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Comment from Daniel, The Gamer Traveler
Time: March 28, 2007, 1:16 pm

Hey, I saw the trackback to my site and what a surprise to find that you read my quick feedback to your Inside Track from Games Expo AND you threw in a little plug for my podcast. Sweet!

Thanks and keep up the great shows, guys. I am a huge fan of Inside Track, especially because there are so few Industry-focused podcasts out there.

Laters!

Comment from chitshappen
Time: April 3, 2007, 1:06 pm

Well, this is long overdue, but I wanted to share one working theologians point of view…by working, I mean someone in ministry. As the pastor of First Baptist Church in Newton (where the Upper Room Gamers meet every third Sunday of the month), I have been blessed to find a way to support BOTH of my favorite pastimes.
I should also remind you that I am the person who coined the term “Eurotrashista” in relation to your “wonderful” female announcer–and while the term is not original to me, I do take full responsibility for having used it…heh heh.
NOTE: This comment is going to be WAY too long. Sorry in advance.
Regarding the “furor” over Dungeons & Dragons that continues on in our largely irrelevant churches. I don’t use that term lightly either. The world has changed a great deal since the 1950s, but most churches, especially those in what used to be called the Protestant Mainline (Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Congregationalists, etc.) are still operating as if the world revolved around them. Not true anymore, by a long shot. While we may claim to have a timeless message, we still have every responsibility to stay current and to present our timeless stories in a way that modern ears can hear. I don’t think that necessarily means adding video screens and drummers to every worship service. Instead, I’d like to see Christians stepping up to culture and engaging what works for them while leaving what doesn’t.
So many times, a thoroughly secular film or book will be able to open us up into discussions of faith. The Borat movie got a lot of people talking about temporary conversion and what big megachurches do in their “winning souls.” Asked about it later, did Cohen say he was truly “won?” Hardly. But it did create some interesting dialogue about the usefulness of “quickie” converts. That may have been unintended by Cohen, but there it was.
As to the Dungeons & Dragons debate…we hear many things, say about how “witches and warlocks” are objects of veneration in this game, and how that is against the Bible. Two places where this occurs in scripture are at Leviticus 19:26 “You shall not practice augury or witchcraft.” and Exodus 22:18, “You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live.” These are not the only places, but seem to be the most often quoted.
In the New Testament it pops up in Galatians (5:20) and Revelations–a few different spots.
Probably most important to note is in exactly what sense a particular person is speaking about the Bible. Do they take it literally or not? Because for Biblical literalists, the world can be a scary place, difficult to navigate. And if we’re going to take it as a literal injunction to kill female witches (which we do not–and it’s ILLEGAL) then we also must take everything else literally. Which means that we’re also going to have to stay away from women after childbirth: “If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean.” (Leviticus 12:2). Guys have it a little easier in some spots…”If anyone loses the hair from his head, he is bald but he is clean.” (Leviticus 13:40). So we’re talking about a culture that actually worried that BALDNESS was evil…
If you only read the Bible literally, then you are stuck with all that, and find yourself needing to be more stringent with what you do and say.
However, if you can read the Bible as a document of truth that contains divinely inspired text, and can recognize metaphor as metaphor—Jesus himself used it a great deal—then you are not so bound by the literal word. Never mind the fact that unless you are reading it in Hebrew and Koine Greek you are ALWAYS reading someone else’s interpretation of what the original text said.
The only passage I would bring to bear on Dungeons & Dragons is one that I would bring to bear on all gaming: Romans 2:1: “Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.” This comes right after Paul attacks some trouble-makers in the church, saying that they were consumed with passion for the things that were not of God…that their lusts ruled them. Anytime something takes over our lives and makes us forget our duties to God, we Christians are in the wrong. But gaming, role-playing, having fun and fellowship with others is wonderful, provided it isn’t all we do and that we don’t lie, cheat, and steal to do it. And those who would judge such fun and fellowship are often full of the sin of pride over their own piety, and are often too quick to condemn.
As a side note, I don’t think there is anything wrong with your having this debate on your podcast. It shows a healthy maturity about your own spiritual lives and your willingness to engage. Freedom of religion (and its corollary, Freedom FROM religion) don’t mean that you can’t talk about faith if you aren’t a religious podcast. Whole people know that their faith is a part of whatever they do, and that there is a way to talk about anything. And sooner or later, we’ll all offend someone. Who knows, I probably just did with this post.
Thank you for the discussion and the forum, and please let your listeners know that there are many Christians—ministers and lay folks—who have no problem with games or the people who play them. Our game group is going strong, and if we want to play Descent, we’ll play it, right alongside the Settlers of Canaan.