Judges 12:5-6
"And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” When he said, “No,” they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell."
The Christian community is full of people who promote dichotomies these days. Within the theoretical arena, we have Christians forcing people to choose Bible over "secular" stuff such as science, history and other academic pursuits. This sort of view also infected practical things in every day life, such as works, family and hobbies. And if you don't agree with their dualistic view, they will put you on the outside. This means sadly, some Christians actually use this dualistic view as Shibboleth, separating Christians into 2 groups: the ins and the outs. They place burdens and guilt trapping you with their dualistic view (Shibboleth), and if you don't take their view, then they put you on the "outside".
I can see there is a growing trend of Christians condemning video games (or reading fictions and watching movies) as waste of time. These people say it is not a sin to pursue these hobbies, but what they will tell you is, these activities carry "less values" than "sacred/churchy" things. These people say, it is better to spend time doing "sacred" stuff (such churchy stuff) instead of spending it on pursuing your hobbies.
Tell you what, I've got a big problem with this kind of view! The reason is, this is a dualistic worldview creating a dichotomy between the sacred and the secular. It is not a Christian worldview but a pagan worldview, and such a worldview should have no place in churches.
Novels, movies and video games are fictions
So I feel the need to say something about it. Let me start by asking you, what are the similarities between video games, fiction books, and a movie? The answer is simple, while these 3 medium are different in format, but at the core, they are all telling a "story". This means, a fiction book tells you a story through words and your own imaginations, a movie tell you a story through moving visuals, and video games let you be part of the story. In our 21th century definition, all 3 "fictions". Having established this fact, let me move on to the points I want to make:
1) Fictions and stories are NOT a waste of time!
Our 21th century Western intellectual standard tells us, that facts (such as empirical evidence) are more credible and valuable than other types of information. The result is, words such as "fiction" or "myth" often carry some sort of negative connotation. We are brainwashed into thinking fictions are somehow less valuable than facts. But are you aware that this is the view of scientism? Scientism, is a philosophical view that science, is the only way of knowing and understanding because empirical evidence is more credible and valuable. Have you heard of this before? I bet it's from neo-atheists.
As Christians, we need to be aware this is a false view. There are many ways to knowing and understanding which are not science. And reading, listening, watching, or interacting with a fictional story is one of them.
I mean, Jesus often taught with parables. In our 21th century definition, we can even say parables are essentially fictions. But does that mean those parables in the New Testament carry less theological value than historical facts from 1 Kings? No, I don't think so, and I am sure you will agree with me as well. Fictions and myths (so to speak), reach places in humanity where facts and science cannot. Since the dawn of time, humankind have always been using stories to teach their children about the way of life: Fables of Aesop, 1001 Nights, The Romance of Three Kingdoms etc.. and even parts of Old Testament can be put into this category.
The truth is, all "stories" old and new, are trying to convey some sort of message about humanity. This means we can understand the current culture of the world by looking at these materials. A lot of times, stories can tell us profound truth and wisdom that facts cannot teach us. If we downplay the value of these things, how are we suppose to be salts and lights in this world, and witnessing to the people around you? If we downplay the value these things, how can we be a part of the world without belonging to it? If downplay the value these things, how can we learn to understand the world and ourselves with a broad, complete perspective?
In human history, stories have always played an important role in humanity. It is a way of knowing and understanding that is not science/fact. It tells us about our world and human experiences, an essential part of building human relationships and a way of life. To place more values on facts than fiction, is to embrace scientism which is an arrogant view of approaching life.
2) Fictions are good, but it can be abused!
In Genesis, the recurring theme in creation is, God created "things" and proclaim them to be good. This is profound truth. All material things are actually "good". God also said to Adam and Eve they are meant to subdue and rule over the world. This implies using the stuff God created for good and to bring glory to God.
Think about it: A rock is good, you can use it to crack a coconut for your friend to drink. A flower is good, not only does its appearance carry reproductive values but also has aesthetic values for us, as Christians, we can look at the beautiful flowers and praise the awesome God who made it so. Alcohol is good, research has shown that drinking wine is actually good for your health. Sex is good, not only does it create children, but it also improves the intimacy between a husband and a wife. Similarly, books, movies and video games (fictions) are good, because they convey human experience and cultures in ways that facts cannot do.
In addition, God did not intend to separate the material and the spirit. There is a reason human beings are spiritual and made of materials, God never intended to separate material and spirit (secular and sacred). No, material and spirit were one in God's creation, and can be seen when Jesus was resurrected, the combination of material and spirit is still true today. And this means we should not create a dichotomy between the sacred and the secular.
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| Dualistic spirituality - This is not Christianity |
But does this mean we should use and interact with material things with reckless abandon? No, of course not. Remember, all things are made for the glory of God (Colossians 1:16, and Romans 11:36). While creation is good, and if used properly, it can glorify God and bring good. However, if we place creation above God, then we can pervert creation, producing negative outcomes. Augustine said, evil is in the will of man. This is quite true, for example, if we pervert alcohol and abuse it, it creates human induced tragedies and evil, creating suffering to all around us including ourselves. The name of God is good, but we can pervert it for our own glory and create suffering and tragedies, it is called religious hypocrisy. Similarly, with books, video games, and movies, we can abuse it irresponsibly, creating human induced tragedies and evils.
Admittedly, it helps to understand the root of the problem, it is sin. The problem is the tendency of the human heart to worship anything but God, and the tendency of the human heart to choose anything but God. The problem is the human heart, not the material stuff. But that does not mean we should rate material things as having lower values than things in the spiritual realm.
3) A Synthesis, not dichotomy!
So I have discussed why fictions has a place in the Christian life, and explained why we should not subscribe to the philosophy of spiritual dualism which often infests our churches. The question remains, so how should a Christian treat books, movies and video games?
The answer is simple, we need a synthesis!
What kind of synthesis? The answer is in the Bible.
Jesus said, in Mark 12:29-31:
"Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
This is the essence of living a Christian life. Jesus said we should live our lives according to the principle of "putting God first, loving God with everything we have, and loving others as we love ourselves". I think this means in our lives, we should put God first in everything we do. I like to visualize this in the form of a planetary system; with God (the sun) at the centre of our lives (the solar system), where different spheres of our lives (planets) surround God. Each has its own place and on track, because God holds them together as the centre of everything. This way, church, family, missions, hobbies, witnessing, career/work, Bible reading, friends, quiet time etc.. are all held in place because we put God at the centre, and we can banish the pagan concept of sacred vs. secular dichotomy, bringing our Christian lives back to one that is engaging, encouraging, and glorifying to God.
So here we go, these are some of my thoughts on the topic. Next time, before you say to your brothers and sisters they are better off doing mission works than playing video games and reading a fantasy novel, beware that you are not asking them to say "Shibboleth". Remember unity is in Christ.
All passions and talents are gifts from God. The church is not a performance based institution where people are judged by how well they perform. The church is the body of Christ, it is the combination of these different people that make the church whole. Please do not subscribe to spiritual dualism, and do not place burdens on your brothers and sisters for the passion and talents they were gifted with. Instead, think about how you can encourage them to use their gifts to glorify God.
Shalom
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