Violent Video Game Evangelism

[Timsings]

I found this posted on another Baptist forum. The poster commented that it is disturbing on so many levels. I agree. Here is the link.

Tim Reynolds

 

[annsni]

Why not sponsor drinking and drugs or maybe a nice drag racing night?? That's just beyond wrong.

 

[npetreley]

Drinking, drugs, drag racing, are all real. Getting drunk and doing drugs is immoral and destructive. Drag racing is not necessarily immoral but it's dangerous.

I'm not commenting on using this as an outreach tool (that's another subject, IMO), but I play LOTS of games. I'm very good at sniping the enemy in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, and I enjoy playing it. It's fantasy. In the real world, I'm a pushover; more harmless than a puppy dog or bunny rabbit. I know the difference between real and pretend. If you folks don't, I suggest therapy.

 

[Sopranette]

All in the name of appealing to the lost. And children cannot distinguish between real and fantasy when they're very young. I've seen pastors covered in tatoos and piercings, and I wonder if it is to reach a certain demographic. Call me old fashioned, but there should be a certain amount of decorum in church. Nothing fancy, but I still like the idea of wearing your "Sunday best", and abstaining from certain activities on Sundays.

love,

Sopranette

 

[npetreley]

And children cannot distinguish between real and fantasy when they're very young.

I don't know if that's true of all children, or how young you're talking about. But if they're playing computer/console games at the recommended ages for these games, they're old enough to know the difference. If they're playing "teen" rated games at too young an age, that's the fault of the parents.

Personally, I think it's silly to use games as an outreach, but I get a little perturbed when people lump games in with sinful behavior. There are a number of games which fail my test for whether or not my kids are allowed to play them. But in general, there's nothing sinful about playing a game. In fact, done right, I'd have to say there's something GOOD about "virtually" killing bad guys. If there wasn't something good about it, God wouldn't have repeatedly instructed His people to do so in real life.

 

[annsni]

See, to me, when my children are at church, I know that what they do will be done with the same standards as I have at home. Behavior that is allowed and expected is the same that I expect, Now, this is because I know our youth pastors and have helped to raise THEIR kids - now it's my kids' turn.

But how would I feel if I found out that they were showing R rated movies (which we don't allow the kids to see), had bad language, and encouraged behavior that I don't approve of? I'd be quite annoyed because my kids can learn that anywhere - but I'd hope that at church I'd be able to rest knowing that the staff is upholding better standards than the world.

What about getting a rousing game of volleyball going? A game of "wink"? Or any of the other fun games that youth groups do? The thing that draws kids to our youth group are other kids and true relationships. We're not going to put on a false front to get them in and I think doing something like having a violent video game night is not the right way to bring them.

 

[Aaron]

Across the country, hundreds of ministers and pastors desperate to reach young congregants have drawn concern and criticism through their use of an unusual recruiting tool: the immersive and violent video game Halo.

I thought rock music was the language of this generation. Looks like it's violent fantasy, now. But you know, the Scriptures are silent about Halo, so it must be a sanctified, hallowed method of evangelization.

 

[pinoybaptist]

I remember this illustration.
This church wanted to raise their membership, to "reach" out to the community. The party-going, fun-loving, easy going community.
So, they plan a Christmas program and invite one and all.
Sure enough, on the appointed day, the church was filled to overflowing with souls just waiting to get "saved".
So they start their little Christmas play, the usual Mary and Joseph and manger and animals and shepherds and gifts and all that.
This time, though, they added an angel.
A deacon will be dressed like an angel pulled by a pulley to the very ceiling right in the middle of the church and lowered ever so slowly to the tune of "Silent Night", with a second spotlight focused on him while the church lights dim.
Well, they got to that part.
There was that angel swinging round and round and rockin' back and forth and side to side, while slowly coming down from 40 feet up.
Angel got dizzy with all that swinging round and rocking back and forth he threw up on the upturned faces.

Membership dropped to near zero. They lost one red-faced deacon, and pastor went on vacation.

That's what you get for not relying on the Holy Spirit.

 

[tinytim]

I remember this illustration.
This church wanted to raise their membership, to "reach" out to the community. The party-going, fun-loving, easy going community.
So, they plan a Christmas program and invite one and all.
Sure enough, on the appointed day, the church was filled to overflowing with souls just waiting to get "saved".
So they start their little Christmas play, the usual Mary and Joseph and manger and animals and shepherds and gifts and all that.
This time, though, they added an angel.
A deacon will be dressed like an angel pulled by a pulley to the very ceiling right in the middle of the church and lowered ever so slowly to the tune of "Silent Night", with a second spotlight focused on him while the church lights dim.
Well, they got to that part.
There was that angel swinging round and round and rockin' back and forth and side to side, while slowly coming down from 40 feet up.
Angel got dizzy with all that swinging round and rocking back and forth he threw up on the upturned faces.

Membership dropped to near zero. They lost one red-faced deacon, and pastor went on vacation.

That's what you get for not relying on the Holy Spirit.

Now that should have been on youtube!!! :laugh:

 

[GodsRealTruth]

This just goes to show

How far our reverance for the church has fallen. When we allow things such as this to infiltrate the church then we have lost our true reverance for the House of the Lord.

However, I just have to ask. When we allow things of the world such as this to come in. Haven't we also allowed Satan to enter in? We also have to ask Is this the House of the Lord or the House of Satan?

I pray our reverance and respect for my Fathers House will return.

Praying for all churches raying:

 

[tinytim]

When I was a youth pastor, we had video game lockin nights... But no violent games, and they had to have their games approved by me.

We also didn't do this as evangelism, but as a fellowship event.
We would meet in the fellowship hall, and use the projector for one game, nothing like racing on a 12 foot by 12 foot screen!

Then the church members would bring in portable TVs for the youth to play their games on. There was about 12 stations in the fellowship halls, and 5 or so in each classroom...

Even one classroom was a retro room... nothing but old games...
like pong, frogger, pacman, etc...

We would have around 50 teens show up, but most of them (except for a few) were from our youth group anyway...

The biggest problem was the noise level!

You can condemn me if you want, I don't care. But it was some of our funnest times as a youth group.

Sure beats pie socials, cake walks, and stuff the old timers used to do to attract people...

 

[Ivon Denosovich]

Violence isn't evil. To my understanding, the electronic killing in Left Behind is done in self defense similar to war. So what?

 

[npetreley]

When I was a youth pastor, we had video game lockin nights... But no violent games, and they had to have their games approved by me.

We also didn't do this as evangelism, but as a fellowship event.

This make much more sense to me. I don't get the idea of using games as outreach.

We would meet in the fellowship hall, and use the projector for one game, nothing like racing on a 12 foot by 12 foot screen!

Sounds like a blast to me.

You know what's funny? I just joined an online club that plays Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. It's mostly made up of old guys like me, but even though it's not a Christian group and there aren't any kids playing in this group, they have very strict rules about how one must behave online and in the game. They want it to be a fun, pleasant experience for all. No sexually suggestive nicknames, no complaining about how hard the map is or how much network lag there might be -- in short, no social drama. Everyone has to agree to the rules to be gracious and polite to one another in and out of the game, or else you are not allowed in, or if you're already in, you get kicked. We all communicate by voice on something called "teamspeak", and everyone is amazingly well mannered, friendly and helpful. Again - this is NOT a Christian group (although some of them, like me, may be Christians, I don't know). They're just (emotionally) mature adults, and they like to have fun.

So much for how violent games must promote sinful behavior.

 

[Sopranette]

Hmmm.....I wonder what it's like to fight an angry rodent? That I might do!

love,

Sopranette

 

[webdog]

I wonder what some would think here if there was a video game based on the violence and slaughtering that was commanded by God.

Also, if all fantasy violence is automatically sin, that would make all reality violence just as sinful. There goes defending yourself and fighting wars. I'm sure our brave troops in Iraq would be glad to know they are sinning by serving their country.

 

[Sopranette]

Isn't that a bit of a jump there, webdog, comparing real life war situations to a video game?

love,

Sopranette

 

[ccrobinson]

Why not sponsor drinking and drugs or maybe a nice drag racing night?? That's just beyond wrong.

Is there something inherently sinful about drag racing that I'm not aware of? Why are you linking drag racing to drinking and drugs? Do you think that other types of automobile racing is sinful as well?

Don't misunderstand where I'm going with this. I'm not suggesting that a church should or should not go to any kind of automobile racing. I'm trying to understand why you think drag racing is sinful and whether you think other forms of motorsports are sinful as well.

 

[webdog]

Isn't that a bit of a jump there, webdog, comparing real life war situations to a video game?

love,

Sopranette

Why? If the fake is sin...then logically the real thing would be too.

 

[Aaron]

I wonder what some would think here if there was a video game based on the violence and slaughtering that was commanded by God.

Also, if all fantasy violence is automatically sin, that would make all reality violence just as sinful. There goes defending yourself and fighting wars. I'm sure our brave troops in Iraq would be glad to know they are sinning by serving their country.

Anyone ever see such a string of non-sequiturs in one post before? Violence, real or imagined, is not to be the object of our pastime, and especially in a setting where discipleship is to be the focus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Phil. 4:8

 

[webdog]

Anyone ever see such a string of non-sequiturs in one post before? Violence, real or imagined, is not to be the object of our pastime, and especially in a setting where discipleship is to be the focus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Phil. 4:8

Yeah...watching war movies or reading stories about war is sin