Churches lure teens with ultra-violent video game

 

Halo 3 can only be bought by over-17s and is rated ‘M’ for its mature content

Telegraph | Oct 8, 2007

By Catherine Elsworth

Churches across the United States are under fire for using the ultra-violent video game Halo 3 to attract younger members to their congregations.

Even some evangelical churches known for taking a hard line on violent entertainment have been hosting sessions where boys come to play Microsoft’s incredibly popular futuristic “space epic” in which an alien religious group is bent on destroying the Earth, and much of the galaxy.

The game, which came out two weeks ago and has already made more than 300 million dollars in sales, can only be bought by over-17s and is rated ‘M’ for its mature content. It features a vast array of weaponry which players use to annihilate opponents.

Pastors and church leaders defend their use of the game saying it is an effective way of connecting with boys and young men, who are notoriously hard to reach. Once they are in the church setting, ministers can offer them Christian messages after playing the game.

“We want to make it hard for teenagers to go to hell,” wrote Gregg Barbour, youth minister of Colorado Community Church near Denver, in a letter to parents.

But critics are worried about the message implicit in allowing boys as young as 12 to play a potentially corrupting adult video game.

“If you want to connect with young teenage boys and drag them into church, free alcohol and pornographic movies would do it,” James Tonkowich, president of the non-profit Institute on Religion and Democracy, told the New York Times. “My own take is you can do better than that.”

Daniel Heimbach, a professor of Christian ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, agreed. “To justify whatever killing is involved by saying that it’s just pixels involved is an illusion,” he told the paper.

Hundreds of churches, however, are using the game and finding it a highly effective tool. The Colorado-based Dare 2 Share Ministry recently sent e-mail messages to 50,000 young people about how to reflect on and discuss their faith using themes from the game.

John Robison, associate pastor of one 300-member church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, told the New York Times he managed to allay parents’ fears about the game. “We explain we’re using it as a tool to be relatable and relevant, and most people get over it pretty quick.”