Halo 3 used to recruit Christians

You may think that Halo 3 is a great game or you may not. Either way, you've got to recognise the hype surrounding the game as being something powerfully attractive to young kids. Especially hell-bound young kids.

You wouldn't be the only ones to notice either and a recent New York Times article has picked up the story of a Colorado Community Church which is using the game to try and attract newcomers to the Christian faith.

"Witness the basement on a recent Sunday at the Colorado Community Church in the Englewood area of Denver, where Tim Foster, 12, and Chris Graham, 14, sat in front of three TVs, locked in violent virtual combat as they navigated on-screen characters through lethal gun bursts. Tim explained the game's allure: "It's just fun blowing people up."

Once they come for the games, Gregg Barbour, the youth minister of the church said, they will stay for his Christian message. "We want to make it hard for teenagers to go to hell," Mr. Barbour wrote in a letter to parents at the church." Said the original article.

I have to confess, as somebody who spent countless summers at 'Christian Camp' and attended Sunday School every single week, i'm a little miffed that these kids get to play Halo 3 between their psalms. The most we ever got was word games based around the Book of Proverbs.

Is blowing things up a decent way to attract kids to the works of The Lord, or has this minister lost his way? Address your prayers and opinions to the forums and let us know what you think.