Checkpoint Church

I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say this or not, but I’m beginning to think that JRR Tolkien might have had some kind of connection to Christianity. I’m also even less sure if I’m allowed to say *whispers* that I’m enjoying the Rings of Power Amazon series.

For some bizarre and problematic reasons, folks have been upset with this show since the cast reveal, but it’s a pretty good show, especially if you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings or just high fantasy. 

Some of the best works of fantastic storytelling are that the audience already knows how things will end up. We know that the Prince and Princess end up happily ever after. We know that Anakin will become Darth Vader until conquering the Dark Side for his children, even if it costs him an arm and a charred leg. We know those darn hobbits will climb the mountain and throw the ring in, defeating Sauron.

So why do we need this prequel story? Why is it worth our time when we know where things will end up? Well, believe it or not, this is a familiar issue to Christians - what do we do now that Jesus came, died, rose, and will come to us again? Let’s talk about it.

Follow Us Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Writer, Filmographer: Nathan Webb

Editor: Niki Turner

Secret Link: https://youtu.be/qrQVFZx7XX4

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

1:06 - Welcome!

1:33 - Scripture

2:55 - What is The Rings of Power?

3:53 - On Fairy Stories by Tolkien

5:30 - Example of Eucatastrophe

6:40 - Scripture Analysis

7:50 - Eschatology

9:23 - What does this mean for us today?

10:55 - Thanks for Watching!

11:31 - Quick Question

12:08 - Three Things

13:02 - Twitch Clip!

Join the convo on our Discord: https://discord.gg/zUg5sj7

Respond to this blog here: https://www.checkpointchurch.com/post/what-it-means-to-parent-a-gamer

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://bit.ly/tothepointnews

Follow the blog: https://www.checkpointchurch.com//blog

To The Point is a weekly newsletter distributed through our email chain, website, and podcast.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a behemoth of a new game that dropped, and I am barely chipping away at the surface. Still, I can’t just NOT talk about this game being fronted by the main character, which is essentially… clergy? Noah is an off-seer tasked with the responsibility to see someone off when they pass on from this life.

Except - something is wrong in the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. But, like any good manipulation story, none of our main characters know it. Noah is the first to start sniffing that something strange is happening. What happens when death looks less like passing on and more like a power grab? Let’s talk about it.

Follow Us Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Writer, Filmographer: Nathan Webb

Editor: Niki Turner

Secret Link: https://youtu.be/FKds1Zr7biQ

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

0:43 - Welcome!

1:23 - Scripture

2:43 - What is Xenoblade Chronicles 3?

5:20 - Paul's Enslavement to Righteousness

7:04 - Understanding Freedom & Sin

8:29 - Noah & Friends Enslavement

9:13 - What does this mean for us today?

10:44 - Thanks for Watching!

11:02 - Quick Question

11:31 - Three Things

12:07 - Twitch Clip!

Find Full Transcript Here: https://www.checkpointchurch.com/post/nerds-of-pray-drew

Nerds of Pray is the podcast where Nerd Pastor Nathan Webb of Checkpoint Church sits down with some of the leading people in the realm of Nerd/Pop Culture Ministry. He asks them questions about their specific venture into the ministry, as well as what first led them to the intersection of faith and fandom.

In this episode, Nathan sits down with Drew Dixon, author of Know Thy Gamer and founder of Love Thy Nerd.

Support Drew Dixon: 

Twitter: @_DrewDixon

Buy the Book: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1087755220/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_96KTDRTA0JKRP9T6GPGN

Website: lovethynerd.com

Nerds of Pray is made possible by the support of Checkpoint Church, the church for nerds, geeks, and gamers online. This episode was hosted, produced, recorded, edited, and mastered by Nathan Webb. It was captured via Cleanfeed and edited in DaVinci Resolve.

Intro/Outro Music is Royalty Free: "The Little Broth" by Rolemusic   

Key Art/Logo was created by: Nathan Webb   

Character Art/Avatar by: mondayvibes

To support Checkpoint Church and the ministry they produce, please like this video and subscribe to our channel or these other sources: 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/checkpoint-church 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch 

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch 

Discord: https://discord.gg/zUg5sj7 

Website: http://www.checkpointchurch.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/checkpointchurchnc 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CheckpointNerd 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/checkpointchurch/ 

Merch: https://checkpoint-church.creator-spring.com/

Our next episode will be dropping next month and will feature Drew Dixon of Love Thy Nerd and Know Thy Gamer. Look forward to that and thanks again so much for giving us a listen!

If you have any recommendations or would like to be considered as a future guest on the podcast, submit your name and biography to [email protected].

The Checkpoint Church Podcast Hub is the hub for all of our podcasts, sermons, and special projects. To learn more, go to checkpointchurch.com or send any questions you have to [email protected].

0:00 - Clip

0:18 - Intro

0:34 - Introducing Drew

1:37 - Welcome Drew!

4:17 - What flavor of nerd are you?

6:21 - Where did your nerd journey begin?

9:18 - Where did you first find the intersection of faith and fandom?

15:15 - Love Thy Nerd

20:41 - What does it mean to create content for Love Thy Nerd?

23:56 - The Future of Christian Content

27:25 - Hosting Hard Conversations

29:50 - Collaboration in Christian Digital Ministry

32:40 - Humans of Gaming

39:07 - Discussing Know Thy Gamer

46:14 - What do you think the future of faith and pop culture looks like?

48:46 - What are you watching/reading/playing?

57:21 - Shout outs

58:55 - Closing

1:00:00 - Credits

#nerdsofpray #podcast #newpodcast #drewdixon #lovethynerd #knowthygamer #interview #church #christian #nerd #nerdpastor #checkpointchurch #nerdministry

Join the convo on our Discord: https://discord.gg/zUg5sj7

Respond to this blog here: https://www.checkpointchurch.com/post/final-nail-in-the-coffin

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://bit.ly/tothepointnews

Follow the blog: https://www.checkpointchurch.com//blog

To The Point is a weekly newsletter distributed through our email chain, website, and podcast.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

I'm a sucker for many things, but throw together a psychological horror mystery time-loop storyline and make it an anime? I'm all aboard, bb. When I heard about the premise of Summertime Rendering, I needed to binge it all in one sitting, but then I remembered I have a three-year-old and a four-month-old, and I guess I have to actually raise them, so… I'll binge it slightly slower I guess.

As I watched this new anime, I quickly noticed some striking parallels with a familiar lament from the Bible. How well do we know ourselves? While the characters in this show are literally being killed by themselves as ghost-like Shadows… don't we tend to get in our way fairly often? This nerdy sermon will discuss how we can learn to avoid shadow sickness other than just staying off that island. Let's talk about it. 

Follow Us Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Writer, Filmographer: Nathan Webb

Editor: Niki Turner

Secret Link: https://youtu.be/LxxIjy1ke1s

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

0:46 - Welcome!

1:25 - Scripture

2:58 - What is Summer Time Rendering?

7:20 - What does this anime have to do with Paul?

8:33 - The Adventures of Barty

9:46 - The Dark Version of You

10:13 - Wesleyan Grace

12:18 - Connecting Summer Time Rendering and Grace

12:57 - What does this mean for us today?

14:15 - Thanks for Watching!

14:35 - Quick Question

14:56 - Three Things

15:40 - Twitch Clip!

Join LVL2: https://bit.ly/joinlvl2

Join the convo on our Discord: https://discord.gg/zUg5sj7

Respond to this blog here: https://www.checkpointchurch.com/post/the-opportunity-that-knocks

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://bit.ly/tothepointnews

Follow the blog: https://www.checkpointchurch.com//blog

To The Point is a weekly newsletter distributed through our email chain, website, and podcast.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Join the convo on our Discord: https://discord.gg/zUg5sj7

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://bit.ly/tothepointnews

Follow our blog: https://www.checkpointchurch.com//blog

The LVL2 Podcast is a monthly, community driven podcast distributed through our podcast hub.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Join LVL2: https://bit.ly/joinlvl2

Join the convo on our Discord: https://discord.gg/zUg5sj7

Respond to this blog here: https://www.checkpointchurch.com/post/whose-pod-is-it-anyway

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://bit.ly/tothepointnews

Follow the blog: https://www.checkpointchurch.com//blog

To The Point is a weekly newsletter distributed through our email chain, website, and podcast.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

I just want to go ahead and acknowledge what we’re all thinking - Yes, Bruce Banner, played by 54-year-old Mark Ruffalo, did, in fact, say, “Bruh,” in the first episode of She-Hulk. It wasn’t a fever dream, as much as we wish it were.

But now that that’s out of the way - we can talk about the actual important and somewhat less cringy other stuff that we got to see in She-Hulk. Most notably, I kept getting distracted by the fact that the story they were seemingly going to tell was one of my favorites in the Bible. Yeah - like, THE Bible. 

So what could this definitely a lawyer show and not a superhero show possibly have to do with the Great Commission of Jesus? Let’s talk about it.

Follow Us Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Writer, Filmographer: Nathan Webb

Editor: Niki Turner

Secret Link: https://youtu.be/W7vBHbzbcos

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

0:38 - Welcome!

1:08 - Scripture

1:56 - Who is She-Hulk?

3:25 - The Calling to Ministry

4:10 - Esther & Her Calling

5:25 - For Such a Time As This

6:48 - What does this mean for us today?

7:45 - Thanks for Watching!

8:02 - Quick Question

8:19 - Three Things

9:10 - Twitch Clip!