Reformed?

“Wait… are you guys reforming Christians?”

We legit got that question once. Someone thought we were trying to indoctrinate Christians into some weird cult sort of thing.

An old article in our archive, titled “What Do We Mean by REFORMED Gamers?” by Eric Bryant, is a helpful treatise behind our theology. Well, generally. In case you have not read it, here’s the bite-sized version of what that “Reformed” word means in the title.

The Reformed Gamers has a dual meaning. Meaning, there are two purposes that the word “Reformed” serves in the title. The first being that both of the hosts approach topics from a Reformed theological perspective. To learn more about what that means, we recommend reading Eric’s article as that will give a more fleshed-out definition.

Secondly, it means we are seeking to reform the way Christians interact and discuss video games, and the associated topics. All too often in Christians circles, you see video games either touted as instant idolatry or demonized in some way or another (like the popular “video games cause mass shootings/acts of violence” rhetoric that’s somehow come back up in 2019). Or you hear the typical “video games are childish and thus are not fit for Christians”. We don’t believe in any of that. We believe that through God-given talents, developers craft interactable pieces of art (video games) that are to be enjoyed. As such, we believe that video games, as an art form, are a gift from God to be enjoyed. But engagement with games require discernment because, while we believe video games as an art form are a gift from God, we recognize that not ALL video games are fit for Christian consumption. Therefore, if we are going to glorify God in all that we do, what does that look like with video games? That’s what we strive to do and discuss on the show to better help you understand how to appreciate this gift while not turning it into an idol.

In 2020, we release Episode 171 that is the perfect starting point for anyone curious about where we stand theologically and what the show is all about. We recommend starting there if you are new to the show!