Left Behind? Yes, This Should Be

After the overwhelming success of the Left Behind series from authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, how could anyone expect to meet the public's growing demand for mediocre storytelling and questionable theology? Why, with a video game tie-in, of course!

The folks at Left Behind Games, Inc. invite you to join "the ultimate fight of Good against Evil":

Lead the Tribulation Force from the book series, including Rayford, Chloe, Buck and Bruce against Nicolae Carpathia – the AntiChrist.

Contrary to misinformation on the web, this game does not include references to any other religion. Also, there is NO killing in the name of God, and NO convert or die missions. All content has been reviewed and approved by Tyndale House Publishers prior to publication.

Conduct warfare using the power of PRAYER and WORSHIP as more powerful weapons than guns.

Recover ancient scriptures and witness spectacular Angelic and Demonic activity as a direct consequence of your choices.

Fight against negative spiritual influences against the Antichrist and his forces.

Command your forces through intense battles across a breathtaking, authentic depiction of New York City .

Control more than 30 units types - from Prayer Warrior and Worship Leaders to Spies, Special Forces and Battle Tanks!

Enjoy a robust single player experience across dozens of New York City maps in Story Mode – fighting in China Town, SoHo , Uptown and more!

Play multiplayer games with the Tribulation Forces or the AntiChrist's Global Community Peacekeepers with up to eight players via LAN or over the Internet!

Wow! This game has it all!

I especially like some of the items in the FAQ section:

Are you concerned that the Christian community won't want a game in their home where lives are taken and people get killed? Absolutely not. How often do you hear about the Christian community up in arms about PG-13 movies? I suppose there might be a very small number that do, but we do not expect this represents the majority of the mainstream and Christian marketplace. What is the most important thing players will "take away" with them after having played the game? We expect gamers will find themselves "having a great time" while "thinking and talking" about matters of eternal importance. What is the level of violence in the game? Our game includes violence, but excludes blood, decapitation, killing of police officers, etc. Our game is expected to be widely accepted by the mainstream and Christian marketplaces, just as they have accepted Star Wars games which are "T" for teen rated. We have taken great care to make certain that consequences for poor gamer behavior will adequately reflect the gamers actions. Accordingly, unnecessary killing will result in lower Spirit points. Are guns used by Christians against non-Christians? Why or why not? The storyline in the game begins just after the Rapture has occurred – when all adult Christians, all infants, and many children were instantly swept home to Heaven and off the Earth by God. The remaining population – those who were left behind – are then poised to make a decision at some point. They cannot remain neutral. Their choice is to either join the AntiChrist – which is an imposturous one world government seeking peace for all of mankind, or they may join the Tribulation Force – which seeks to expose the truth and defend themselves against the forces of the AntiChrist. Does the violence depicted in the game run contrary to Jesus' message on "love your enemy"? Absolutely not. Christians are quite clearly taught to turn the other cheek and to love their enemies. It is equally true that no one should forfeit their lives to an aggressor who is bent on inflicting death. Forgiveness does not require absolute defenselessness. Apparent contradictions on behalf of Christians are often the result of them placing greater importance on the message, than in caring for others. LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces is a game which provides great entertainment while encouraging fascinating discussions about matters of eternal importance.

The lesson for Christians, it seems, is this: If you can't win souls with the truth, twist it into a disturbing futuristic novel in the hope of scaring people into the Kingdom. If that doesn't work, keep them glued to the TV by dazzling them with an action-packed video game and pray that it might one day get them "thinking and talking about matters of eternal importance."

What's that? The Gospel? Yeah, I suppose we could give it a try. Do you know if that's available for PlayStation 3?