Christmas is the season to sell stuff, especially video games. Tyndale Press, flush from its successful series of Left Behind novels, a series that has popularized a biblically and theologically suspect dispensationalism, has taken it a step further with the introduction this year of a video game. Now, how best to get the word out that we're involved in spiritual warfare than to let kids actually battle it out on the computer. Now, I'm not adverse to playing a video game or two (for awhile I kind of got addicted to Age of Empires) and I have to pry my 16 year old away from his video games. So, Tyndale is a marketing genius, though I hear that as a video game Left Behind: the game isn't the best produce product.
What disturbs me isn't the game itself, but the assumption that something as serious as faith can be made into a game, especially a game that instills the idea that its us against them. If we can't convert them, then we'll have to kill them. Doesn't that sound strangely similar to al-Queda. Bob Allen at Ethics Daily reports that now Tyndale has gotten that paragon of family values, Jim Dobson to give the game a thumbs up. Take a look, as there is a link to a video game review site that provides images and more.
Is Christianity a religion of peace? Or is it a religion of holy war? That's the question before us.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
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This statement is posted from an employee of Left Behind Games on behalf of Troy Lyndon, our Chief Executive Officer.
There has been in incredible amount of MISINFORMATION published in the media and in online blogs here and elsewhere.
Pacifist Christians and other groups are taking the game material out of context to support their own causes. There is NO “killing in the name of God” and NO “convert or die”. There are NO “negative portrayals of Muslims” and there are NO “points for killing”.
Please play the game demo for yourself (to at least level 5 of 40) to get an accurate perspective, or listen to what CREDIBLE unbiased experts are saying after reviewing the game at www.leftbehindgames.com/pages/controversy.com
Then, we’d love to hear your feedback as an informed player.
The reality is that we’re receiving reports everyday of how this game is positively affecting lives by all who play it.
Thank you for taking the time to be a responsible blogger.
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