Well here's one way of getting folks into church, let them come and play Halo 3.
Across the country, hundreds of ministers and pastors desperate to reach young congregants have drawn concern and criticism through their use of an unusual recruiting tool: the immersive and violent1 video game Halo.
Those buying it must be 17 years old, given it is rated M for mature audiences. But that has not prevented leaders at churches and youth centers across Protestant denominations, including evangelical churches that have cautioned against violent entertainment, from holding heavily attended Halo nights and stocking their centers with multiple game consoles so dozens of teenagers can flock around big-screen televisions and shoot it out.
You can read the whole story at The New York Times (open in a new window/tab).
It's interesting to see the church seeking to engage with young people in a realm they are familiar with. That's not to say I support the use of M-rated games with younger people - but the principle behind the what the church is doing seems sound.
Contrast that with the continued shrill and alienating nonsense (open in a new window/tab) coming out of Manchester Cathedral over Sony's Resistance: Fall of Man. I thought this story had gone away - but now the Cathedral wants BAFTA to remove the nomination of the game. If you ever needed proof some elements of the Church of England were completely out of step with real life then here it is.
1The usual mainstream media nonsense focussing on violence. Heck we're not talking blood and guts here in Halo 3, you shoot little purple aliens.
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