Christian Alternatives, Part II
Some other things have happened that may distract, so here’s a brief summary of this discussion. A couple of weeks ago, there was a press release for a computer game based on the Left Behind series. We then began discussing why we need Christian games at all, where I brought up two possible reasons and explained why I didn’t really like either of them.
Then we talked about a third reason: to provide a wholesome alternative to secular media. I mentioned that this reason has two basic assumptions behind it: (1) we should be able to consume entertainment and (2) we can’t because we are Christian. I talked about how the second assumption wasn’t necessarily true. In cases of addiction or unquestionable sin, the second assumption applies, but otherwise “…everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”
What is and is not okay for Christians to consume is certainly debatable. It has been debated (often heatedly) for centuries. So for the sake of argument, let’s assume that nearly all of secular media is not okay for us to consume because we are Christians. If that is true, then we need to ask whether or not we should be able to consume entertainment in any case. Certainly God intended us to enjoy life here, right? I think that’s true, but I don’t think that we need a Christian version of everything in our attempt to enjoy what God has given us.
The actions and teachings of Jesus and the early church leaders tell us that we need to be in the world, but not of it. We need to be in it so that we can be a light to others and save them, but we must not be of it, otherwise we will be no different than the unsaved and, therefore, no help to them (not to mention in extreme danger ourselves). If in our attempt to not be of the world we hide ourselves from everything the world has to offer, then we also cease to be in the world at all. As Paul wrote, “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.” Paul knew that pulling out of the world was not an option.
But furthermore, if in our attempt to not be of the world, we not only hide ourselves from the world’s offerings but also go out of our way to create Christian versions of everything the world has to offer, then we will not be in the world at all but we will have managed to be of it - having everything the world has, but having nothing to do with the world. The opposite of where we need to be. We risk pulling out of secular circles entirely to watch Christian movies, listen to Christian radio, wear Christian clothing, hold Christian jobs with Christian co-workers, and play Christian games online with other Christians.
A week ago, I challenged the claim that Eternal Forces would “break barriers” between Christian and non-Christian gamers. I said that there were no barriers to break - Christians were already playing with non-Christians. My concern now is that, far from breaking barriers, products like Eternal Forces might serve to create them.
We don’t need Christian games to reach unbelieving gamers. We need Christians who play secular games. We don’t need Christian movies to reach unbelievers. We need Christians who watch movies and have unbelieving friends. We don’t need Christian rap music (or metal or punk or pop - pick your genre) to reach unbelievers who like rap music. We need Christians who listen to and understand secular music and can discuss the spiritual issues in it with unbelievers.
So we don’t need Christian media to evangelize the world (we can do that ourselves, often more effectively), and we don’t need Christian media to protect us from the world. So then why do we have all this stuff? I’m afraid the only other reasons I can think of are financial.
Interesting. Congratulations by the way, I think you guys will be awesome parents, I know the both of you have taught me loads. By the way, do you see the comments left on new posts more easily than old ones? I didn’t know where to leave this message.
I think you might be being a bit hard on Christian entertainment. Imagine the same game, “Eternal Forces” but it didn’t have all the blurb about breaking barriers and being “Christian.” It would probably serve as a decent game, with an interesting storyline with a Christian ethos behind it. People would play and talk about it, probably discussing with there mates the different dynamics that are taking place in the game.
Look at “Lord of the rings,” a book written by a Christian, which set most of the world talking. The only difference was it didn’t advertise with blazing letters “hey look at this ‘Christian’ book,” yet people were able to say to their mates, “here, did you read that matey? Do you know what some of those references mean?”
Much love,
Dave.
Dave’s comment illuminates another facet to this. In the preview articles linked from an earlier post, we read that Troy Lyndon wanted to create a quality game, first and foremost. But he also felt that he had to make it a “Christian” game. My question is: why?
Christians are quick to claim Tolkien as one of their own; this is fair, he was by all accounts a devout Roman Catholic. They are then quick to claim The Lord of the Rings as a “Christian” work. To me, this claim is much more tenuous. Tolkien’s purposes behind creating LotR were not to re-tell a Christian story, but rather to engage in his love of linguistics, and to participate in “sub-creation”. “Sub-creation” deals with a belief that he had that as Christians, we should exercise our creativity, which is that aspect of us that is in the image of God. So to him, (sub-)creating a good story was incredibly important; it was not necessary that the story be explicitly “Christian” in nature.
I’ll try to say this next bit without overgeneralizing, but I think I’ll fail: I feel like I see more emphasis on making “Christian” works than on making good works in the “Christian” community. And that seems to me to be antithetical to the very good truth that the Professor was on to: that God put us here to do good work. So I feel like Troy Lyndon would better serve the community (and the world) if he just set out to make the best game he could, and put less emphasis on how “Christian” his game is.
OK, well, I’ll stop there.
-Matt
P.S. This post could really benefit from some concrete examples. I don’t have any.
Dave, you might be right. I might be being a bit hard on them. The fact that they set themselves out as a “Christian” game that “broke barriers” is what I originally complained about when I first posted about it. I agree with both of you that if they just set out to make a good game, and that game happened to have Christian overtones (without Christian marketing overtones), it would be a lot better.
Part of the bitterness that’s seeping out here is against Christian commercialism as a whole. I don’t know how it is in the UK, but I don’t like the way it is in the US. Things are being sold solely because they are Christian, not because they’re any good. The Left Behind books (and movies and (I fear) game) are a major part of that currently, but they’re definitely not the first.
I suppose it wouldn’t bother me so much if this stuff never sold, but it does and I’m trying to figure out why. This “wholesome alternative” thing is the best I can figure for why Christians buy shoddy merchandise just because it has a fish on it.
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