Removing the Halo

Check out the New York Times story from this weekend on how churches are using a violent video game called Halo to try to reach out to kids.

At first I felt angry, but then I just felt sad.  To glorify violence is not to promote Christ, but to undermine him — for violence, at its core, is antithetical to the teachings of the Prince of Peace.

That may sound quaint in an age of blood-and-guts entertainment and, lest we forget, unprovoked wars.  But people in Jesus’ time, living under the Roman Empire, faced similar cultural circumstances.  And I don’t recall Jesus saying to ignore his teachings if it meant a few more people might be converted.

Besides, what good is it to win converts by obscuring the demands of the faith?  If kids don’t understand that Jesus demands non-violence, it’s something less than fully meaningful when they claim to commit themselves to him.  It’s pretty easy to say “I love Jesus!” when the image you have of him is a guy condones whatever you already want to do.