The Wickedness of "Game of Thrones"

In 1991, Richard Maynard went skydiving. Since it was his first time, he was strapped to an instructor who would operate the parachutes. He paid another skydiver to jump ahead to videotape them. But during their freefall, something went terribly wrong:

... Smith [the instructor] released a small drogue parachute to slow them down to a speed where it would be safe to open his main parachute, without it giving them a backbreaking jolt. But here disaster struck. As the chute flew from its container, the cord holding it became entangled around Smith's [the instructor's] neck. It pulled tight, strangling him, and he quickly lost consciousness.

The videotaping skydiver quickly "swooped" down by reducing his wind drag to try to save them both (they had passed him and were now below him). Time was running out, and with only 20 seconds left after the first failed attempt, he knew he had only one more opportunity. Thankfully, he opened the unconscious instructor's main chute with only 12 seconds to spare, and their lives were saved. The viewpoint from the excited student (who was strapped to the unconscious instructor) was quite ironic:

By the time the tandem pair had landed, Smith had recovered consciousness, but collapsed almost immediately. Only then did Maynard realize something had gone wrong. Caught up in the excitement of the jump, with adrenaline coursing through his body and the wind roaring in his hears, he had had no idea that anything out of the ordinary had happened.¹ [Emphasis added]

Freefall into Hell

I believe many professing Christians are just like this parachuter before he was rescued. They are careening toward hell with their conscience strangled by the cords of sin, while thinking that nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Little do they realize the sudden death without remedy that awaits them below.

We are seeing the terrible effects that moral relativism is having on the church. Thankfully, many are still cautioning against watching this wicked series of Game of Thrones, but many others are using the same arguments from moral relativism that they have used to justify lesser evils in the past. Many who caution against it are not willing to call it out as sin, and others are keeping silent on the issue. How did we get to where we are--when something so evil is contemplated in the church even for one moment?

An Ironic Title

The title of this series is eerily ironic: "Game of Thrones." There are two spiritual kingdoms; one of darkness, and one of light:

Satan has always wanted to take over God's throne, and to "exalt [his] throne above the stars of God" (Isaiah 14:14). He wants to reign in every heart and will stop at nothing within his power to do so. He wants you to think of life, death, eternity, and your heart as one big game; but to the devil, it is anything but a game.

The Deadly Shift in Christian Theology

I wouldn't feel the need to be writing about this series here if I hadn't seen so many professing Christians mention or display this as one of their favorite shows. There has been a terrible shift in Christian theology recently which has led to an appaling lack of moral uprightness among professing Christians. We need to get back to the basics in Christianity. It is sinful to watch certain entertainment. As a church, we have been afraid to say this for far too long, probably for fear of being labelled a legalist or Pharisee. But it's just common sense, and those who have the Holy Spirit inside them will know it is true.

Conclusion

Someone once said, "Faith and works are like the light and heat of a candle; they cannot be separated."² Those who claim to have faith in God yet watch Game of Thrones are trying to separate the light and the heat of the gospel, but it cannot be done. Those who truly trust in Jesus Christ are given a new heart, and though they still sin, they do not love wickedness as the unsaved do. Please keep your heart clean and avoid such an ungodly series.