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LearningFreedom · (This post was last modified: 11-01-2011 09:30 AM by LearningFreedom.)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...e=1&ref=nf

^^^That is the original facebook post on the Casting Crowns fb page.

And here is the "rebuttal"...

To those of you who are bashing me for "celebrating Halloween" this was not a Halloween costume. I found it in storage today and put it on for this picture.

Also we had fall festival at our church tonight and reached around 4000 people.

I sure hope some of you treat people that you DO know better than you treat people that you don't.

Just a thought.
Mark
found at http://www.facebook.com/castingcrowns?sk=wall

Just go check out all the comments for yourself. While there is an overwhelming majority of support for Mark and CC... there are a few extreme judgmentalists there.

So what do you think??? Honestly, I don't consider Casting Crowns to be IFB... I didn't start listening to them until I left fundydom. It was not "approved music" in my circle of IFBX. Yet, there are those who listen to them, and link to Casting Crowns on FB and then condemn them for halloween participation???? Wow, now that is extreme! And very double-standard according to my genre of IFB.

I'm not judging Casting Crowns... I mean the ones who listen to them (not IFB approved music) and then turn around and condemn them for participating in halloween!!!

So what do you all think? What is your take on all of this? I just found it humorously interesting reading on FB this morning. Wink

Josh · 11-01-2011, 09:09 AM

I can understand his response from the perspective that he may be treading lightly so he wouldn't unnecessarily offend more people. On the other hand, when I dress up in a costume to hand out candy to kids on the evening of October 31st, I have no qualms about calling that "celebrating Halloween," because that's precisely what I was doing. That's what Mark was doing, too, though he [understandably] didn't want to call it that. I think that just because IFBs and many conservative evangelicals think that "celebrating Halloween" means "worshiping Satan," that doesn't mean I can't use the term to mean what the vast majority has decided that it means in modern times.

**Tiarali** · (This post was last modified: 11-01-2011 09:24 AM by Tiarali.)

Alright, it's after midnight where I am, so I may easily get all confuzzled and mix this up.

But if I remember correctly, Paul taught that gentile christians didn't have to obey the law (Acts 15 and other places), and then took Timothy and circumcised him. Why? Timothy did not have to be circumcised. However, the Jews might have refused to listen to his teaching if he hadn't been circumcised, so he had Timothy circumcised to avoid this stumbling block (Acts 16).

I think. I hope I have the story straight.

Anyway, I was wondering if this was a similar idea? CC know they have every right to celebrate Halloween, because they don't personally have any conviction over the issue. However, they are aware that some people aren't able to handle this issue so easily. So they choose to not take a strong stand on it because they wish to still be able to minister to those who can't handle the thought of Halloween.

Either way, CC seem too have given the better response (between theirs' and the IFBs, that is).

Papa Bear · 11-01-2011, 10:36 AM

(11-01-2011 08:52 AM)LearningFreedom Wrote: So what do you think??? Honestly, I don't consider Casting Crowns to be IFB... I didn't start listening to them until I left fundydom. It was not "approved music" in my circle of IFBX. Yet, there are those who listen to them, and link to Casting Crowns on FB and then condemn them for halloween participation???? Wow, now that is extreme! And very double-standard according to my genre of IFB.

I didn't follow the link because I am no longer interested in the Halloween controversy. I just wanted to point out that in all the IFB churches I've had any contact with, it's considered perfectly acceptable for people who are favorites of the powers that be and who don't like "worldly music" anyway to listen to "worldly music" for the purposes of "research" (we already know it's bad, we're just making a list of the bad things about it so we can tell everyone else why they shouldn't listen to it) and "critique" (mocking it). It's also fine to read music, celebrity, and gossip magazines, and now web sites, and apparently, even stalk musicians online for the purpose of gathering stories about their "wickedness" which can mean anything from criminal activity to violating some obscure IFBx "standard" (it doesn't matter whether the stories are true or not). This gossip is then used to attack these musicians, whether behind their backs or to their faces. Of course, if someone who isn't on the favorites list attempts to do any of this, it's a sin, because they are obviously secretly enjoying it. Hypocritical? You bet!

GraceThruFaith · 11-01-2011, 01:07 PM

(11-01-2011 10:36 AM)Papa Bear Wrote:
(11-01-2011 08:52 AM)LearningFreedom Wrote: So what do you think??? Honestly, I don't consider Casting Crowns to be IFB... I didn't start listening to them until I left fundydom. It was not "approved music" in my circle of IFBX. Yet, there are those who listen to them, and link to Casting Crowns on FB and then condemn them for halloween participation???? Wow, now that is extreme! And very double-standard according to my genre of IFB.

I didn't follow the link because I am no longer interested in the Halloween controversy. I just wanted to point out that in all the IFB churches I've had any contact with, it's considered perfectly acceptable for people who are favorites of the powers that be and who don't like "worldly music" anyway to listen to "worldly music" for the purposes of "research" (we already know it's bad, we're just making a list of the bad things about it so we can tell everyone else why they shouldn't listen to it) and "critique" (mocking it). It's also fine to read music, celebrity, and gossip magazines, and now web sites, and apparently, even stalk musicians online for the purpose of gathering stories about their "wickedness" which can mean anything from criminal activity to violating some obscure IFBx "standard" (it doesn't matter whether the stories are true or not). This gossip is then used to attack these musicians, whether behind their backs or to their faces. Of course, if someone who isn't on the favorites list attempts to do any of this, it's a sin, because they are obviously secretly enjoying it. Hypocritical? You bet!

Papa Bear, you just preached so much truth right here it is hurting me in the face. Welcome to the forums.

**myotch** · 11-01-2011, 02:15 PM

Why would the IFB look down on anyone dressing as a superhero on Halloween. (Or a princess, or a power ranger, or as Brave Brave Sir Robin).

On a side note, Saudi Arabia is set to execute a TV personality for witchcraft. His crime? Making predictions about his TV show on his TV show.

Elijah Craig · (This post was last modified: 11-01-2011 07:20 PM by Elijah Craig.)

Why do you assume the Casting Crowns guys were responding to IFBers? Do you think there are no Southern Baptists who have a problem with Halloween?

**redbeardiam** · 11-01-2011, 07:27 PM

I couldn't bring myself to read the thousands of comments.

The Casting Crowns guy is a weenie for saying he's not celebrating halloween, IMO.

At some point you need to tell people to get a life.

**RobMille** · 11-01-2011, 09:14 PM

I find CCM frustrating precisely because of the fact they aren't allowed to admit they are celebrating halloween. Why on earth are you playing to fundies & the like so much? You'll never be good enough for them, and fundies are far more likely to define CC as the problem than anything good whether they celebrate halloween or not. I don't think I can blame him for pretending to not be dressing up for halloween, it comes with the territory of being Christian artists that you have to play those publicity games.

UptownHippie · 11-02-2011, 06:51 AM

(11-01-2011 09:14 PM)RobMille Wrote: I find CCM frustrating precisely because of the fact they aren't allowed to admit they are celebrating halloween. Why on earth are you playing to fundies & the like so much? You'll never be good enough for them, and fundies are far more likely to define CC as the problem than anything good whether they celebrate halloween or not. I don't think I can blame him for pretending to not be dressing up for halloween, it comes with the territory of being Christian artists that you have to play those publicity games.

Yeah, but I think it's fair to make the distinction that you're not "celebrating" Halloween so much as going with the cultural flow and acknowledging it. I mean, Jewish folks in America who get Dec. 25 off work and get together for Chinese food and movies aren't necessarily "celebrating" Christmas.