Halo 3 Tournaments at Church -- Evanglism?

Within the past two years we have seen churches use the violent Mature rated video game, Halo 3, as a draw to attract new student to church youth programs. I see serious problems with this. At the Entertainement Software Rating website Halo 3 is described as :

"a first-person shooter in which players engage in futuristic battles against invading aliens. Players use pistols, sniper rifles, machine guns, and rocket launchers to shoot and kill enemies during the constant and fast-paced battle. Firefights are highlighted by camera effects (e.g., blurring and screen shakes) and realistic sound effects, including screams of pain, gunfire, and explosions. Puffs of blood are emitted from injured aliens/humans, and blood is sometimes smeared on walls and on the ground. Some profanity (e.g., "bullsh*t," "a*shole," and "bastard") can be heard in the dialogue and radio chatter."

Youth groups at churches generally consist of thirteen- to eighteen-year-olds. As the mother of one thirteen-year-old I feel resopnsible to limit exposure to this kind content as much as humanly possible based on Phil 4:8 and the general idea that what you allow is no different than what you purposely train a child to do. If you allow a child to view endless hours of violence you are passively training that same child to be desensitized to violence or worse.

Sadly, it is no surprise this type of attraction has become common around our nation's evangelical churches given the watering down of the Bible's message so many mega-churches have been built upon

Taking violent video games into churhc youth events is not, as some would rationalize, taking the gospel to the world as Paul on Mars Hill. The apostle Paul was a missionary called by God and sent by the church to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the pagan world of Greece and Rome. He sailed across the sea to tell about Jesus Christ. He debated on Mars Hill. He did not bring the pagan practices into the synogogue or church meeting places.

Youth programs who model Mars Hill go out to the streets and preach to people on busy street corners. This is "Mars Hill" evangelism.

It pains me that I even have to say this but what message does this send to students when this is done at church? Simply bringing bodies into a church building should not be a goal. If this alone is a goal, then it is a low standard for defining "evangelism," which I was taught to believe was telling the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and leading others to a saving knowledge of Christ. For those who argue that a video game can attract youth to a church event where they will learn more about the gospel and given a chance to hear the gospel then consider that if the methods change according to the culture, then why continue such methods which have failed or the standard would not keep dropping lower and lower?

If a church youth program exists and has been teaching and training church youth for years, then those youth should be able to be "lights" in their world who bring others to Christ. Otherwise, it seems to be money flushed down the proverbial toilet to have paid staff, events, etc. Or is a youth program just a glorified "teen-care" program, just keeping kids busy and safely confined within a room or building while their parents attend other church functions?

If time and money spent on youth programs were truly effective and producing some results, then Halo video attractions would be unnecessary.

If the only things not done in church are those which are actually illegal, how far down the path toward apostasy have we come?

And, further, if this is paid for by tithes and offerings of sincere believers, would not this be considered fraud by people of maturity enough to know the difference between catering to a culture immersed in self-gratification and bringing the powerful message of love, forgivenss and freedom that is the essence of the gospel?