Churches Using Halo 3 to Attract Youth
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, October 15, 2007
- Viewed 262
- (31) comments so far
David Cook, professor of Christian ethics at Wheaton College, said, “The church rightly is concerned about the impact of video material on everyone, especially young people,” Cook said.
“Sexual content and violence are often features in that medium and the church ought not to be encouraging or promoting such videos,” Cook continued.
Some churches say team play on Halo 3 encourages fellowship and togetherness.
Sweetwater Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Ga. offers Halo 3 for its youth. The gaming is usually followed by something to eat and a lesson.
Church leaders in favor of the game say it is an effective modern tool to reach the elusive audience of boys and young men.
Other churches and youth organizations feel there are better ways to involve youth in the gospel.
“The Wittenberg Lutheran Church and Student Center would not offer Halo or similar video games as a way to draw in youth from the community,” Alyssa Moehring, president of the Wittenberg Lutheran Center at ISU, said. Moehring went on to say that the center often holds fellowship nights for youth, who are encouraged to bring friends.
While the fellowship nights often involve board games and food, Halo is not a consideration.
“If we believe that Christ is the way, the truth and the life we must find winsome ways of expressing that truth which will draw young and old alike into investigating and finding Jesus Christ and all that He brings into the lives of those who seek to be His followers,” Cook said.
Opponents of Halo in youth groups point out that the video game associates arousal with killing.
They fear the churches might be offering violent content that some children would not have access to elsewhere.
So… what do you think? Is your church using Halo 3? Would you? Why or why not?
Halo 3 is well on its way to becoming the most popular video game ever made. The shoot-em-up multi-player game has now found itself in the hands of church ministers and youth pastors. Church leaders are using the game to draw in youth, particularly teenage boys, from communities. They claim that teenage boys are often the hardest demographic to reach, and video games such as Halo 3 help to attract new members. The use of the game as a promotion for youth functions has raised several ethics questions.
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Tower Defence on Mon, July 20, 2009
The title asks the question. I run a computer lab and need some new educational computer games for my students. They have to be free. They can be puzzles, word games, word searches, math games, building games
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