Here are my thoughts as to the use of Halo and other video games in the church context. And I admit up front that I do not think of the standards I promote at my home as being different from those I propose at church, and this may or may not be appropriate given the presence of “weaker brothers” in our midst.

My basic rule of thumb is that entertainment that taps into the basic eternal conflict of Good vs. Evil - where the lines between them are fairly clear, where Evil is seen as detrimental to the health of people or creation, where Good is viewed as the more noble cause, where good character is cherished, and where it is obvious that it must prevail in the end – is entertainment that can play a valuable role in our lives.  Countless stories tap into this theme and are told through books, are acted out on stage, are presented in movies, are sung in song, and are displayed in video games.  The repetition of this theme reminds us of all the different ways this conflict reveals itself in our lives.

The presence of violence in these stories should be an expected component because the eternal conflict in question is neither mild nor gentle. One must prevail and conquer the other completely.  Violence is neither evil in and of itself, nor an enemy to be avoided, if in fact, it plays a valuable role in this conflict.  It is a means to an end, and fills the pages of the Bible as such.  Until evil is conquered, it remains a part of our lives.  If, though, violence becomes the End, is has reversed the formula.

Entertainment that reverses the formula should be avoided at all costs - where the lines between Good and Evil are indistinguishable; where Evil is glorified or seen as the noble cause; where corrupt character is considered cool; where Evil wins in the end - these forms of entertainment are detrimental to our thinking and are especially difficult for young minds to discern.  As Christians, this formula must be viewed as a lie of the enemy, and we must be vigilant as to the forms of entertainment that are part of this slippery slope.

I think those are good guidelines Nathan.
We have a very young congregation (age 30 and under) and they have been known to set up video game competitions all over the church, and play all night until they have a winner, and the youth guys all come and hang out with the men, and I think that is great.

I think a tool for ministry is just that, a tool.  Of course we need to check out the content of those tools and see if there are any conflicts with our theology, (just like having movie night with the girls).  And pick and choose wisely.

I’ve heard this debated before and the guns don’t bother me.  Our guys go out and shoot real guns too and bows and arrows and paint ball.  And a biggie at men’s retreat is a church against church shooting competition with real guns and also paint ball.

Our guys are so into this that they had my son, who is a Marine, give them military tactics for winning.  Our church, incidently, was the smallest church, but had the most me attend the retreat. 

Anyway, I do think that tapping into guy culture and yes, games which 99% of guys this age are into, is a way to reach them.

Question: where would you draw the line?

If it’s okay to use violent video games to get an audience with guys, what about sexual content? That would certainly be effective at drawing a crowd. Or you could go more realistic… just bring in dancing girls in cheerleader outfits, guys would turn up.

Throw in cheap beer and a pep talk about how to keep your pants on and it all starts to sound like ministry.

Perhaps those are absurd extremes, but seriously - where would you draw the line on what is an acceptable “tool” for attracting a crowd. For me, the means have to be consistent with the ends. Meaning, I won’t use tactics that aren’t morally and ethically consistent with what I’m trying to get my guys to do and be.

So I guess the question about Halo 3 for me would be a little more restrictive than Nathan’s. My question would be “is the violence glorified or is it cast as a necessary evil in service to a greater good (like a just war)?”

Stewart, I believe you have answered your first question with your last.  And It is the standard to which I hold all the video games used for our youth ministry.  I have played the Halo series of games, and the single player campaign leads you through a war between humans and misguided religious fanatical aliens bent on destroying earth.  The multiplayer aspect of the game varies: capture the flag, assault(CTF in reverse), King of the hill, and finally, Slayer.  Of these, the slayer gametype is the only one where killing is the goal, and not a means to an end.

Contrast this with a game like Gears of War (another halo style video game).  While I have not played this game, I have seen several game reviews and video segments from the game.  You still fight in a war, but the weaponry is far more brutal, including the ability to kill your enemy with a chainsaw in a fantastically bloody display.  Also, the game is filled with profanity.  This, in my opinion, clearly demonstrates violence for the sake of violence, and exemplifies what churches should not embrace.

All video games should be scrutinized on a case by case basis.  Halo, in my opinion, does not glorify violence.  It uses violence as a means to an end.  Gears of War and several others glorify violence in a way that is inappropriate for youth(let alone youth at church!)

I don’t know anything about this game, except that it’s violent-- rated M for mature audiences, meaning you have to be 17 or older to purchase the game. So, is it a church outreach tool? Depends who you are trying to reach.
A new study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Center for Mental Health and Media shows that most (94 percent) young teens play video games. A third of boys and one in ten girls play video or computer games almost every day.
But what about the content? Most 7th and 8th graders (ages 12 to 14) regularly play violent video games. Two-thirds of boys and more than one in four girls reported playing at least one M-rated game “a lot in the past six months.”
The MGH study found that Grand Theft Auto—rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, and drug use—was the most popular game series among the boys surveyed.
Should your church use Grand Theft Auto to lure young teens? The Georgia church probably made the safer choice with Halo 3. But is that safe enough?
Some instructive comments come from Christian teens who have added to the discussion of the Halo 2 game review on the ChristianAnswers.net page:
“As far as blood and violence … if you find these things offensive, then you should not play this game. However, realistically, an accurate movie of the bible [sic] would be more graphic than a few hours playing Halo … Besides, Master Cheif [sic] is trying to save the Human Race, and is ready to give his life if that is necessary (Who does that remind us of . . .)"-- Kaleb Havens, age 16.
As for Grand Theft Auto, no real redeeming allegory here. The review on Answers read in part: “GTA3 clearly considers itself a sick joke and boldly displays a warped sense of humor throughout, however Christians may find this joke to be in poor taste.”
Bottom line on gaming for churches that want to reach teens? It may be as simple as paying attention to gaming as a part of the culture—learning the language, if you will. Ignoring games and trying to reach teens may be like eschewing PowerPoint and parking lots while trying to reach adults who continually see visuals in presentations and drive cars. In the same way, teens see games all the time, and drive Xboxes, PS2s, Game Cubes, Wiis and other Nintendos.
Churches can’t offer teens a nice flannel graph story and expect to find an interested audience. Youth ministry leaders should get into the game if they want to reach the gamers.

While I have to admit that I love the comments and thoughts that are being shared I have to ask. Don’t you guys think that this is being over thought just a bit?

A fantasy game about a cyborg (half man/half machine) who is virutally indestructable fights aliens to stop them from firing a number of rings...Halos that will destroy all life in the universe…

Ok that is a main part of the plot of this game, nothing spiritual or unspiritual. Just a Game.

As far as games like GTA (grand theft auto), I think the line goes way in front of that game and I also beleive that Halo is far more mild than GTA. The sexual and criminal acts that are a huge part of the game and that earn you points, are incredibly inappropriate. I would never think to use a game like that to reach students, and here’s why…

It glorifies things that students can actually do and that areactually detremental to their life and future if they were to engage in these acts. Having sex with prostitutes, selling drugs, stealing and murder are all task that you can do in the game. That is OBVIOUSLY unhealthy.

Halo, is a team game (you can play with up to 16 players if you have 4 consoles) that helps to create positive memories for students having fun with their leaders.Yes, there is military violence in the game (Master Cheif is a Marine) but I have never heard of a student trying to throw a plasma grenade...well you get my point.

And stop yourself before you start talking about Columbine and the recent shooting in Cleveland, and other incidents like them. Halo DID NOT CONTRIBUTE to these. Those things happened more as a result of poor parenting, tragic events that traumatized them or even a predisposition to psychosis.

Halo is a game that should be used by youth leaders/pastors to reach students. That is where they are, what they are doing, and is a huge opportunity to build relationships.

-E

Eric--good thoughts. 

Halo is certainly much much better than Grand Theft Auto and games of its ilk.  I personally still don’t think it’s a good idea to spend hours and hours running around training yourself to shoot at everything (or almost everything) that moves, but your point is well taken.
However, I must take issue with the causal factors you see at work in tragedies like Columbine.  As much as “poor parenting, tragic events that traumatized them or even a predisposition to psychosis” may have played a role, you can’t deny that the world human beings inhabit (composed of both ‘real-world’- and cyber-experiences) plays a part in shaping their self-understanding.  Consequently, spending lots and lots of time playing games were the objective is enemy-annihilation DOES play a role (though there is of course much more to be said) in tragedies.  People have to be trained to become what they become.
As I admitted before however, it may be that 1 hour of Halo at church may not be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Brian, your comment requires a separate answer because you contradict Jesus’ teachings.  You said: “While the Bible does teach ‘turn the other cheek’, It by no means teaches you to be a doormat.  When stopping opposition with words fails, what would you use? When opposition openly kills civilians and refuses to negotiate, and threatens your very way of life, do you still just turn the other cheek?”
My only answer is to look at Jesus--who died on a cross because he refused to retaliate violently, and to look at the early Church, who were martyred en masse (with their children!), because of their unwillingness to pick up the sword.  Only when Constantine made Christianity the religion of the Roman empire did Christians start fusing the cross and the sword.
I maintain that nonviolence is one (if not the) key Christian virtue (which we should be seeking to nurture in our youth).  We aren’t called to be doormats, certainly, but we even more certainly aren’t called to pick up the sword to defend ‘our way of life’.
Our way of life is self-sacrificial love.  How do you defend that with a sword?

Peace,
-Daniel-

A church donated Gutiar Hero 2 to our youth group & after playing it we love it....but we told the donor that we would not be able to use it on a regular basis, because of the content.

Yo’ everyone. Son of Camey here…

Violence and God isnt unheard of. After all, a good bit of the OT is about wars. So why is it when an idea like this happens, people get mixed reactions?

Some things you can use to get non-christians to a church and christ, and some things you cant. In the same way we can promote fellowship and unity and outreaching via the sports of paintball and airsoft (which I am soon to begin starting one up at my church in april), Halo can be used in the exact same fashion.

Before I continue, I must make clear on one very important point. I run a Christian ‘clan’ (or group) for the PC version of Halo 1. My opinions and statements will have come from experiance of trying to use Halo to outreach to others.

My clan, {ELC} (means ‘Evangelancers’ plays Halo 1 for the PC. Our personal rules are we cannot cuss, namecall, cheat, and we are required to speak of Christ whenever the opportunity is given to us. We have bible studies and fellowship activities. On top of all this, my clan has led 1 person to Christ. I personally led him him to Christ via voice chat, and he has improved in his life.

Halo doesnt promote violence at all. If Halo promotes violence, then Airsoft and Paintball would be considered violent activies for church fellowship. Halo doesnt promote killing, or offensive behavior. I play Halo with the same mindset of paintball (with box-out rules); If you hit someone with a weapon in the arms or legs, they’re in, but hit them in the torso or head, then theyre out, and must walk back to thier base. Halo translation - Hit someone with another firepower to get them ‘killed’ (out), then they wait a few seconds, and get back in the game at the team’s base.

Halo’s method for causing someone to get out may be somewhat more extreme, but it isnt a sin if you play Halo for a purpose other than to satisfy a desire fed by anger, hatred, rage, or whatever negitive emotion to murder someone, and use Halo as a ‘murder simulation’. That kind of behavior is wrong and is a very cut-clean example of violence to an extreme means and i do not support and promote that kind of ‘violence’ at all. Games like Gears of War and GTA promote that kind of violence and I dont play those games.

But back to Church and Halo 3....

You have to just draw a line on how much you use Halo and when you use Halo. I dont like the fact of having Halo 3 (or any videogames for that matter) being availible for play on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, but having occasional Halo 3 tournaments with gospel presentations is a great way to get non-christians to come to a church, and they hear the Gospel! Thats all some teenagers need - just hearing the Gospel once can get people to His side.

I believe that the best testimony to others is how you live your life. I also believe that one of the best ways for people to evangelize is to use something not listed in the bible as a ‘do not take part of’ and use it to the advatage of spreading the Gospel. Halo is one of those things usable to reach others. Of course, you cant let it consume you, but you can balance it and lead others to Christ with a game like Halo.

I’ve been criticized by random people on Halo for being a Christian playing Halo. I use the same reasoning that i used above (the paintball/airsoft = halo thesis), and it works 90% of the time.

Expect individual follow-ups from my clanmembers. They will have thier first name and their Halo name, {ELC}*, and will speak as well.

You are free to check us out and what we do at http://www.elcclan.info

God bless,
Austin, {ELC}Neo X

PS: Feel free to send any comments to the email address listed. Yes, it is my mom’s. I am only sixteen.

Very interesting. Just the other day i was reading an article about schools using online games to keep students in class. Now churches use them too to attract the youths. Just great

waoo! churches are getting so modern these days. using latest games to attract people

ah, complicated one… i like the idea but.... When i was a kid we’d go to for 3 days christian retreats and the priest lured us with the amount of football we’d play.
see the point was that every activity would promote togetherness and communication. now video games are known for isolating people.