Christians and Anime

This is all well and good, you might be saying, but is this really something I, or my children, should be involved in?

I believe the key to really understanding and judging anime is to view it as a medium. Not good or evil by nature, but neutral--clay in the hands of the animators to convey a good message or an ill one.

We as Christians have a great opportunity to seize upon this tool and use it to further the kingdom of Christ. Christian artists and writers are already embracing manga (the printed form of anime, and how most anime titles get their start) and writing Christian stories that are being embraced by the mainstream. Many of them are solely web-based, but a few are being published, such as Serenity and The Manga Bible.

We can also use anime as a starting point to reach out to others with discussion and fellowship, which is the primary goal of CAA. Just like movies, books, and other popular forms of entertainment, environments like CAA allow for Christians to meet other Christians and grow together in Christ as well as encouraging Christians to speak to non-believers and become friends with them, letting God's love shine out in the relationships that wouldn't even be possible without the common love for anime.

Anime is very rapidly becoming ingrained in our culture, with no signs of stopping any time soon. This is our chance as Christians to show the world we are not stiff-minded hypocrites, but instead yearning to show them the love of Jesus Christ. By reaching out to teens across the nation (and the world) on a common level, the light of Christ is being shone brighter than ever.