WHAT DO AL GORE AND HALLOWEEN
HAVE IN COMMON?

           The following is from a recent edition of Christian
            Crusade Newspaper, P.O. Box 977, Tulsa, OK 
            74102. The newspaper is in its 42nd year of 
            publication and can be E-mailed on 
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            Christian Crusade Newspaper is included. 

            copyright 1993 Christian Crusade Newspaper.
            All rights reserved. 

from CHRISTIAN CRUSADE NEWSPAPER
by Keith Wilkerson, editor
     
      What does Halloween have to do with the Clinton 
administration or the decline of America?
      Has Vice President Al Gore been duped by earth-
goddess worshipers and the Norman Lear crowd, which is 
pleading that America return to spirituality Ñ as long as 
it has nothing to do with Jesus Christ, whose status as 
Òthe only wayÓ offends Moslems, Hindus, Unitarians and 
the new ÒpagansÓ of the New Age Movement?
      Some would have us believe that the forces of terrible 
evil are finally moving in for the kill Ñ howling in 
unheard, demonic delight that the United States has 
finally turned its back on the one true God who made this 
land great and good.
      They say Halloween has been used to desensitize 
generations of Americans to demons, evil spirits and 
witches. They say that todayÕs new generation, including 
such well-meaning people as Al Gore, has been carefully 
prepared for a New Age pseudo-religiousness which will 
drive Christianity from America.
      Is Halloween truly evil? IÕve watched school 
administrators Ñ whom I knew to be devoted Christians 
Ñ squirm uncomfortably under public accusations that 
they are insidious agents of darkness, attempting to coach 
our tender children in the occult. Their sin? They 
permitted the PTA to have a fund-raising Haunted House 
or allowed the eighth grade to throw a Halloween costume 
dance.
      At school board meetings and in church we have heard 
people we respect complain about Halloween observances, 
particularly now that the public schools have been forced 
to purge anything Christian from holiday observances. 
      ÒJesus has been kicked out the schools,Ó goes the 
complaint, Òwhile Satan has been invited in.Ó
      Just yesterday, a friend from our Wednesday night 
home fellowship group called me, upset that her second 
grader had brought home a ghost-story book that ends 
with a chapter speculating that there may be some truth 
to out-of-body experiences, seances and life after death. 
She wanted to know if I thought the teacher was a New 
Ager. I suggested that the worried mom do some 
volunteer work at school Ñ and that she would probably 
find that the teacher is a devoted Baptist or Methodist.
      I personally have always liked Halloween. 
      I loved trick-or-treating as a child. One year, I 
gathered two grocery sacks of goodies. My grandfather, 
who taught the adult Sunday school class at a little 
fundamentalist church in rural Iowa, would laugh and tell 
me about sneaking around on Halloween, tipping over 
privies and soaping windows. 
      But I remember my grandfather worrying that the 
tricksters seemed to get a little more malicious every year. 
I remember talking with him about news accounts of 
DetroitÕs annual DevilÕs Night Ñ and how the fire 
department was battling hundreds of arson fires on 
Halloween. I remember how he took to sitting under the 
mercury light at his used car lot on Halloween night, 
reading his Bible with a loaded shotgun on his lap. 
      I have edited a number of books on the occult Ñ such 
as evangelist Nicky CruzÕs Devil on the Run about his 
childhood in Puerto Rico, raised by spiritualist healers in 
communication with demonic spirits. I share his 
conviction that Christians cannot dabble in darkness and 
remain in communion with Almighty God. I also edited 
Lester SumrallÕs book Exorcism, in which he recounts his 
numerous encounters with demonic entities and warns 
that Christians must have nothing to do with the occult, 
which he says is real and powerful.
      And I have listened to the strident arguments that 
Halloween is evil.
      But I have four children who look forward to dressing 
up on Halloween and going door-to-door gathering treats 
from our neighbors. Our friends always invite my kids in, 
pretending to be scared by my second daughter dressed up 
in her lion suit, or acting like they donÕt recognize my 
youngest son, who is peeking out from under his turban 
and lisping Òtwick oh tweat.Ó
      This year again, I will go with my kids, standing back 
as they knock on each door, reminding them, if they 
forget, to say ÒThank you.Ó We will probably dress up like 
Bible characters again. In her lion suit, my daughter 
explains that she is one of the lions that did not eat 
Daniel. I may put on my old Boy Scout uniform and again 
tell people I am Joshua Ñ the boy who was a scout for 
Moses in the book of Exodus.
      Am I guilty of compromise?
      ÒThere are a number of reasons why I think it is 
unwise for Christian parents to permit their children to go 
door to door collecting candy on Halloween,Ó says 
conservative Christian author and minister John 
MacArthur. ÒFirst of all, dressing up like witches, ghosts, 
or goblins is incompatible with a ChristianÕs testimony.
      ÒÔI think it is wise for parents to give their children a 
creative alternative to celebrating Halloween,Ó says 
MacArthur. ÒThey shouldnÕt feel like theyÕve missed 
something because they are Christians. Our family likes to 
spend Halloween together. We plan special activities that 
are more fun for the kids than begging candy. 
      ÒIn the past, we have all gone out together for ice 
cream, or we might stay home and have a special evening 
together doing something just for them. That way when 
the children face the inevitable pressure of talking with 
their friends about what they did on Halloween, they can 
share their faith in positive terms, rather than having to 
speak of what they canÕt do because of their parentsÕ 
Christian faith.Ó
      Former occultist William J. Schnoebelen agrees, ÒTake 
back this night for the glory of God and remember that 
Ôgreater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!ÕÓ 
(1 John 4:4).
      One successful alternative used by a number of 
churches is a ÒFaith FestivalÓ in which children dress as 
their favorite Bible character and gather for a special 
childrenÕs service with puppets, a Christian film, or a 
Bible-centered carnival. 
      My own youngsters attended a large churchÕs elaborate 
Harvest festival when visiting their grandparents last year. 
At various booths in a big tent on the church lawn, they 
learned how  to shear sheep, milk goats, spin thread, 
weave cloth. hammer copper into sheets, throw pottery on 
a wheel Ñ and make unleaven bread. All four kids came 
away with hand-sawed crosses hanging around their necks 
from leather strips. 
      I believe it gave them a chance to see that being 
Christians doesnÕt mean they have to sit at home while 
everybody else in their class is having fun. 
      ÒMany Christians will allow and even encourage their 
children to pay respect to the devil on October 31 without 
knowing they do so,Ó writes researcher Gloria Phillips of 
Bay View Church in Mobile, Alabama. ÒChurches will fully 
sanction the event with parties that will be decorated with 
witches, cats, brooms, jack-o-lanterns and bobbing apples. 
What is the harm? How did this originate?Ó she writes on 
the Computers for Christ of Chicago network. 
      She writes that the custom of Halloween is traced to 
the Druid festival of the dead. Samhain, a Druid god of the 
dead was honored at the autumnal equinox  in Britain, 
France, Germany and the Celtic countries. Samhain called 
together all wicked souls who died within the past year 
and that were destined to inhabit animals. Suitable food 
and shelter was provided for these spirits or else they 
would cast spells, cause havoc, steal infants, destroy crops, 
kill farm animals and create terror as they haunted the 
living Ñ just like ÒTrick-or-TreatÓ today.
      After the Romans conquered them around 43 A.D, 
there came Christians who discouraged converts from 
participating in heathen activities. Some new believers, 
however, hung onto tradition, transferring their old 
festivities to the Christian festival of All HallowedÕs Eve, 
which was celebrated on October 31, the night before the 
Christian holiday of All HallowedÕs Day.
      Pranks and mischief began to by played out to 
represent the mischievous behavior attributed to the now-
banned spirits, witches and the fairies. Prosperity was 
promised to all who were generous donors, and tricks to 
all who refused during trick-or-treating. 
      Traditional Halloween symbols started showing up in 
the U.S. during the late 1800Õs Ñ perhaps with Irish and 
Scottish immigration. Witches, black cats, deathÕs head 
cut from a pumpkin, candles, masks, parties and pranks 
were used. In rural areas, aggravating and destructive acts 
were done, such as removing gates and placing them atop 
barns. The same was done with outhouses and wagons.
      Phillips believes that it is heathen to celebrate a 
holiday with pagan roots.
      ÒThe Bible instructs us to have nothing to do with the 
deeds of darkness,Ó she writes. ÒBoth Christian and Jew 
are forbidden to participate in the occult practices listed 
in Deuteronomy 18:10. Some may reply, ÔBut we only do 
this in fun...we donÕt practice witchcraft.Õ However, that 
which represents Satan and his domain cannot be handled 
or emulated Ôfor fun.Õ Such participation places you in 
enemy and forbidden territory and that is dangerous 
ground.Ó
      What about the idea that as believers, we can make 
Halloween an opportunity to provide a creative alternative 
to this celebration of darkness?
      ÒWhen I was a new Christian, I was astonished at how 
many churches celebrated Halloween. Some had costume 
parties. Others went so far as to sponsor ÔHaunted HousesÕ 
to raise funds for projects,Ó writes Schnoebelen. ÒPerhaps 
I was more sensitive than most because I had been an 
actual witch!Ó
      ÒChildren are very sensitive,Ó he continues, Òand we 
cannot know what damage we do to them by exposing 
them to bone-rattling terror on Halloween. 2 Timothy 1:7 
teaches that ÔGod hath not given us the spirit of fear; but 
of power, and of love, and of a sound mindÕ We are 
promised in 1 John 4:18 that Ôperfect love casteth out 
fear.Õ
      Innocent thrills are one thing, but in many cases 
terrifying experiences can open up doorways for Satan to 
come in and mess around with their minds. I know that 
my first attraction to witchcraft came right after my being 
utterly terrified during a Halloween night experience.
      ÒEven more fear has emerged recently with the 
realization of the very real danger of children being 
kidnapped for Samhain sacrifices at this season. Our 
ministry has dealt with several cases of either alleged 
ritual kidnapping or ritual abuse by witches and 
satanists,Ó writes Schnoebelen.
      ÒIn the midst of all this, we Christians can know that if 
we bring up our children prayerfully, in the knowledge 
and fear of the Lord and donÕt expose them unnecessarily 
to SatanÕs ministry of fear, we have in us a power that can 
effortlessly turn aside HalloweenÕs evil.
      ÒJesus said, ÔIn the world, ye shall have tribulation: but 
be of good cheer; I have overcome the worldÕ (John 16:33). 
Plead the blood of Jesus and the victory of His cross and 
resurrection over your kids daily. Send them out into the 
world with a hug and the knowledge that you love them 
and that Jesus loves them and lives within them. Do 
spiritual warfare against Samhain and against all the wiles 
of the devil and know that in Jesus we can tear down and 
smash all of the machinery that Satan has devised to come 
against us and our families.
      ÒThough many Christians today think of witches as 
fairy tales with no more reality than the Smurfs, the fact 
is that witchcraft, or Wicca as it is known to its followers, 
is a major religion counting thousands of worshippers.Ó
      Indeed, attendance at SeptemberÕs Parliament of the 
WorldÕs Religions by members of a witches sect was cited 
as the reason that Greek Orthodox  Church 
representatives left the Chicago conference. 
      ÒIt would be inconceivable for Orthodox Christianity 
to establish a perceived relationship with [such] 
groupsÉÓ the delegation said in an official statement. 
ÒThe presence of such groups seems to compromise the 
integrity of the parliamentÕs intended purpose.Ó
      So, the conservative Orthodox delegates left.
      And the witches stayed.
      More trouble followed when the witches demanded the 
right to dance under the full moon in ChicagoÕs Grant 
Park. The American Civil Liberties Union swooped in to 
their rescue Ñ threatening to sue. The matter was 
dropped when the Chicago Park District apologized to 
Phyllis Currott, high priestess of the Covenant of the 
Goddess, described by the Associated Press as Òfollowers of 
Wicca, who worship female deities.Ó
      ÒWicca is the fastest growing religion in America but 
still very misunderstood,Ó said Currott. ÒThis is an 
important opportunity for people to learn who we truly 
are.Ó
      Because of the proliferation of such pagan groups, 
unless there is a turnaround very soon, America is in very 
real danger of becoming a pagan society, says MacArthur. 
Already our entertainment media glorify paganism Ñ 
while never missing an opportunity to paint Christians as 
dull, stupid, legalistic naysayers.
      Recently a group of 150 scholars calling itself the 
Fundamentalism Project published the results of its five 
years of research and branded religious fundamentalists as 
dangerous threats to the stability of society. 
Fundamentalists, under the projectÕs definition, includes 
most evangelicals and certainly the Southern Baptists, 
Assemblies of God, Churches of Christ Ñ and even the 
Roman Catholic Church, because of its militant stand 
against abortion and extramarital sex.
      ÒThey want to change society,Ó said Martin Marty, 
noted religion scholar and professor at the University of 
Chicago Divinity School. ÒAnd they believe they Ñ and 
they alone Ñ have the answer. Everything in the 
fundamentalistÕs world is we vs. them, God vs. Satan, 
black vs. white. They donÕt want to be popular. ... To be 
persecuted or spoken against is a sign they have THE 
truth.Ó
      He told the Associated Press that the project has 
helped produce three of six projected volumes on 
fundamentalism,  program leaders have written two 
spinoff books, consulted on a TV and radio series, and 
their work is believed influential in State Department 
circles.
      Marty predicts fundamentalistsÕ hard-line attitudes 
will shake up in the world in upcoming decades. ÒTheyÕre 
going to keep ripping up governments,Ó he said. ÒThey 
will win some governments. They will change some 
constitutions. There will be a lot of turmoil. There will be 
a lot of blood. There are generations of rough stuff ahead, 
no doubt about it.Ó
      Such growing hostility toward Christians is not 
limited to academic circles. 
      ÒWe have to be careful about how we say ÔJesus,ÕÓ says 
the Rev. James Wieging, a police chaplain in suburban 
Detroit, Òbecause IÕm never sure that the person IÕm 
dealing with is even within the Judeo-Christian heritage. I 
can even offend by referring to Scripture too quickly.Ó
      At a recent meeting of the International Conference of 
Police Chaplains, he and several hundred other chaplains 
talked about the challenges of ministering in an American 
society that is increasingly less Christian. 
      Chaplain Edward Lemerise, a consultant with the 
FBIÕs employee assistance program, said the most 
important contribution a chaplain can make to a police 
officer trying to recover from an addiction is Òto bring up 
God.Ó Lemerise said every addict suffers from Òspiritual 
bankruptcy.Ó
      ÒWe have to get people to start to realize they have to 
heal their relationship with their Creator,Ó he said. 
However, chaplains have to be careful to refer to God in 
unoffensive terms, which usually means not mentioning 
Jesus.
      When pro-life activist Michael Griffin gunned down 
Florida abortionist Dr. David Gunn, Christian groups 
nationwide recoiled in horror at the murder in Pensacola. 
ÒThe violence of killing in the name of pro-life makes a 
mockery of the pro-life cause,Ó proclaimed the U.S. 
Catholic Bishops Conference. 
      Yet their statement went largely ignored by the news 
media. 
      ÒIndeed, the tragedy in Pensacola reveals the vacuum 
in American intellectual discourse created by the growing 
contempt for Christianity,Ó says Ralph Reed of the 
Christian Coalition. ÒA dark thread runs through the 
conventional explanation for Michael GriffinÕs behavior: 
He was a devout Christian. Anthony Lewis of the New 
York Times opined hysterically that the murder in 
Pensacola showed that Ôreligious fanaticsÕ want to impose 
ÔGodÕs word on the rest of us.Õ One news account related 
that Griffin educated his children at home, a practice 
Ôlargely associated with Christian fundamental beliefs.ÕÓ
      How can such hostility to Christianity exist in 
America? 
      ÒWe have experienced as a nation over 150 years of 
strong Christian Biblical influence, but that is rapidly 
declining,Ó says MacArthur. ÒPeople still attend religious 
services, they still say they believe in God when they are 
polled, but for the most part, whatever vestiges of 
Christian religion still pervade our culture are weak and 
compromising, if not cultic and apostate.
      ÒOur nation is now affirming through its leaders, 
through its congresses, its legislative bodies, its courts, 
and its judges a distinctively anti-Christian agenda. 
Anything, and everything that is distinctively Christian is 
being swept away. 
      Indeed, already our schools are bound up by multiple 
layers of Supreme Court decisions that have expelled 
Jesus Christ from classroom Ñ but allow for the 
indoctrination of our children in humanism, the occult, 
and Eastern meditation, which only a few decisions have 
acknowledged as forms of religion.
      ÒThe Christianity that once was part of the fabric of 
our nation is now gone,Ó says MacArthur. ÒBiblical 
morality is assaulted constantly. Materialism, family 
breakup and breakdown, is epidemic. Abortions go on, 
sexual evils, drugs, crime, and pagan education is flooding 
our nation like the Mississippi River, and we canÕt come 
close to coping or dealing with this flood of evil. 
      ÒWe have torn down all of the standards and now we 
canÕt figure out what is right, so we donÕt know what to 
teach. We now have a generation of people who have taken 
the agenda and are running with it. We donÕt have enough 
standards to control them. We donÕt have enough police 
to arrest them. We donÕt have enough courts to process 
them, and we donÕt have enough jails to keep them in.Ó
      Presbyterian author C.S. Lewis, seemed to understand 
that eventually Christianity would be challenged by the 
forces of darkness. in the final days, this would become a 
conflict of fundamentally incompatible faiths. 
      He predicted that Christianity would be challenged by 
the old pagans.
      The New Age worship of pagan gods, Lewis wrote, Òis 
almost as old as we are. It may even be the most primitive 
of all religions ... It is immemorial in India. The Greeks 
rose above it only at their peak ... their successors relapsed 
into the great Pantheistic system of the Stoics. Modern 
Europe escaped it only while she remained predominantly 
Christian.Ó
      And now, it is sweeping American politics. In Vice 
President Al GoreÕs best selling book, Earth in the 
Balance; Ecology and the Human Spirit, he proclaims on 
page 258 that ÒThe richness and diversity of our religious 
tradition throughout history is a spiritual resource long 
ignored by people of faith, who are often afraid to open 
their minds to teachings first offered outside their own 
system of belief.Ó What?
      Gore says Christians have been afraid to open their 
minds to the possibility that there is truth and spiritual 
wisdom in pagan beliefs. He says that we have been 
ignorant by limiting ourselves to biblical Christianity. 
Furthermore, he says, we should no longer be so limited. 
Here are his exact words:
      ÒBut the emergence of a civilization in which 
knowledge moves freely and almost instantaneously 
throughout the world spurred a renewed investigation of 
the wisdom distilled by all faiths.Ó
      Then, if you can believe this, Gore actually embraces 
the worship of ancient goddesses. ÒA growing number of 
anthropologists and archeomythologists,Ó he writes, 
Òargue that the prevailing ideology of belief in prehistoric 
Europe and much of the world was based on the worship 
of a single earth goddess, who was assumed to be the 
fount of all life and who radiated harmony among all 
living things. A goddess religion was ubiquitous 
throughout much of the world until the antecedents of 
todayÕs religions Ñ most of which still have a distinctly 
masculine orientation Éalmost obliterating belief in the 
goddess. The last vestige of organized goddess worship 
was eliminated by Christianity...Ó
      Does anybody really worship goddesses these days? 
      Indeed, there is quite a resurgence of such worship, 
and one of the high days on which pagans do it is 
Halloween. The Samhein Ritual, which is also celebrated 
by some at the autumnal equinox, is preceded by a 
ceremonial supper, then Òwith the usual power raising 
dance,Ó according to a program outline obtained by 
Christian Crusade Newspaper. 
      During one part of the Samhein Ritual, one of the 
celebrants chants: ÒWe gather tonight to celebrate the 
turning of the year. The  harvest has been brought home, 
and now begins the season of rest. This is a time for 
reflection on the past year, and a time to speak once again 
with those who have passed during that time, for on this  
night, the Veil between the worlds is the thinnest.Ó
      He then invokes the presence of various pagan deities 
Òas we celebrate the ancient rites of SummerÕs End. Let us 
praise the Earth, our mother, and give thanks for all that  
She has provided for us in this year passing. (All bend and 
kiss the Earth.)Ó
      Another celebrant takes a chalice, then salutes various 
entities, including Ògods and goddesses of other lands. We 
acknowledge your presenceÉÓ
      What follows gives an insight into the  apparently 
fearsome nature of these pagan deities: ÒBe at peace with 
us and tarry not here this night.Ó In other words, the 
pagan gods and goddesses are politely asked to move along 
Ñ and not stay. In other portions of the lengthy rite, 
celebrants salute by name a pagan deity which they then 
call the Ògoddess of life, war, death and rebirth. Shelter us 
beneath your wings as we speak with those beneath your 
guidance.Ó
      The rite concludes with Ò(All to meet at Dance 
meadow for post-rite chanting. Special instructions to be 
given at briefing. Party to follow.)Ó
      ThatÕs certainly a ceremony unworthy of the Vice 
President of the United States, wouldnÕt you say? Can you 
imagine John Adams, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, 
Richard Nixon or any other American vice president 
suggesting that his fellow Americans participate in such?
      ÒThough I appreciate Al GoreÕs good intentions, IÕm 
concerned about his beliefs,Ó writes Christian researcher 
Berit Kjos. ÒWill his convictions fuel AmericaÕs growing 
enchantment with earth-centered religions?Ó
      What does Gore say that he believes? ÒMy own faith is 
rooted in the unshakable belief in God as creator and 
sustainer, a deeply personal interpretation of and 
relationship with Christ,Ó Ñ well, that is wonderful, until 
you read the rest of the sentence, in which he embraces 
the ancient paganism that God is in everybody as well as 
in the trees and rocks and streams. Here is the complete 
sentence, ÒMy own faith is rooted in the unshakable belief 
in God as creator and sustainer, a deeply personal 
interpretation of and relationship with Christ, and an 
awareness of a constant and holy spiritual presence in all 
people, all life and all thingsÓ (p.368).
      And Gore says this is where all religion must end up 
eventually.
      ÒFar from being the final religious refinement,Ó wrote 
Lewis, paganism Òis in fact the permanent natural bent of 
the human mind; the permanent ordinary level below 
which man sometimes sinks, but above which his own 
unaided efforts can never raise him for very long. 
      ÒIt is the attitude into which the human mind 
automatically falls when left to itself. No wonder we find it 
congenial. If ÒreligionÓ means simply what man says about 
God, and not what God does about man, then Pantheism 
almost is religion. And religion in that sense has, in the 
long run, only one really formidable opponent Ñ namely 
Christianity.Ó
      Why? Because it is only Christianity that refuses to 
bend to the others. It will not be homogenized into the 
New Age hodgepodge Ñ because true Christians will not 
surrender one vital tenet of faith: That Jesus Christ is the 
only way to earthly happiness, salvation by grace, and 
everlasting life.
      ÒAs born-again disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we 
will soon come face-to-face with seemingly irrefutable 
evidence of our own irrelevance,Ó warns MacArthur. 
Society will decide that it does not need Christianity. 
      And we are all going to face new challenges far, far 
more threatening than whether or not to let our children 
go trick-or-treating. But as we are presented with these 
challenges, we must week the LordÕs wisdom Ñ just like 
parents wrestling with whether or not to let their children 
observe Halloween.
      Only by depending on our great and mighty God will 
the coming generation survive and even thrive in a pagan 
America. God will protect our kids and grandkids, just as 
he protected Joseph in heathen Egypt and Daniel in pagan 
Babylon. 
      But we must pray fervently for revival. Russia was 
pagan a thousand years ago, then Christian, then suffered 
through 70 years of godless communistic tribulation Ñ 
but now is experiencing incredible revival. Throughout 
Africa, great revival is also underway Ñ in a land known 
for its heathenism. In China, the underground home 
church movement is sweeping that land of legendary 
paganism.
      So, if there is hope for Russia and Africa and China, 
then there is hope for America!
      The Bible warns us that we can realistically expect the 
bulk of humanity to reject Jesus Christ in favor of false, 
easy religions that pander to the pride and perversity of 
manÕs fallen nature. 
      Jesus spoke of two roads: the narrow way which leads 
to life, and the broad way which leads to death. Just as 
there is only one Truth, there is really only one lie, 
though it may take many forms. Although the broad road 
has many Òlanes,Ó they all lead to the same place in the 
end. 
      Are the forces of terrible evil finally moving in for the 
kill Ñ howling in unheard, demonic delight that the 
United States has finally turned its back on God? Consider 
the strange new utterances coming from one of American 
ChristianityÕs chief opponents, TV producer Norman Lear.
      Recently, he criticized newspaper columnist Charles 
Krauthammer for scoffing at Hillary ClintonÕs call for a 
Ònew politics of meaningÓ to cure the Òspiritual vacuumÓ 
afflicting America. ÒWe need to make room in the culture 
for a public discussion of our common spiritual life,Ó 
wrote Lear in a guest column in the Washington Post. 
ÒWe need to rediscover together what is truly sacred.Ó
      Re-discover? 
      ÒFor most Americans there is no need to rediscover 
the transcendent,Ó retorted Krauthammer. ÒThey live with 
it.Ó
      It is called Christianity.
      ÒA liberal, radically alienated from religion, may need 
to rediscover the spiritual,Ó wrote Krauthammer. ÒBut for 
the 94 percent of Americans who believe in God and the 
nearly half who go to church on Sundays, there is no need 
to rediscover anything. Now, if Norman Lear were just 
some Hollywood mogul, this might be dismissed as yet 
another Beverly Hills bubblehead pronouncing himself in 
the Age of Clinton.
      ÒBut Norman Lear is no ordinary Hollywood liberal,Ó 
noted Krauthammer. Lear is the founder of People for the 
American Way, a liberal advocacy group that calls for a  
strict separation of church and state. In the recent Lee v. 
Weisman case before the U.S. Supreme Court, People for 
the American Way argued successfully that prayer by 
clergy at high school graduations should be declared 
unconstitutional. 
      The latest edition of LearÕs newsletter, ÒRight-Wing 
Watch,Ó warns that Christian groups are searching for 
ways to get around the Weisman decision. The newsletter 
also cautions against such Christian threats as the ÒSee 
You at the PoleÓ event, a nationwide evangelical event 
encouraging students to arrive at their schoolÕs flagpole 
for a prayer session before the start of class.Ó
      LearÕs fear of such a prayer circle, writes 
Krauthammer, brings us Òto the crux of the liberalsÕ 
problem with spirituality. They want a spiritual revival, 
but are discomfited by religion, the most reliable and 
enduring carrier of spirituality known to man. Lear is so 
embarrassed to talk about religion that the word does not 
once appear in his column on the new spirituality. Instead 
we get mush about how Ôwe need to rediscover together 
what is truly sacred.Õ To quote Tonto in the old story, 
ÔWhat do you mean we, paleface?ÕÓ
      Lear and anti-Christian activists like him, writes 
Krauthammer, are undermining what remains of the 
Christian ties that hold Americans together. Having 
succeeded grandly at stripping public life of Christianity, 
Òthey wake up one morning surprised to discover that our 
common life is spiritually empty. Their solution Ñ some 
newfangled, New Age, new spirituality Ñis a guilty and 
pitiful substitute for what they have wantonly 
dismantled.Ó
      True, but it accomplishes a long-term goal Ñ a 
populist religion without Jesus Christ. This is SatanÕs 
greatest desire, for mankind to follow after a renovated 
paganism that spurns Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
      Will the opponents of Christ, such as Lear and 
company, succeed in establishing their New Age 
spirituality? Perhaps, but remember that the very gates of 
Hell cannot prevail against the Church. The battle may 
become intense very soon, but we are guaranteed the final 
victory.
      Has Halloween been used to desensitize generations of 
Americans to paganism? Has todayÕs new generation been 
prepared for this New Age religion which will attempt to 
drive Christianity from American soil? Like Israel, which 
witnessed GodÕs miracles as it conquered the Promised 
Land, is America turning away from the God of our fathers 
and instead to idols?
      The situation does look grim.
      But false gods do not satisfy the yearning in menÕs 
hearts for communion with the One True and Loving God. 
Without Him, every man and woman on earth suffers 
from an emptiness that only the Almighty Father can fill. 
So let us pray that this generation, which has been taught 
to question all authority, can be counted on to continue 
searching for answers when those offered by Al Gore and 
Norman Lear turn out to be empty and meaningless.
      After all, communism inflicted such an incredible 
spiritual void on people that today millions from Albania 
to Mongolia are doing all they can to learn about Jesus.
      So, this Halloween, let us pray that our nationÕs 
unfaithfulness to the God of our fathers will not result in 
the destruction that God unleashed on His Chosen People 
in ancient days.
      This Halloween, drop inspirational, child-oriented 
tracts into trick-or-treaterÕs bags Ñ along with a special 
candy treat that tells kids that Christians are even more 
generous than other people. Check with your local 
GideonÕs InternationalÑ some local chapters or ÒcampsÓ 
of this Bible-distribution organization will provide you 
with little New Testaments for Halloween giveaway. 
      Ask your pastor if you can help organize an October 31 
Faith Festival Ñ and give your congregationÕs children a 
place to bring their friends in out of the darkness. This 
will be hard work Ñ expect to entertain scores of children 
for up to three hours. You will need to enlist lots of 
volunteers. Anticipate spending five hours in preparation 
for every hour that you will host the kids.
      If you stay home, as each trick-or-treater leaves your 
doorstep, offer a special, silent prayer over them. Ask the 
Lord to protect and guide them and lead their feet along 
the narrow path of righteousness Ñ as they venture out 
into contemporary AmericaÕs pagan, dangerous and 
unknown future.
            


WHAT IS CHRISTIAN CRUSADE NEWSPAPER?
      Christian Crusade Newspaper is in its 
42nd year as a monthly voice of Christian conservativism. 
It has a worldwide circulation and is published by 
Christian Crusade, P.O. Box 977, Tulsa, OK 74102. 
     The newspaper is distributed free, without charge, to 
subscribers as a result of the conviction of its founder
that the newspaper was not to put a price-tag on 
the gospel. For your free subscription, just ask. 
     We can be E-mailed a number of ways:
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          on Compuserve at 72204,541, 
          via the Internet as bjhargis@aol.com ,
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          on Accuracy in MediaÕs AIMNET via Rob Kerby,
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