Jesus is in my videogame!

[Shockeye]

The Saga of the XBox - ''How To Witness Using Halo 2''

Ministry groups use popular yet ''extremely violent'' video game to reach today's youth

Thursday, Mar. 17, 2005 Posted: 12:15:05PM EST

"There seriously were people who stayed up all night waiting in line to get it, and most stores sold out of it in minutes," stated Lane Palmer, Director of Equipping of Dare 2 Share Ministries International. "Now four months later it is still flying off the shelves."

Palmer, talking about Xbox's popular game, Halo 2, teaches youth how to use the game as a vehicle to testify the faith.

According to a November 10, 2004 press release from Xbox, "Halo 2 broke entertainment retail records in its first 24 hours on store shelves." Microsoft Game Studios announced that the highly anticipated game sold 2.4-million units in the U.S. and Canada, grossing $125-million and breaking all records in the gaming and entertainment industry, generating more money on day one "than any of the biggest movies in box office history, including Spider-Man 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and The Matrix Reloaded."

Recognizing that this "culture is out there," and not fighting the tide, evangelical youth ministries are using XBox and Halo 2 for outreach. What's Next has used the online gaming capability of XBox to fund world media missions through a national tournament to be held April.

Another ministry, Dare 2 Share is educating the youth populace through its national website, with an article titled, "How to Witness Using Halo 2."

The article discloses that Dare 2 Share is not trying to promote the game. Halo 2 is "an extremely violent game with plenty of cussing, so PLEASE understand that as a ministry we are not saying 'everyone run out and start playing this game as soon as possible!' "

"The point is that almost everyone already has run out and played it, so we think this is an awesome opportunity to take something hugely popular in our culture and turn it into a way to share the most important message," states Palmer.

"What we need are people who approach their Christianity with the same passion and concentration as they do with video games. Will you plug in and take action today?"

He begins his article with the storyline, which is the hero is trying to save humanity from aliens.

"Don’t you just hate it when a bunch of outer space freaks get together and decide it’s their mission to torch humanity?" likening the "outer space freaks" to Satan. "In fact, the Halo storyline is remarkably like a major theme of the Bible," he states.

"God created people in a perfect world in a perfect relationship with Him, which made Satan and his angels very jealous. So since the beginning of time, they have been on a mission to destroy all humans. Here’s what Jesus said:"

A thief (Satan) is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. (John 10:10)

Here, the article goes into detail on Jesus' as the hero in the Bible is analogous to the hero of Halo 2.

"Jesus came to this planet to save the planet from a group much worse than the Covenant (the aliens) and from a fate much worse than physical death."

"Satan’s goal is to make sure people have a miserable and short life that stays as far away from the gospel as possible so he can have company in hell."

After teaching this basic precept, he writes, "Remember this: for the Christian, this life is the only hell we will ever experience. For the non-Christian, this life is the only heaven they will ever experience."

"So the next time you are hanging out with friends who know Halo but don’t know God, try bringing up a conversation about the storyline behind planet earth."

Another great way to witness is to bring up the subject of death. Although violently graphic games, such as Halo 2 tend to mute and dull the senses of this generation, called "Millennials," born between 1980s and 2000 - Youth Evangelism Explosion describes this generation as desensitized - the many deaths in the game will allow a Christian youth to ask questions about the after-death, states Palmer, and opens up a conversation about Christian beliefs.

"Then after they share their beliefs, ask them if you can share yours. Be sure and mention that of all people on earth, Christians don’t need to be afraid of death because our ultimate destination is in heaven," he states in his article.

This article is part of a database called the Culture Commission Archive, written by a number of people on "How To Witness Using" and several topics fill in that blank. For example, there is one on 'Reality TV,' 'Hotel Rwanda,' 'Super Bowl Ads,' and 'Saved!' the anticipated movie about hypocritical Christians.

Another great way to witness, he writes is through the online multi-player option, which is an option to "share the gospel with some guy in England," while you both "have the headsets on." What a great way to do "overseas missions work while sitting in your boxers on the sofa."

This generation of youth is most interested in being "cool," said a broadcaster on the Family Radio Network, and Palmer's emphatic, "How cool is that?" may be just the perfect line to reel in the "fish" as another youth ministry, Youth Evangelism Explosion calls non-Christian youths.

Dare 2 Share has a mission to "Energize a Generation To Evangelize the World!" with the goal of training 1 million teens to share their faith, more specifically, to establish 30,000 evangelism teams (e-teams) by the end of 2010. 35,000 students have already signed onto e-teams.

This year, "Blaze" 04-05 tour will ignite passions of the youth," states their press release. Impelling a sense of urgency through the use of drama, "Twenty five movie clips, eight original skits, a full 40 minute production drama, a 4 hour outreach project and a worship concert all intermingled with powerful training will set teenagers ablaze with the glory of God and advancement of his kingdom!"

Now I understand why Paelos is playing all these videogames.

[Strazos]

I Still don't understand what they're doing.

[stray]

Shockeye, I have a request: Either be serious or please stop. The whole "Christian bashing thing" is getting old.

Before I say anything, I want to point out that you're not alone in your opinions of certain types of people. I'm Christian and these people irritate me as well. But you're not really helping here.

Everything has a good side and a bad side, but telling by the stuff you post around here, it would seem that you'd rather just ignore that fact. All you're doing is propogating the idea that Christians are a bunch of kooks, and it just isn't constructive at all. If you do happen to have a genuine hate, then express it in serious terms. That is at least constructive. That at least leaves other people with the option to debate. Jokes do not. Jokes, by their nature, do nothing but exclude. Sometimes that's amusing, I guess, but it's getting to be a bit too much.

If this site is supposed to be some vehicle for you to talk about severed penises and jest at certain religions or groups, then clue me in. I was under the impression that f13 was a little more intelligent and welcoming than that.

[schild]

All you're doing is propogating the idea that Christians are a bunch of kooks, and it just isn't constructive at all. If you do happen to have a genuine hate, then express it in serious terms.

Whoa there, padre. Where did that idea come from? I'm pretty certain that many people here think that the hardline/extreme of any group is kooky. Christian shit just shows up in the newspaper more often because it's the majority. Taking it personally is no way to handle it.

If this site is supposed to be some vehicle for you to talk about severed penises and jest at certain religions or groups, then clue me in. I was under the impression that f13 was a little more intelligent and welcoming than that.

This is a subform of the general discussion forum with the word "Useless" inside of it. Do I really need to say more?

[stray]

Whoa there, padre. Where did that idea come from? I'm pretty certain that many people here think that the hardline/extreme of any group is kooky.

Hey, as long as that's already understood, then I'm cool. I'll try not to take it too personal. It just sucks what these "kooks" have done to Christianity is all. They tend to be loud and do things that get a lot of exposure. Because of that, there are many people who believe that the parody is the closest to the truth. And I hate to see my beliefs reduced to a parody because of a few halfwits.

[Paelos]

Now I understand why Paelos is playing all these videogames.

/RIMSHOT

Too bad I don't own an X-Box. 

EDIT: Btw, I'm not offended at poking fun of the fundy right. They are Christians in name to me only. I don't really consider them my brothers. I think there is a lot of false prophecy in the world being propegated by the fundy right, and it serves only to demean the message of Christ, imo. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they are failing bigtime on the golden rule test.

[Shockeye]

If you have a problem with what gets posted in here then do not come in here.

Is it really that hard to understand?

Oh wait, I guess the problem is me. Nevermind.

[HaemishM]

BE FRAGGED IN THE NAME OF CHRIST!

Thank you, Rev. Ernest Angry. I love these kinds of "outreach programs." Why? Because generally speaking, the people who try them (hello, Steven Baldwin) are the most patronizing bunch of suckers since the idiot marketing fuckups who decided that today's youth wanted everything eXTReMe! No, fuck you, die.

They are just as patronizing as the youth ministers who used to try to talk to me about how Christ was "cool" and "hip" and whatever. No, talk to me like I'm a fucking human being, not a marketing demographic. Talk to me about the Word, or the Bible or something I can relate to, don't try to bring it all down to the level of a stereotype that probably doesn't even exist anyway. If your message is clear, concise and is something I can believe in, I'll buy it, without all the stupid trappings of "secular" society.

Programs like this are just marketing; they are the carny sideshow sales pitch of con men trying to sell something they know you don't want to buy. They are Buddy Christ. I'd rather watch some obvious manipulative sales pitch from Rev. Robert Tilton than I would this garbage.

Just because I play video games, that doesn't mean I'm an idiot who can't discuss religion and philosophy and morals like intelligent people. Paelos is right. These kinds of people demean Christ and Christianity. They deserve ridicule, like Jews for Jesus, or Allah the Skate Punk.

[SirBruce]

If you have a problem with what gets posted in here then do not come in here.

Is it really that hard to understand?

Oh wait, I guess the problem is me. Nevermind.

Thanks; this logic will come in handy for me!

Bruce

[stray]

They deserve ridicule, like Jews for Jesus, or Allah the Skate Punk.

Honest question: What exactly do you think is wrong with "Jews for Jesus"? Maybe I missed something, but as far as I know, it's just an organization that promotes the fact that Jesus was a Jew. That his all his disciples were Jews. That Christianity, in it's first 100 years, was predominately Jewish. That Christianity doesn't even make sense without a Jewish context.

Like many things, the western church and culture has lost sight of that, and because of them, many Jews haven't been given the right picture of what "it's" all about (and much worse). Jews for Jesus is just one of many organizations that would like to correct the misunderstanding. Is that so bad?

[Samwise]

Re: Jew for Jesus, their core values are perfectly sensible.  It's just that their name sounds like a marketing slogan, complete with alliteration.  Basically, they're a sect of Christianity that places a stronger emphasis on their Jewish roots than most.

Their evangelists also come across as a bit nutty.  There was one who had a regularly scheduled hour of preaching every afternoon on my college campus (I went to Berkeley, so that sort of thing is all part of the culture - there was a fundy Christian who came on right after him).  Aside from generally sounding like a whackjob when he preached, he'd spend most of his time insulting other religions, particularly other sects of Christianity.  The rest of his time was spent either exhorting people to let him baptize them in the fountain, or shouting "YOSHUA!!!!" at the top of his lungs.

I'm sure not all Jews for Jesus are like that, but because of this guy I tend to think of them as fundy Christians who speak Hebrew.   

[stray]

I'm sure not all Jews for Jesus are like that, but because of this guy I tend to think of them as fundy Christians who speak Hebrew.   

Actually, Jews for Jesus is more of a multidenominational org than it is a "sect". Some of them are still in one of the mainstream evangelical traditions, so they take those sensibilities with them. Some of them could be coming from one of the more liberal type denominations and come off as flower children.

There is a "sect" though, but they call themselves Messianics (some of them work with Jews for Jesus as well, but they're actually a seperate thing). They tend to be even more "fundy" than evangelicals, but more in a "Orthodox Jew" sort of way. I visited a Messianic synagogue a couple of times before, and it was very traditional, very heavy on ritual and chanting, the Rabbi looked like a "Rabbi" and not some "Preacher" in a suit (and if I recall, there wasn't even any "preaching" going on. Just ritual.). The main difference was that the rituals had been extended to include the New Testament (or as they would call it "New Covenant").

[voodoolily]

I may be way off base here, and smite me if I am, but it kinda seems like the underlying point is this: by stating that one can have a religious (or otherwise acceptable) experience by participating in what would otherwise be condemned by one's beliefs, the makers of Halo are able to enjoy the fiscal benefits of not excluding an entire demographic of people (e.g., Christians).  Didn't Christ himself actually advocate for nonviolent resistance?

Which brings me to my next point: why hasn't anyone developed a Christian whorehouse? Jesus was friend to the painted lady, was he not?  

[stray]

Which brings me to my next point: why hasn't anyone developed a Christian whorehouse? Jesus was friend to the painted lady, was he not?  

I think Larry Flynt was just on the brink of that idea once, but after he got shot, he started hating God again.

But to be serious...No wait, I'm not going to be serious. Best to ignore that last question, I think.

[voodoolily]

Which brings me to my next point: why hasn't anyone developed a Christian whorehouse? Jesus was friend to the painted lady, was he not?  

I think Larry Flynt was just on the brink of that idea once, but after he got shot, he started hating God again.

But to be serious...No wait, I'm not going to be serious. Best to ignore that last question, I think.

Yeah, the road to hell is paved with good intentions (mine, of course, trying to be funny).

[Abagadro]

EDIT: Btw, I'm not offended at poking fun of the fundy right. They are Christians in name to me only. I don't really consider them my brothers. I think there is a lot of false prophecy in the world being propegated by the fundy right, and it serves only to demean the message of Christ, imo. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they are failing bigtime on the golden rule test.

Paelos,

You are double plus good today.  Seeing these idiots all over the news daily is really starting to piss me off. They have such disproportionate exposure and power right now. It's amazing how they have basically captured the government without anyone getting wise. There is no way that a majority truly supports their insane agenda, yet there they are. It is really sad.

[SirBruce]

I think Larry Flynt was just on the brink of that idea once, but after he got shot, he started hating God again.

Strange but true trivia:  Flynt was converted by Ruth Carter Stapleton, sister of President Jimmy Carter.  In the movie "The People Vs. Larry Flynt", the actress who played Ruth Carter was none other than Donna Hannova, Rudolph Giuliani's wife.

Bruce

[HaemishM]

Jews for Jesus. First off, I've seen their performance, and it is PATENTLY RIDICULOUS. It takes all the worst musical aspirations of my upbringing in country Assembly of God churches, and turns it up a notch to unbelievably gay. Yes, I mean that in both the homosexual sense, and the lameness sense. The very sound of their name as said by them was just grating. "JE-HOOOSS for JAY-SUS!"

Secondly, JUDAISM IS A RELIGION, NOT A RACE. To be a Jew, you have to be someone who believes in the Jewish faith. Once you become a Christian, you are only a Jew in upbringing, not in fact. You might as well call me REDNECK FOR CHRIST were I to turn to the Christian faith. It's just about as accurate. In short, it is a stupid language thing. It is also a stupid marketing thing, like the aforementioned Allah Was a Skate Punk invention of mine.

These evangelical type of missions really grate on me simply because of the methods they use. They have been co-opted by marketing, which is essentially a doctrine for manipulating the easily-led. If your message is strong enough to be understood on its own merits, instead of talking down to and patronizing your audience, you won't need slogans. But if all you are trying to do is sway easily-led sheeple, keep trying to win over the masses with marketing slogans.

[voodoolily]

To be a Jew, you have to be someone who believes in the Jewish faith.

Actually, to be a Jew, your mother has to be Jewish. People can convert to Judaism, but I suspect Richard Prior isn't taken very seriously among his Hebrew brethren. I know several Jews who don't practice the religion or have the faith, but still consider themselves Jewish. Conversely, I know people with Jewish fathers who identify as Jewish, but with Gentile mothers they are actually still viewed as Gentiles by "true" Jews.

Edit: added quotations to 'true'

[Sky]

Know what....never mind.

 

[stray]

Secondly, JUDAISM IS A RELIGION, NOT A RACE. To be a Jew, you have to be someone who believes in the Jewish faith. Once you become a Christian, you are only a Jew in upbringing, not in fact. You might as well call me REDNECK FOR CHRIST were I to turn to the Christian faith. It's just about as accurate. In short, it is a stupid language thing. It is also a stupid marketing thing, like the aforementioned Allah Was a Skate Punk invention of mine.

I can't really say much for Jews for Jesus, since it's really just a multidenominational thing, but Messianics are a different thing. They consider themselves as a part of Judaism. It is not "Christian" per se. They are Jews who are still very much a part of Judaism -- they just believe that their Messiah has come (that in itself should not bar someone from being "Judaic").

And like I said before, Christianity began as and was a Jewish sect from it's inception (they were first called "Nazerenes"), and then remained so for a good 100 years. It is NOTHING BUT Jewish. The leader was not there to "replace" Judaism with a "new religion" so much as he was "completing" it (at least in his mind). Ditto for every single Apostle and congregation leader until Paul (who was the first to proclaim his mission to be "for the Gentiles"). To them, it was the culmination of Judaism, not a substitution.

The mistake was that slowly, with the advent of the Byzantine empire, it stopped becoming about Judaism entirely, and took on a new Hellenistic/Roman identity. But there were still Jews who practiced the Judaic version of "Christianity" at this time (called Ebonites). It's nothing new, this brand of Christianity has lasted to this day. It's just that the 20th century has finally brought more followers and exposure to it.

You might think that they're taking from your traditions, instead of vice versa, or that the "Assembly of God" (or whatever) came first. But they've got 2000 years on you, buddy.

[stray]

Man, I'm killing threads right and left. Does that mean I'm saying something too meaningful or too meaningless?

edit: Don't answer that.

[voodoolily]

No offense, but I think religion is boring to most people (myself kinda included). Just think of how hard it is for me, the evangelical atheist, to not offend or alienate when it is what I desperately want to do!  So don't feel bad.

[Sky]

I just feel it's not worth pissing a whole lot of people off just to express my viewpoint.

[voodoolily]

I just feel it's not worth pissing a whole lot of people off just to express my viewpoint.

Exactly. We all must pick our battles. This isn't one of mine.

[Strazos]

The mistake was that slowly, with the advent of the Byzantine empire, it stopped becoming about Judaism entirely, and took on a new Hellenistic/Roman identity. But there were still Jews who practiced the Judaic version of "Christianity" at this time (called Ebonites). It's nothing new, this brand of Christianity has lasted to this day. It's just that the 20th century has finally brought more followers and exposure to it.

Double ++ Win for Stray today!

I could drop in something about Constantine and the Milvian Bridge, but I'll let Stray bask in...uh...Stray's glory.

To be a Jew, you have to be someone who believes in the Jewish faith.

Already been covered, but yes, "Jewish" is the only...classification that is both Religious and Ethnic. They just tend to go hand-in-hand.

[schild]

Secondly, JUDAISM IS A RELIGION, NOT A RACE. To be a Jew, you have to be someone who believes in the Jewish faith.

No, you don't. Ask any young Jew. There's a Jewish culture and then there's the Jewish faith. They are two very different things and may as well be different words. But they aren't.

[HaemishM]

I realize fully that Christianity was just a sect of Judaism. I also realize there is a Jewish culture that really has very little to do with Judaism.

It still just makes me laugh to hear JEWS FOR JAY-SUS! Maybe it's the way the guy said it. Maybe I'm just getting sick of anti-Semitism being co-mingled with racism, when the two really are completely different flavors of hate.

[schild]

Anti-semitism is (or should be, given the etymology of the word) the idea that Jews don't deserve Israel. Meh. I've got some words for people who care that much about a shitty piece of land, and they're a lot worse than anti-semite.

Jews for Jesus need to go the fuck away. It's just stupid.

In 20 years Jewish people will be more culture than religion. Hell, since the beginning of Hollywood and comedy clubs Jews have been a piece of pop culture. Not as much as say - inner city black kids who wear baggy clothing, but in a different way. Seinfeld helped cement that. The problem with Judaeism is the sheer number of sects (that's one of the better pages I could find on them without explaining them in full detail here). Beyond Conservative and Reform, everyone is too hardline for me. Secular Jews are a bit too far removed from it all. Hell, even some conservatives are too hardcore.

Anyway, it's a clusterfuck of disagreement only rivaled by the Catholic church (excluding the whole WE'RE INSANE schtick they seem to have going).

[Sky]

Hey I never knew I was an anti-semite. I'm totally ambivalent about someone's choice of religion....but those fuckers shouldn't be in Palestine/Isreal/Whatever.

You know, I've got a book that claims the leprechauns came from the entirity of North America. You must all now move to the "West Bank", which is what I'm going to call "California". We Irish get the rest. Sorry, but we'll kill you if you try to return to your houses. Have to. Word of the almighty leprechaun and whatnot.

Next we're going after the homos for stealing our rainbow, dammit.

[Strazos]

I just never understood why they (Palestinians and Israelis) could not simply live amongst each other? They're fighing over dirt really, religious legacy be damned.

Hate is such a silly thing.

[SirBruce]

Sky, your analogy is completely misleading.  More accurate would be if Canada owned all of North America, and regardless of what the Leprechaun Book said, the Irish were killed and run out of every other country, so Canada agreed to give all of the USA to the Irish, except for California, where all the Native Americans were located who were technically still citizens of Canada.  The Irish moved in, then Canada got together with Mexico and attacked the United Irish States of America, and the UISA kicked their asses each time, and in the process took over California and a small piece from Mexico they added to Arizona.  Most of the Native Americans fled to Canada or Mexico.  Then all the Native Americans that were left started a guerilla war with the UISA, which took California and that little piece of Arizona from Canada and Mexico fair and square.  Canada and Mexico don't want California back, but they are funding the natives in California and still would rather the UISA not exist.  But the natives left in California still want their own country, and resort to targeting UISA civillians to get it.  The UISA eventually agrees to give the natives half of California to live on, and that little piece they took from Mexico, but all the natives that fled earlier want to go back and reoccupy all of California that they left 40 years ago.

Bruce

[Alkiera]

Sky, your analogy is completely misleading.  More accurate would be if Canada owned all of North America, and regardless of what the Leprechaun Book said, the Irish were killed and run out of every other country, so Canada agreed to give all of the USA to the Irish, except for California, where all the Native Americans were located who were technically still citizens of Canada.  The Irish moved in, then Canada got together with Mexico and attacked the United Irish States of America, and the UISA kicked their asses each time, and in the process took over California and a small piece from Mexico they added to Arizona.  Most of the Native Americans fled to Canada or Mexico.  Then all the Native Americans that were left started a guerilla war with the UISA, which took California and that little piece of Arizona from Canada and Mexico fair and square.  Canada and Mexico don't want California back, but they are funding the natives in California and still would rather the UISA not exist.  But the natives left in California still want their own country, and resort to targeting UISA civillians to get it.  The UISA eventually agrees to give the natives half of California to live on, and that little piece they took from Mexico, but all the natives that fled earlier want to go back and reoccupy all of California that they left 40 years ago.

Bruce

Nice anology.  Needs more pictures, tho, it's a bit ahrd to follow as a giant block of text.  8p

Alkiera

[Abagadro]

Yeah great analogy, except for ignoring what happened in the 1947-1949 period plus pretty much everything that happened since then except for 3 wars and one uprising, things like building settlements in the occupied territory, rubblization policies, etc. etc.   

By all means come up with more tortured analogies instead of talking about what, you know, ACTUALLY HAPPENED there.


/I don't have a big problem with the Israeli/Zionist movement, but that analogy was really stupid

[SirBruce]

I think I hit all the important parts.  What's the fact that they are occupying land they rightfully conquered got to do with anything?  The Palestinians don't get it just because the former owners lost a war to Israel.

Bruce