I just seen this article (off Yahoo’s games site) this morning. Isn’t it so sad that when Christians cry “foul” or “we’re offended” we are ridiculed and chastised as being intolerant or forcing our beliefs down the throats of people. Or maybe we just do not support our beliefs by our compromising so much and not focusing on becoming “holy as he is holy”? Maybe we are just too scared to say anything? Or maybe we just do not care? Or maybe ……..? Note that my comments are not against the video game, because I do know anything about the game. Nor, is it directed against the Muslim group that protested. Nor am I really complaining about Sony. I guess what I am really doing, is praising the Muslim group for standing up for what they believe. I wonder just what the outcome would have been if we, as Christians were offended by this game’s contents and made such a protest?
The webpage link is: http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/religious-outcry-sparks-littlebigrecall/1257227
Religious outcry sparks LittleBigRecall
New PlayStation game soundtrack unpopular with some Islamic groups
By Mike Smith
ADVERTISEMENT
LittleBigPlanet, one of this year's most-anticipated PlayStation 3 releases, won't be arriving in stores next week as expected.
The "social platforming" game is already gathering rave reviews, but it hasn't proven popular with one Muslim group, which issued a complaint to the game's publisher Sony concerning one background music track. Performed by award-winning Malian musician Toumani Diabate, the song quotes two verses from the Qur'an. Many Muslims consider the mixing of music and scripture to be deeply offensive.
Although the game is already pressed, packaged, and reportedly sitting in the back rooms of many worldwide retailers awaiting its original Oct. 21 debut, gamers eager to get hold of it will have to wait at least another week while the offending content is expunged. Updated versions of the game are expected to be shipped to stores during the week of October 27.
LITTLEBIGPICTURES
"Sorry for the delay, and rest assured, we are doing everything we can to get LittleBigPlanet to you as soon as possible," commented Patrick Seybold, Sony's US director of Corporate Communications, in a statement on the company's PlayStation blog.
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Posted: 17 Oct 2008
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Monday, October 20, 2008
Friday, March 9, 2007
Marketing The Church
“Share The Dream … Build The Team” Ten keys for revitalizing your church, Donald W. Morgan.
In the chapter “Let your light shine” Morgan makes this statement. “We in the church are called to do a first-rate public relations job. We’re to do a first-rate communications job, a first-rate sales job and a first-rate advertising job. These are not to be an afterthought, of marginal consideration, or elective. They’re points central to our evangelistic task – if we would make good on the mission committed to us by our Lord Christ”
His scriptural support, or at least his proof text, is Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket … Let you light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
While I believe that his expounding of the text is stretched beyond traditional interpretation, I do not want to debate the scripture. What I like to converse about is: Are we the church, becoming to much like a business? Looking for the next marketing program so to grow our business? I know we have to get our “name” out into the public so that people will know we are in existence and so we can be found. But are we so desperate to establish our identity that we must rely upon marketing to find it?
Do new and fancy words describe who we are? Have we abandon our Biblical identity and gone to gadgets and trends to re-establish it? Are the structures (the avenues through which we do ministry) taken the lead in who we are as a church? In example: We are a seeker-sensitive church. We are a contemporary worship style church. We are a blended worship church. We are a church made up of small communities. We are a relevant church in an ever changing world. And so forth.
I fear that we are so consumed with trying to “market” the church that we a failing in getting the message out. Society/population is growing faster than the church. A higher percentage of ‘church growth” is basically transfer growth. Oh I know that this does not apply to all churches, but is it not true for most?
Can we discuss these lines of thought? I would love to hear from individuals who are in the trenches.
In the chapter “Let your light shine” Morgan makes this statement. “We in the church are called to do a first-rate public relations job. We’re to do a first-rate communications job, a first-rate sales job and a first-rate advertising job. These are not to be an afterthought, of marginal consideration, or elective. They’re points central to our evangelistic task – if we would make good on the mission committed to us by our Lord Christ”
His scriptural support, or at least his proof text, is Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket … Let you light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
While I believe that his expounding of the text is stretched beyond traditional interpretation, I do not want to debate the scripture. What I like to converse about is: Are we the church, becoming to much like a business? Looking for the next marketing program so to grow our business? I know we have to get our “name” out into the public so that people will know we are in existence and so we can be found. But are we so desperate to establish our identity that we must rely upon marketing to find it?
Do new and fancy words describe who we are? Have we abandon our Biblical identity and gone to gadgets and trends to re-establish it? Are the structures (the avenues through which we do ministry) taken the lead in who we are as a church? In example: We are a seeker-sensitive church. We are a contemporary worship style church. We are a blended worship church. We are a church made up of small communities. We are a relevant church in an ever changing world. And so forth.
I fear that we are so consumed with trying to “market” the church that we a failing in getting the message out. Society/population is growing faster than the church. A higher percentage of ‘church growth” is basically transfer growth. Oh I know that this does not apply to all churches, but is it not true for most?
Can we discuss these lines of thought? I would love to hear from individuals who are in the trenches.
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