The Left Behind series of...
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The Left Behind series of novels has been a publishing phenomenon, each one of them a huge best-seller. Perhaps less familiar is a related product, a computer game that came out in 2006, called "Left Behind: Eternal Forces." It invites children (and game-playing adults) to engage in what its creators call "spiritual warfare."
The premise of the game is troubling. The enemy is a dark army of nonbelievers pitted against converted Christians. Players gain points by killing these enemies. Some game reviewers say it is every bit as violent as "Grand Theft Auto" and similar blood-drenched computer games. They also warn that "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" teaches Christian children to look on non-Christians as faceless enemies who must be destroyed if they do not convert.
All this is rooted in a certain interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4 that teaches how God has a certain plan for the future, in which faithful believers are "raptured" (taken up into heaven), leaving unbelievers to contend with one another in a violent, dangerous wasteland of a world. "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" is set in these mean eschatological streets.
Was this what Paul was thinking of when he urged the Thessalonians to "encourage one another with these words"? Was this what Jesus was thinking of when he taught about the coming of the Son of Man? A good rule, in assessing anyone's interpretation of eschatological passages of scripture, is to ask whether the interpretation is consistent with the rest of Jesus' teachings about faith, hope, and love.
The premise of the game is troubling. The enemy is a dark army of nonbelievers pitted against converted Christians. Players gain points by killing these enemies. Some game reviewers say it is every bit as violent as "Grand Theft Auto" and similar blood-drenched computer games. They also warn that "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" teaches Christian children to look on non-Christians as faceless enemies who must be destroyed if they do not convert.
All this is rooted in a certain interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4 that teaches how God has a certain plan for the future, in which faithful believers are "raptured" (taken up into heaven), leaving unbelievers to contend with one another in a violent, dangerous wasteland of a world. "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" is set in these mean eschatological streets.
Was this what Paul was thinking of when he urged the Thessalonians to "encourage one another with these words"? Was this what Jesus was thinking of when he taught about the coming of the Son of Man? A good rule, in assessing anyone's interpretation of eschatological passages of scripture, is to ask whether the interpretation is consistent with the rest of Jesus' teachings about faith, hope, and love.
