Reformed Fringe

Doug Van Dorn- Subverting Halloween

Reformed Fringe

Show Notes

Some have argued that Halloween is not a pagan hangover ritual to be avoided but a Christian day of mockery—All Hallows’ Eve, the night before the celebration of the saints’ victory, when the church ridicules a defeated enemy. I take that claim very seriously while testing it against the older Irish material: Samhain as summer’s end, the thin veil, the Fomorians’ tribute, and the Tuatha Dé Danann. The result is a clear distinction between subversion (emptying an old form and filling it with Christian meaning) and syncretism (keeping both meanings alive). Along the way we look at the historical evidence, the jack-o’-lantern legend, the origins of trick-or-treating, what kinds of costumes actually fit the posture of confidence, and why Psalm 2’s holy laughter still matters on October 31. Reformed Baptist Church of Northern Colorado: www.rbcnc.com James Jordan, “Concerning Halloween,” Biblical Horizons (1996): https://theopolisinstitute.com/concerning-halloween/ Peeranormal Podcast, Ep. 18: Samhain and Halloween https://peeranormal.com/podcast/peeranormal-18-samhain-and-halloween/ NO LINKS BUT USEFUL: Helen Sewell Johnson, “November Eve Beliefs and Customs in Irish Life and Literature,” The Journal of American Folklore 81:320 (Apr. – Jun., 1968), pp. 133-142. Jack Santino, “Halloween in America: Contemporary Customs and Performances,” Western Folklore 42:1 (Jan., 1983), pp. 1-20. Hastings’ Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics (ed. James Hastings, John A. Selbie, and Louis H. Gray; Edinburgh; New York: T. & T. Clark; Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908–1926): “(Celtic) Cosmogony” “Celtic Feasts and Festivals” “Irish Deities” Origins of Halloween Dundalk Baptist Church with Michael Emadi https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/922232323303515/transcript JOIN THE REFORMED FRINGE COMMUNITY! http://reformedfringe.com/ Host Websites: Doug Van Dorn - https://www.douglasvandorn.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/reformedfringe X (TWITTER): Reformed Fringe: https://x.com/reformedfringe FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/people/Reformed-Fringe/61559052840459/ #spiritualwarfare #spiritualrealms #supernatural

More from Reformed Fringe

Oct 12, 2026

Five hundred years ago a monk nailed a protest to a church door because salvation was being sold to build a basilica. The answer was five words: Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, glory to God alone. They were not slogans. They were a matter of life and death. Rome needed a coin in the coffer. We are worse. We have decided people are basically good and grace is optional. Doug Van Dorn opens his book The Five Solas of the Reformation and walks through the chapters: the word as your very life, grace as absolutely free gift, faith as the instrument rather than merit, Christ as the only mediator and the real Jacob’s ladder, and the glory of God as the end of all of it. Reformation month on Reformed Fringe. The word of God is still no empty word.

Sep 28, 2026

Ready to publish The gospel is bigger than personal assurance, bigger than moral reform, and bigger than the way most Christians think salvation works. Jon Moffat and Doug Van Dorn trace how Scripture connects Babel, Pentecost, Abraham, Psalm 82, and the Great Commission to show why the gospel is the power of God for the nations.This conversation takes a hard look at law-gospel confusion and why it so often leaves both nominal Christians and true believers stuck in doubt. Jon explains how salvation includes the whole person and the whole world, while Doug unpacks how Paul’s language in Romans frames the gospel as the power that brings people out of darkness and into the obedience of faith.You'll discover:

Sep 22, 2026

Who stood in the bush? Who wrestled Jacob? Who bears the Name and still gets sent by Yahweh? Matt Foreman and Doug Van Dorn walk the biblical theology of The Angel of the LORD—the Word, the Name, the Glory, the Face—and why this figure is the pre-incarnate Son, not a created messenger. If he isn’t Christ, you’re left with two gods. Part 1 walks the biblical theology of The Angel of the LORD—the Word, the Name, the Glory, the Face—and why Jesus did not first appear in Matthew. Part 2 takes us on a history of interpretation and why it matters that the Angel of the Lord is Christ in the OT.

Sep 14, 2026

Who stood in the bush? Who wrestled Jacob? Who bears the Name and still gets sent by Yahweh? Matt Foreman and Doug Van Dorn walk the biblical theology of The Angel of the LORD—the Word, the Name, the Glory, the Face—and why this figure is the pre-incarnate Son, not a created messenger. If he isn’t Christ, you’re left with two gods.

Sep 7, 2026

Covenant theology is not a Presbyterian password and it is not a way to dissolve Israel into allegory. It is the Bible’s own architecture: an oath in eternity, a creation-order that bound man, the world, and the host of heaven, six typological covenants that climb toward Christ, and one New Covenant that actually saves. Doug walks through his Covenant Theology: A Reformed Baptist Primer book—Covenant of Redemption, Covenant of Creation (including angels), the almost-forgotten Covenant of Levi, and why the children of the New Covenant are believers, not infants by birth. The fringe is in the text. The Reformed part is the oath that holds it together. https://www.amazon.com/Covenant-Theology-Reformed-Baptist-Primer/dp/0986237604/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=AUTHOR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KgjD34LRrIsFK-oKFWX5CEoeD_tkfiJQjD0vX-KKc8zim9vPQHPZzC3TcWaMCe_u-L8ctc5HFdDjBefN-s6R3KgWH2yGSOlWEo_aEny4Sr45WtqVZuvme1jCaWOMjPe8gwXZrg9gjObg_QKCXBBR5gvWfWX0BPyZd3SUPv2mLDzvN60W3JUfK6K2aVG40blHYZuqGOvaddPSZvSUH73EOeS7wDoZEFWSAkE5SqyRAnI.RGugPh0DcBXKV-kjPQBlCvlLcD2jMkuSDU9yKQMNvcQ https://www.rbcnc.com/ www.reformedfringe.com

See all episodes →