Looking Toward Reformation Day
by Candice Watters on 10/30/2007 at 10:51 AM
This time last year we were debating on the Line about the merits of participating in Halloween. In addition to commentary about the slutty and grotesque nature of current costumes -- even for small children -- we went back and forth about trick-or-treating vs. staying home.
This year we're going to branch out (after getting candy, preferably chocolate, from our closest neighbors, of course) and attend a Reformation Day celebration at Motte's church. Should be fun. The kids are excited about it and I'm eager to learn more about the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Door at Wittenberg.
What's everyone else planning for Wednesday?
1. John D. said the following at 11:17 AM on Oct 30:
Nothing to do with the deeply pagan Halloween, that's for sure.
Right now Wednesday night is looking like a tie between cleaning the bathroom and doing laundry.
2. J.T. said the following at 11:45 AM on Oct 30:
My church is planning a prayer vigil for our pastor's eight-year-old son who had a seizure last week, and might need brain surgery.
3. Diane said the following at 12:11 PM on Oct 30:
We are going to a Harvest Party for an outdoor chicken stew and chili (free) and "Trunk -r- Treat". These cars decorate the backs of their cars in bible themes, kids can come in non-scary costumes with no masks and get some candy and bible verses. It was a lot of fun. Our three year old is a lion this year and was a chicken last. I did, however, get my two month old a snap suit that said "I love my mummy." sigh. I know, I know.
4. Dan Gill said the following at 12:24 PM on Oct 30:
We will be helping with our Fall Fest at church. This is actually a big outreach day for us. If past experience is any indication, we should have about 1000 non-members show up. People want a safe place to take their kids for a little fun and a sugar binge. We are that place.
5. Morgan said the following at 12:48 PM on Oct 30:
The funny thing is, I have a friend, who was formerly a witch (long story, but Alpha is wonderful) who says that Wiccans hate Halloween as much as some Christians, because it commercialises a day they hold sacred.
Anyhow. I was thinking about trick-or-treating with some Anglican pals, but instead I got roped into organising a childrens alternative party at my church, so I guess I'll be doing that.
It's not as big a deal here in England, but there are still the usual debates. The candy is good on sale on the 1st, either way. ;)
6. P&P said the following at 1:05 PM on Oct 30:
The pumpkin was carved this weekend, "Mr. Bones," the wood skeleton is beside the back door and candy has been purchased. I shall be wearing my pointy hat.
Maybe it's because I'm from a different era or just plain 'ol liberal, but I see nothing wrong with going from house to house getting candy.
My church used to host the little kids activities after the Costume parade on the town common complete with bobbed apples, cartoons, old Abbott & Costello movies (A&C Meet the Mummy, etc.) and a pot luck for the parents; nothing bible-related at all. It was part of serving the greater community and was good fun for all involved.
Maybe this is too liberal for some, but I think it's a great way to introduce a congregation to a community. 'Sides, what's wrong with watching Abbott & Costello while eating pumpkin cookies?
7. k. said the following at 1:05 PM on Oct 30:
I'll be handing out candy!
8. Loris said the following at 1:55 PM on Oct 30:
I'll probably go to a friend's house (in costume) and eat candy and watch a cheesy horror film. Since none of us has seen it and the movie is supposed to be really, really bad, we're hoping for a Mystery Science Theater atmosphere.
That said, I see absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating Halloween.
9. Melissa said the following at 2:00 PM on Oct 30:
We live on a country street where the houses are too far apart for the kids to go house to house and beg for candy so we don't have to hide in the back of the house with the lights off! lol
October 31st is Reformation Day for us. We have a few games (Pin the Theses on the Wall and Throw the Indulgences in the Trash), eat a quasi-german meal consisting of crackers, special chesses, tater-tots, pickles, turkey sausage, etc, talk about why we celebrate the day, and watch a Martin Luther DVD. It's a blast and I look forward to it all year! :)
10. Ted Slater said the following at 2:07 PM on Oct 30:
Melissa -- I had to LOL at the games you play. I am disappointed, however, by the "quasi-german" meal that you have planned. Come on -- it's not that difficult to throw together some spaetzle and brats. With a bit more work, you can even have homemade German potato salad and sauerbraten.
11. John D. said the following at 2:13 PM on Oct 30:
And don't forget the red cabbage!
Beer is optional, I suppose, even though Luther was fond of it.
12. Diane said the following at 2:34 PM on Oct 30:
I got a parenting book at the homeschool-fest and it talked about Reformation Day activities and I guess I just thought it was isolated and that only I and a few would be (geeky) "theological" enough to think it would be fun. I am really wanting to see this in action now!
13. Tami said the following at 3:53 PM on Oct 30:
Melissa, that's just too much! I would totally attend that. :)
For the longest time, I have wanted to dress up as Katharina von Bora. I haven't been betrothed to my Martin Luther yet, though, so that'll have to wait a while. :)
14. Bridget Lyle said the following at 4:30 PM on Oct 30:
Not to spoil anybody's fun, but does anybody remember that the story of Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the door was apocryphal in the first place? October 31st, 1517, was the day Luther sent a letter to his superiors, denouncing the sale of indulgences, that included the 95 Theses. Luther himself never mentioned nailing anything to the door, and the first account of the event was written by Philipp Melanchthon, who wasn't even in Wittenberg at the time.
[This information came mostly from the luther.de website].
I'm catholic, so I'll be celebrating All Saints on the first.
15. Kate said the following at 4:51 PM on Oct 30:
My roommate and I are driving home for break! We might make it in time to go to the halloween party a couple of families w/small kids are doing (my little brothers will probably go as cowboys or indians). I'm sure we'll probably pick up some candy along the way, hehehe!
Just out of curiosity, as I've never heard of reformation day before, why would you want to celebrate something that ripped apart the church and many people's lives, religion-wise?
16. Jo said the following at 5:06 PM on Oct 30:
I think Halloween is a lot bigger in America than it is here. Also I think (from my experience) Christians in general seem to be a lot more okay with it in America than they are here. I've never celebrated Halloween, and I don't know any 'real' Christians (ones with a living faith rather than just those who pay lip-service) who do. It seems a very foreign concept to me that Christians would be happy to celebrate Halloween.
As to what we do instead... Well, I used to work with a Christian schools project who also put on a Saturday morning club once a term, and one year they organised a very similar Christian club/party as an alternative to Halloween parties. I think the theme was light. And my Mum always kindly tells Trick-or-Treaters that she's a Christian and doesn't celebrate Halloween, but if they come back the day after (All Saints Day), they can have a treat then. I also know someone who offers to pray for them as their treat. :)
17. Beth said the following at 5:56 PM on Oct 30:
Motte's wife here. I thought I'd chime in about the Reformation Day thing after Diane's concern about the "geekiness" of it. Our kids are 8 and 5 and we did try to do a "Clean-Halloween" for the first few years, when they were toddlers. But as we strolled around the neighborhood with our smiling little cowgirl and pumpkin-baby, something seemed a little inconsistent or even hypocritical in our parenting. As a 13-year-old "Freddie-thing" walked by and then another dead-looking creature with a a knife stuck in his head staggered toward us, I wondered, How does delighting in death, hell and sin point my children to Christ and what is holy, pure, honorable? Somehow that part of it led me to a new conviction about Halloween. Sure, they loved the spoils of candy and seeing a few neighborhood pals in costume but the images that were left in their mind of death, horror, blood and general creepiness have their own consequences in the heart of a child.
This will be our 3rd year celebrating the Reformation and I admit our church does a fabulous job with making it fun (my daughter would argue MORE fun) than the alternative creep show.
18. DanL said the following at 6:00 PM on Oct 30:
I’ll be having dinner with an old friend who is coming into town, her sister and her sister’s husband who is from Transylvania. (I’m serious.)
19. James said the following at 6:50 PM on Oct 30:
I'm not doing anything this Halloween, but that's b/c I couldn't get any of my potential costumes lined up soon enough (for the record, I was debating between 3 possibilities: John Piper, Charles Wesely, or Martin Luther......and for the latter, I'd be handing out copies of the 95 Thesis :-p).
I think for the next several years I'll dress up as a different famous theologian, church father, or reformer. That way, I can enjoy dressing up and going to costume parties, but at the same time it'll be an open door to talking about thing spiritual to others who may not know Christ (and maybe getting chuckles from those who do.....like I'll have a toy riding horse with me as a prop :-p).
20. Claire said the following at 6:54 PM on Oct 30:
Probably not doing much this year, except paperwork for work... Used to live in England and there is definitely a smaller population of children who go out to get candy than in the States. My dad used to put tiny "scrolls" in with the treats that had bible verses on them. The next year, a kid came round saying "do you have any of those scrolls?" It was very cute and a way to point people to the One we should really be celebrating.
21. kim said the following at 8:12 PM on Oct 30:
My hand bell choir at church is playing for the opening night of our church's missions conference on Wednesday. We've done Reformation Day before too...sometimes we watch the movie "Luther" starting Joseph Fiennes, and talk about what exactly happened.
I want to say, as a mom, I agree with what Beth wrote about having an epiphany about Halloween while out trick or treating with her kids. My own children can't stand to be around the absolute grotesque costumes that so many around us have, and even they know that they don't need any more candy! Thankfully we usually can find something else to do on that day.
22. DannieA said the following at 11:10 PM on Oct 30:
Handing out candy...eating a few pieces myself and photographing the two cutest dogs in their halloween outfits. My "baby" is a ladybug and my "brother" (my parent's dog) is a pumpkin.
I say to each family follow your heart in doing what is best for your families moral values.
BTW off topic...I LOVE German potato salad.
23. Chris Krycho said the following at 11:27 PM on Oct 30:
Just out of curiosity, as I've never heard of reformation day before, why would you want to celebrate something that ripped apart the church and many people's lives, religion-wise?
While that was a regrettable consequence of reactions to the Reformation on both sides, and particularly ion the political world, we do not celebrate that: we celebrate instead the return to a Biblically centered view that elevates Scripture over tradition - the foundation of the modern Protestant Church. (Feel free to disagree theologically, but that's why we're celebrating. :-) )
24. BDB said the following at 12:37 AM on Oct 31:
My church has something called Trunk or Treat. It involves cars in the parking lot giving out candy to people in (reportedly) happy costumes of some kind. I think about 7,000 people came last year. I have no idea where I'm going to park.
But there were hardly any trick-or-treaters at my house last year anyway. Most of the kids on my street are too old - they'll be driving their Honda Civics somewhere I suppose...
25. Jo said the following at 3:52 AM on Oct 31:
I heard on the radio this morning that on Saturday, a man dressed as a dead person with blood and gore and so on, fell asleep on the train on the way home from the party he'd been to, and some other people on the train caused a big fuss because they thought he'd been murdered.
It's oddly funny, but really it's quite horrifying. :S
26. Joseph said the following at 4:44 AM on Oct 31:
I'm about to take part in a costume run with my unit, should be close to 10,000 of us running this morning. It should be fun... or at least funny to watch.
27. Patricia said the following at 5:55 AM on Oct 31:
I'm a little bit uneasy with the idea that we should celebrate Reformation Day. Regardless of how necessary one thinks the Reformation was, it seems a bit like celebrating a divorce. Understanding the reasons behind the Reformation is important, but to "celebrate" it seems wrong-especially since Jesus prayed for the unity of Christians. Luther mourned his separation from the Catholic Church and it seems to me we should, too.
28. Christina said the following at 7:05 AM on Oct 31:
Kate,
Change always brings suffering, but there was a point in church history where change was absolutely necessary.
At this point, the Catholic church was the only church and their way was law.
Luther opposed many of their practices because they fed off the superstitions of people and were completely unbiblical. Indulgences were sold to people claiming that if you bought one for someone, it would keep them out of purgatory. Men were handing out life's savings to keep their entire families out of a church-created realm where sins caused in this life were burned/tortured out of you before you could go to heaven. These were sold originally to pay for the building of St. Peter's Basilica, but was such a popular/lucrative idea that it was used to fund the Crusades and other projects as well...
And that's just one reason why the reformation started in the church. However, coincidentally and rather fascinating i might add, the social reformation took place at the same time - and just made the thing a lot messier. That was a lot more violent...peasant revolts, the storming of castles, bloody massacres...
29. Carrie said the following at 7:21 AM on Oct 31:
A good friend of mine was born 25 years ago today. I will be celebrating their birth.
Halloween has translated to a birthday celebration the last half dozen years or so for me.
30. Christina said the following at 7:26 AM on Oct 31:
I was supposed to fly down to Nassau today for a mission trip. Tropical Storm Noel has thwarted our plans, so I'll be spending today resting in the Lord's sovereignty.
31. fun loving gal said the following at 8:08 AM on Oct 31:
will be going to a free rock concert by a local Christian band that offers laser tag as well....
32. Kate said the following at 8:21 AM on Oct 31:
Chris and Christina--
Thank you for your answers. While I do disagree, theologically, I really, really appreciate the kindness of your responses. Now I've my 'fact for the day' ;)
Happy celebrating in whatever you're doing, everybody!
33. JQ said the following at 8:33 AM on Oct 31:
I suppose that I personally am looking toward All Saints Day, the Holy Day tomorrow. I'm starting my celebration today by going to mass and, somewhat unrelatedly, having dinner with my fiance and his family and then meeting with our priest for the beginning of our preparations for the sacrament of marriage which we have coming up next August. As far as halloween goes, preparing for marriage is much more exciting to me right now than any halloween festivities. :)
Here's some food for thought on Halloween though, and while it might start some debate (which I don't necessarily mean to do), it could also shed a different light on the subject. God bless!
http://www.catholicexchange.com/en/node/59511
34. nikki said the following at 9:00 AM on Oct 31:
I have to go to class, then my mom's b-day celebration after that. I'll hand out candy if there are any kids around, because I LOVE to do that!
It's always been really weird to me that churches sometimes have "harvest parties" instead of halloween parties. Everyone knows it's a halloween party anyways, because even if you're dressed up like Moses, it's still a costume and you still get candy...and it's still on Halloween!! I have also never heard about Reformation Day but it sounds like something that was started to "go against" typical halloween celebrations. In other words, a little obscure/lame. But whatever you want to do with your Wednesday night is fine with me, as long as you're not glorying in sin.
35. Carrie said the following at 11:53 AM on Oct 31:
nikki -- you need to do your homework about Reformation Day before making such statements.
It was back on October 31st, 1517 Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of Wittenburg, changing the course of Western religion, politics, and culture.
It's actually not going against typical Halloween celebrations as it is recognizing a very significant historical and religious event.
36. Louise said the following at 11:58 AM on Oct 31:
Luther had a distinct history of not submitting to authority.
His father wanted him to be a lawyer but he decided to leave law school to become a monk.
Then he defied his church authorities.
I thought this website advocated submission to authority. A recent question and answers on Boundless instructed a young woman not to go against her parents in her choice of work (she wanted to join the Marine Corp.)
I have my own interpetion of "honor your parents" BTW.
I find it interesting that this site, which always seems to advocate submission to authority, would celebrate such an event.
Don't get me wrong. I don't dislike Luther's actions.
But I find a definite contradiction here.
37. Carrie said the following at 12:33 PM on Oct 31:
Louise, if Luther didn't do what he did, Focus on the Family wouldn't exist.
FOTF and Boundless condone the submission to godly authority. When Luther was told to go out and "commit some real sins to repent of", I think anyone at Boundless and FOTF would condone rebelling against such authority.
Then again, if Luther didn't exist, this whole conversation may not be taking place.
38. Ted Slater said the following at 12:42 PM on Oct 31:
Louise, you wrote: "I thought this website advocated submission to authority."
That's not entirely accurate. We advocate appropriate submission to legitimate authority. See "Obey Your Pastor?" for a good explanation of what I'm talking about. The author even provides an example of when it's appropriate to disobey church "authority."
After reading the article, please let me know if you still see a contradiction between what we've posted here and what we discuss in our webzine.
39. Patricia said the following at 12:52 PM on Oct 31:
Carrie, I understand your point, but if you look at the Reformation from another perspective, Luther broke his vows to God when he left the church and his position as a monk. Becoming a priest, monk, nun, etc is similar to undertaking marriage in Catholic theology-except the bride is the Church. Luther left his "marriage" and vows and while some may argue it was necessary, I don't think it's something to celebrate but to reflect and on remember.
40. Motte said the following at 12:57 PM on Oct 31:
Louise (and other Reformation slanderers):
Luther submitted to the Highest Authority...God's Word.
The church in the middle ages wanted to keep the Bible out of the hands of the people because it had added corrupt practices like the sale of indulgences, and the treasury of the merits of the saints. Luther's "95 Theses" attacked these practices as unbiblical, which they were. And when asked by the Pope and the bishops to recant, he courageously responded, "Unless I shall be convinced by the testimonies of the Scriptures or by evident reason, I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted, and my conscience is held captive by the word of God."
God used the Reformation to preserve the authority of the Bible and the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone.
I take it from your posts that either you do not believe this or you did not know this. Why else would you belittle Luther and the significance of the Reformation?
41. Patricia said the following at 1:10 PM on Oct 31:
Motte-
I attend a Reformed Church so I am aware of the doctrines of sola scriptura, faith alone, and grace alone. My point is not to belittle the Reformation but to think more deeply about its meaning for a church and why the church today is divided. And, frankly, an overwhelming percent of the population in the middle ages could not read so hearing scripture orally was the primary way people learned it (this was also I believe largely true in ancient Israel).
42. Louise said the following at 1:18 PM on Oct 31:
Mr. Brown, I take personal exception to your last comment.
I did not "slander" the Reformation or the actions of Martin Luther.
And I assure you sir I am well informed re the events of the Reformation. As a senior in high school I won a $500.00 German club scholarship after writing an essay on Luther and the Reformation.
I merely expressed my opinion that I personally saw a contradiction re the concept of submitting to authority.
43. Carrie said the following at 2:15 PM on Oct 31:
Patricia,
"an overwhelming percent of the population in the middle ages could not read so hearing scripture orally was the primary way people learned it"
This is exactly why the Church was in such a sorry state. They were only being told bits and pieces of Scripture, not the whole thing. When Luther read through all of the Scriptures, he saw the parts that weren't being taught -- and it made one heck of a difference.
The Church today is divided because the literacy rate is much higher today than it was in the middle ages and the printing press was invented. People interpret the Scriptures they hold in their lap, not based on what they are taught, but by what they "feel" is the correct interpretation.
So, you see this great day in the history of Christianity ought be to celebrated because of the all doors of religious freedom it opened up. Not just remembered and reflected upon because we are still divided.
44. Melissa said the following at 2:18 PM on Oct 31:
Ted- I'm with you on the real German meal but I'm the only one who would eat it.
We did the real thing our first year and although it was made from authentic recipies and was totally non-scary food consisting of potatoes, apples, onions, sausage, cabbage, and other stuff in various dishes, everyone but me hated it.
I picketed for a few years before giving up. However, I always insist on sauerkraut (which may be considered scary by some, and yes, I'm the only one who eats it). :)
45. Bridget Lyle said the following at 7:22 PM on Oct 31:
Motte,
All other points aside, the Roman Catholic church never taught that salvation could be purchased through indulgences; the Roman Catholic church was fighting this, as heresy, since the third century. The practice of selling indulgences came from degenerate elements within the church seeking personal profit (much like some of today's televangelists). Luther's protests were against these corrupt clergy who were distorting the faith, not against genuine Catholic teachings.
46. Lois said the following at 7:46 PM on Oct 31:
Haha! Funny! I'm going to Bible school, and I'm on the student council. "Reformation Day Celebration" is what we planned for tonight. Games of Capture the Flag (that gets real fun at night!), lots of candy, bobbing for apples, volleyball with a HUGE ball, and then a modified version of soccer (you run around like a crab -- real good exercise!) were included in the evening, and it ended with pumpkin carving. It was a great night. One of the best this year.
47. Louise said the following at 8:50 PM on Oct 31:
Mr. Slater, I have read the article.
I understand your point however IMO "legitimate authority" is a subjective concept.
Who decides what is legitimate and what is not?
On the "Get Married or Break up" thread I posed a question re biblical marriage roles and what people should do if their personalities do not fit the required behavior patterns.
I asked for honest opinions and in turn there were a lot of comments which focused on the importance of submitting to authority.
48. Mandi said the following at 10:49 PM on Oct 31:
Christina,
You said, "At this point, the Catholic church was the only church and their way was law".
Actually, the Orthodox Church was still (and has always been) in existence since the 1st century. Christianity is not nearly as Western or European in origin as we'd like to think in North America. And salvation by indulgences is not something Orthodoxy has ever contemplated or accepted.
Blessings! :)
49. Leah said the following at 9:08 AM on Nov 1:
Again, I love Australia. Not much Halloween here ^_^ It's trying to burst onto the scene, but
a) there are Christians resisting and
b) there are secular Aussies resisting what they see as an intrusion of American culture ;)
Lois: Capture the flag at night time is AWESOME. Especially if you allow full-body-contact tackling. (I advise this only for univeristy aged students, and not teenagers or kids :P). And I hate crab soccer. It's too much work :P
Bridget: Luther may have been protesting against those degenerate people but he was *certainly* protesting against the church itself as well. There is no debate among bible scholars in reference to that as far as i have seen.
Patricia: I woudl argue that "marriage" was to the church, not God. As it was a corrupt Church walking away from God, I think Luther was well within his rights to break off that "marriage".