• Archive for October 13th, 2007

    Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Popular Video Game at Church

    NiallOctober 13, 2007

    From the New York Times comes this piece on churches using Halo 3 as a tool for outreach. Guess they never heard of discipleship or love or perhaps even Jesus.

    By MATT RICHTEL

    Published: October 7, 2007

    “First the percussive sounds of sniper fire and the thrill of the kill. Then the gospel of peace.

    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.

    The latest iteration of the immensely popular space epic, Halo 3, was released nearly two weeks ago by Microsoft and has already passed $300 million in sales.

    Those buying it must be 17 years old, given it is rated M for mature audiences. But that has not prevented leaders at churches and youth centers across Protestant denominations, including evangelical churches that have cautioned against violent entertainment, from holding heavily attended Halo nights and stocking their centers with multiple game consoles so dozens of teenagers can flock around big-screen televisions and shoot it out.

    (more…)

    Posted in Church, USA |
    No Comments »