GroshLink

As part of being a witness to the reality of God on campus and as an adult education instructor at our local congregation, I hold to the Barthian assertion sermons should be written with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.  Yesterday morning, I came across material for prayer and sermonizing which made it difficult for me to focus on teaching an adult eduction class on the Story of God as expressed through the Advent Wreath:  Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Popular Video Game at Church. 

The alliance of popular culture and evangelism throught the use of Halo does pay the price seeking to be relevant and I hope Focus on the Family has not sold out to avoiding criticism from the younger, missional Evangelical subculture.  As I've shared at various times before, campus ministry inherits the good, the bad, and the ugly of familial upbringing, high school education, and youth ministry.  In contrast to describing a campus minister as being a fisher of men with teens [young adults] as our ‘fish' and being creative in baiting our hooks through means such as Halo, the vision of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is to see the whole academic pond renewed through the cleansing work of God. 

An impossible task on one's own as the kingdom of God receives continual challenge from the flesh (including one's own), the devil, and the world (including institutional structures).  But acknowledging God the Father's original intent for creation as a place of blessing cared for by a people created in His image and the fulfillment of that direction in the future, once we've sacrificed our own longing for being god by receiving the grace of our Redeemer Jesus Christ and the power of the transformative Spirit in our lives.  The lifting off of our burdens by God in our submission to God is in sharp contrast to Halo's call to be master of our destiny (and our humanity's destiny) through violence.  In the context of youth/campus ministry, I don't mind a conversation critiquing Halo (or the alternative realities of video games in general), the playing of various video games with some boundaries (e.g., sports, American Girl Dolls for the twins) . . . BUT the people of God attest to with their life, structures, and words, a reality/truth which draws us closer to the presence of God.  Yes, hope, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control can be viewed as lame and irrelevant to one's fun and self-advancement, and for that matter to the world in general. 

Yet, the Spirit brings the light of God upon the obvious acts of the sinful nature: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and takes us in the direction of Christlikeness, that which enables our branch grafted in the tree of the Body of Christ to bear the fruit of the Spirit.  (Some of the texts which are informing me include: Galatians 5, John 15, Matthew 7:24-7, Romans 8).  To repeat myself, such is the life, work, and ministry of the people of God,

Comment from a friend with a young boy walking through the valley of technological temptation:  that is scary... i just am not seeing the logic of it, it's counter to what the gospel message is.... i am not sure why those ministers and others offering it don't see it that way.  Praying for this father, his son, and others, particularly as we set the framework for and enter the Christmas wish lists which the Pumpkin King will be rolling out after Halloweeen (if they haven't already started).  More to say, but have other things which demand my attention.  Interested in the thougths/reactions of others . . .

PS. Came across this response from Dick Staub: STAUBLOG: Halo Church?. FYI: Staub is author of numerous articles and the books "Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters" (Jossey-Bass 2005) and "Too Christian, Too Pagan" (Zondervan 2000) the thesis of which is that if you truly follow Jesus you will seem "too pagan for your Christian friends and too Christian for your pagan friends." Check out the official home of "The Culturally Savvy Christian!"

PPS: No Halo for Halo 3, a helpful cross-generational conversation between New Testament Scholar Ben Witherington and his son David.