Harry's Blog

It's all too easy to forget, when faced with the shrill sound of America's right-wing Christians, that there are many of the faith across the pond who actually believe in Jesus' message rather than a doctrine of hate and bigotry.

One such coalition of Christians has clearly had enough of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins' Left Behind series and specifically the new game based on the franchise.

CrossWalk America, the Beatitudes Society, Christian Alliance for Progress and The Centre for Progressive Christianity have joined forces in urging Christians to boycott the strategy game Left Behind: Eternal Forces.

It put out the following press release:

Terror and confusion reign the world over. For those left behind the Apocalypse has just begun... Think this is the latest Hollywood movie? Think again. On Tuesday, November 28th, CrossWalk America in conjunction with the Christian Alliance for Progress (CAP) will hold a press conference to expose a video game that explicitly encourages "Left Behind Christian Converts" to convert or kill a host of people deemed unfit for the Kingdom of God.

In the video game Left Behind: Eternal Forces would be rapture survivors are issued high tech military weaponry and instructed to engage the infidel in New York City. The mission? Convert or kill anyone not adhering to a Fundamentalist view of Christianity. This could include Catholics, Jews, Gays, Muslims and anyone who advocates the separation of Church and State, whether they are Christian or non-Christian.

The national Christian Alliance for Progress deplores the release of the video game. "We urge the game's sponsor, Tyndale House, a Christian publishing business which used to be concerned with sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, to recall its values and withdraw its support for such an un-Christian enterprise as this.

"Rather than seeking to close the gap between neighbors, as Jesus did in his ministry, the game's purpose is to drive a wedge between people, teaching teenagers that what God intends is for them to slaughter those who do not share their beliefs. Because of the predominance of Christian fundamentalists on television and radio in the past generation, the American people have been left with the false impression that this strange way of interpreting the Bible is what Christian have always believed and taught. We are here today to challenge that view and to name it for the error that it is," says Rev. Timothy F. Simpson, President of CAP.

CrossWalk America will be joined by the Beatitudes Society, Christian Alliance for Progress and The Center for Progressive Christianity who will urge consumers to boycott the video game, which is being released "just in time for the holidays," according to the manufacturer. They will also begin a petition drive to ask Left Behind Games and Tyndale House to recall the game.

The conference will be held at Gentle Shepherd Church at 14th Street and Virginia in Phoenix at 11 a.m. November 28. For more information please call 623-570-6166.

CrossWalk America is part of an emerging Christian movement - one that joyously embraces the love of God, neighbor and self (Jesus' core values). We stand for: openness to other faiths, care for the earth and its ecosystems, valuing artistic expression in all its forms, authentic inclusiveness of all people - including God's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. We oppose the commingling of Church and State. We promote the values of rest and recreation, prayer and reflection, and embrace both faith and science in the pursuit of truth.

rederick Clarkson and Bruce Wilson, Co-Founders, Talk2Action.org have also released a statement about the game. Here's a small excerpt from this announcement.

We believe that the manufacturers should withdraw the game and apologize to their fellow Americans for the spreading, however unintentionally, of a base and dangerous brand of religious bigotry...

..."The demonization of enemies, bloodthirsty dualism, and murderous rampages on the computer screen in Left Behind: Eternal Forces are accurate reflections of the "Us v. Them" apocalyptic theology espoused by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in their Left Behind series of novels," said Chip Berlet, senior analyst at Political Research Associates, a progressive Boston-area think tank. "The Left Behind book series and game are manipulative primers valorising bigotry, paranoia, and guerilla warfare against those who promote tolerance, pluralism, and global cooperation."

Good to see some Christians standing up against the right-wing version of the faith.