He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

Should a Christian Play Dungeons & Dragons?

We have all been a part of this discussion. I read this article by William Schnoebelen with an open mind and would encourage all of you to do so as well.

Believe it or not, it has been nearly 12 years since I wrote the original Straight Talk on Dungeons and Dragons. In that time, I have received hundreds of letters and at least a thousand emails about it. This subject is surprisingly controversial, even among Christians. This astonishes me!

The posting of my article on the web and the arrival of email as a means of mass communication have facilitated the process wherein I can engage in dialog with those who defend D&D and Fantasy Role Playing Games (FRPG) in general. In this context, I am amazed at how many so-proclaimed Christians who defend the game, do so with foul and abusive language. This, I think, speaks volumes about the spiritual impact of the game.

Just a quick survey shows the cultural impact of D&D and its offspring. Just recently, a spectacular movie called Dungeons and Dragons was released. Additionally, the pop culture is virtually drowning in sorcery and occult related topics.

Today shelves in major bookstores literally groan under the weight of various of books on Wicca, for example. Some of these books, like TEEN WITCH, are written for young readers. There is even a DUMMIES GUIDE TO WICCA AND WITCHCRAFT!! When D&D started, you could perhaps find four or five books on Wicca in print.

Now, obviously not all of this can be laid at the door of D&D. But in the 1970's, it was one of the major cultural phenomena that planted the seeds that have sprouted into Harry Potter and all the occult books and movies.

Read the rest here.

Happy Easter

Haiti

As I am sure you all know Haiti got rocked by an earthquake earlier this week. If you are looking for some way to get involved beyond prayer may I suggest Lifeline Christian Mission. The above picture is of one of their classrooms which was leveled. They have had a presence in Haiti for 30 years and will now have to go about rebuilding everything they have done. Check them out here.

One thought that has been weighing heavily on me is to go there on a short term mission trip this summer. What say you men?

I found an interesting interview with OSU Coach Jim Tressel. In it he talks about his approach to life, just not football. I still haven't read his book, The Winner's Manual for the Game of Life, but it is on my short list to do before the end of the year. His interview, conducted by Shawn Brown of CBN.Com ends like this:



Shawn: When people look at you, what is it that you want people to see?

Jim: I hope that they would see someone who is humbly serving God. That’s what I hope.

You can read the whole interview here.

Biblical Archeology

HIRBET QEIYAFA, Israel (Oct. 30) - An Israeli archaeologist digging at a hilltop south of Jerusalem believes a ceramic shard found in the ruins of an ancient town bears the oldest Hebrew inscription ever discovered, a find that could provide an important glimpse into the culture and language of the Holy Land at the time of the Bible.
The five lines of faded characters written 3,000 years ago, and the ruins of the fortified settlement where they were found, are indications that a powerful Israelite kingdom existed at the time of the Old Testament's King David, says Yossi Garfinkel, the Hebrew University archaeologist in charge of the new dig at Hirbet Qeiyafa.

Once again, and in very uncertain times, it looks like the Bible has been 'proven' true. But then we already knew that.

Read more here