The Halo 3 church issue part 2: on using video games to reach out to non-Christians |
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There are certain issues that just don't stay dead for long, it seems. Take the old church issue, for instance. In a nutshell, it was about churches using Bungie Studio's Halo 3 and various video games to bring kids and teens in. Even now, opinions regarding the effectiveness and moral uprightness of this approach differ.Proponents have claimed that Halo 3 is full of religious overtones that make relating the game to the Gospel easier. Others, like Mike Matlock and Kedrick Kenerly, have established a group called Christian Gamers Online. The purpose of the group is to use gaming as a Gospel outreach tool. The group also strives to protect impressionable young minds from negative influences at the same time.
Lyle Dorset, an evangelism professor at Samford University's Beeson Divinity School, cautiously supports this approach. The trick, he says, is to use the games to ultimately point to Jesus Christ, and not to the video games themselves.
We can use all kinds of clever tricks to bring young people in or adults in. They may love it, and they may stay for a year, but they will never become true disciples of Jesus Christ and be born again unless the Spirit changes their heart and somebody gives them Christ.
Nevertheless, there are other Christians who simply do not agree. Al Menconi is one of them. As an expert on the influences of pop culture on Christian families, Menconi believes that games like Halo 3 are just an "adrenaline rush of killing." In other words, they teach young people to kill without hesitation and without side effects.
So how do you reconcile everything? The experts concur that the key lies in good parenting and love. Ultimately, it's the care of responsible adults, such as parents and pastors, that makes a big difference in how games like Bungie's Halo 3 will affect children and teens.
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Comments [refresh]
" a game about killing religious zealots... hmmm. let's use it to convert people to our religion!"
people never cease to amaze me....
That's precisely why people are divided over the issue. :)
"We can use all kinds of clever tricks to bring young people in or adults in."
Brilliant, the church is TRICKING people to join...I don't know whether thats wrong or just plain desperate. -_-
Kill the infadels!
two bedfellows that should be quite used to each other by now.
Where's Jack Thompson on this one? Is he going to start suing the church for letting kids play M rated games? Which would be hilarious. The again is one were to make the Bible into a video game it would probably end up with an AO rating....
Like I totally went to this church and they had like Halo and stuff. I like totally believe in Christ as my savior cause of like Halo 3.
Christianity is a pretty cool guy. eh saves souls and doesn't afraid of anything.
I see nothing but butthurt losers who hate the idea of going to church/temple/mosque because it's a waste of their time. Churches do this with all sorts of activies, but don't you dare play games at church, why the stupid kids that go there to play might just be brainwashed into believing in X!
Agreed. I still remember Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Boy, that was violent...
just another way for priests to lure children
That was a good one.