in 1912. Most Methodist agreed that, it was not good to have three different sections of the Methodist church in one country operating differently. (1) There must be one church not many churches and differences do not conform to the word of God. (2) There must be a central Authority that will look after the needs of the Methodist church i.e. The Government not to have any powering the running of the church. (3) Money available to use to build new churches. The integration of these 3 sections happened in 1932 under the leadership of the Dutch Reformed church. NB Back page of 14: Structure of the Methodist church of SA. 4. Later Development of the Methodist Church The Methodist church has Societies Circuits and Districts. The Bishop and the chairman head districts. The conference is the high court of the Methodist church in all countries. 5. The Methodist belief 1) Methodism is practical Christianity 2) Involves purity of the soul that is shown by the fruits of the spirit e.g. Love; Peace etc Galatians 5.22. 3) Involves the whole community- has social dimensions. 4) Has 5 universals as follows I) Every man has a savior The greater sin that befall all human kind must be the main the focus to be fought above all other sins. The 1st catechism say “We are all born in sin if not for the grace of God we would all perish in sin ”St Paul in Romans 7.14-25 also speaks about this sin that govern our bodies .He says in verse 24 “Who shall save the from this body of sin”. II) Every man can find a Savior The Methodists do not believe that salvation comes by election and by birth (Calvinism) but they believe that all man can be saved and Salvation is free by the grace of God (Armenian). It is the Methodist wish that all must be saved because God’s grace is enough for all. III) Every man can know that he is saved. John Wesley first experienced salvation from the Moravians in a ship on his way to America. When the ship was almost sinking he was scared but the Moravians (under Rev Peter Bohler) were calm and carried on singing with their wives and children. Peter Bohler explained to him then that they were not scared of death because they were saved and believed in God without hesitation. IV) Every man can be saved to the uttermost The Methodist believe that all men can reach spiritual maturity where the body is one with the soul. This means that as we grow in faith and in our knowledge of God. We come close to the measure of the fullness of Christ. Eph 4:13. V) Every man can witness to his savior To testify about salvation is to spread the good news that we were saved by the blood of Jesus, so he can have eternal life. St Paul says in 2Cor 5:2 “we are ambassadors for Christ”. 6. The Methodist Way of Worshiping. I) Reading of Bible. The old and new Testament agrees. The promises made in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the new, because our Christology is rooted in Judaism. We believe the whole Bible is the word of God from the 1st book to the last book. II) Apostles Creed ( Ingxelo yenkolo-Ndiyakholwa) We believe the Apostles creed includes all aspects of the Christian belief and therefore we should strive to live our lives by it. III) Preaching Preaching is important because the word of God needs to be explained so it is easier for us to understand. Explaining and interpreting the scriptures is not easy, therefore we need to ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit before we attempt to. Peter and other Apostles got the power to spread the word after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. IV) Music Methodism was born in music. Charles Wesley, younger brother of John wrote the first Methodist songs e.g. (1) O For a thousand tongues to Sing (2) Jesus, lover of my soul (3) Let me to thy bosom fly (4) Grace to cover all my sin (5) Amazing love! How can it be? Other composers followed in Charles Wesley and produced other songs praising God and calling people to worship e.g. “Thixo akunangqaleko, Thixo akunangqibeko” H.H. Dugmore “Nzulu yemfihlakalo, Nzulu yesimanga” Mark Mbusi “Wakrazulwa ngenxa yami, Liwa laphakade” W.S. Davis “Rock of ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee” A.M. Toplady “Uyabiza ndiyanqwena,zundibize ndize nam” W.S. Davis “Hee! Ba nyoriloeng thong le tle metsing” F. Coibard “Sikuyo Indlela Yelizwe Lobomi” W.S. Davis “Siyakudumisa Thixo, siyakuvuma ukuba unguYehova” Te Deum Laudomas In the scriptures we see how the women sang, praising David after he killed Goliath (1 Psalms 18 6-7) and we see Paul and Silas in the Philippians prison singing in the middle of the door for the doors to open (Acts 16:25). John also in his vision of the Island of Patmos he saw elders, angels and the whole of creation singing songs of joy.

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Friday, 28 October 2011

Halloween

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