In this episode of Church Nerds United, we dive into one of the hottest topics in geek culture: “Should the Fandom Forgive?” Woke activism has left a mark on many beloved franchises, creating division and frustration among fans. As believers, how do we balance forgiveness with accountability? Should we forget the harm done to our favorite stories, or is there a way to heal while staying true to our values? This sermon provides biblical insights to help fans navigate these challenges with faith and wisdom.
Join us as we unpack the intersection of faith, fandom, and forgiveness.
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Welcome to Church Nerds United, the podcast where geek culture meets spiritual truth. Brought to you by the Greater Guild Church, we're here to explore the questions that challenge our hearts and inspire our fandoms. Today's message dives into a topic we all wrestle with. Should the fandom forgive? Whether you're a dungeon master, an otaku, or just here for the lore, grab your healing potion, and let's embark on this journey together.
Greater Guild Announcer:Now let's jump into the message.
Pastor Brandon Holm:Lady Gravenaster, this last week, asked a very important question. And, really, it's it's kinda for us as Christians, it's really something that we need to talk about. And as as geeks that we are, as the nerds that we are, you know, our fandoms have been really destroyed pretty much, and everything we loved and like. I mean look at Dragon Age. Look at what Dustborn was.
Pastor Brandon Holm:I mean considering that it's more activism now, and all of the things that we like, all of our escapisms. It's hard to ask the question, because it's a very difficult question to answer, but as Christians we can answer that in in our faith. And what I mean is, will fandom forgive is the question that Lady Gravemaster did on a live stream earlier this week, and that's really a great question. Will the fandom forgive? I mean, will we as as the fans of, you know, all our favorite sci fi, fantasy, you know, games, movies, TV shows, will we forgive?
Pastor Brandon Holm:That's a very great question. So how do we do this? Well, let's start at the beginning. You know, Disney and all of its failures happened right after the Lucasfilm acquisition. They already had Marvel, and they were doing a really great job when the acquisitions happened.
Pastor Brandon Holm:So what really happened was Disney, and and I'm not just saying this for Disney, but we're focused on Disney because Star Wars very big for us as as as geeks. I mean, we quote it constantly, may the force be with you, is a very common, you know, geeky thing to talk about, especially when you go to Comic Con. But when you look at it, she really does put into the context of the situation that with what happened with Lucasfilm is, and all the schlock that came out of it. It's really turning to the indie producers. The indie productions that are getting a lot of favorable reviews, and a lot more, fans.
Pastor Brandon Holm:It used to not be like that. You'd look at the indies through, you know, even gaming in stream, and you're like, you know. You had to have and you really had to really like indie type films, or, you know, indie type games to really be a fan of this. Well that's, you know, what's happening now is the fans of all our stock, fandoms, our fantasy is just gone, and we're going to these indie production, these indie developers. Why?
Pastor Brandon Holm:Just because of what has happened to our beloved franchises, and she puts it very succinctly. You have to do, you know, separate the brand from the IP. So Lucasfilm is the IP. Disney's the brand. So will we be able to do that?
Pastor Brandon Holm:That's kinda hard to do. If Disney continues to doing what it's doing, and continuing to put Activision over, you know, our our our our stories, the our beloved stories, especially our beloved lore, what's the point of forgiving? And as I like to say with, overlord, Victor VanDuke, he basically sums it up of how we as fans really feel, and it's without respect we reject, and, yeah, the fans have not been respected. Look at what's happening. The whole woke ideology is more of put the activism and active activism in the movies, put our message over the storytelling.
Pastor Brandon Holm:I mean, if you've noticed, you know, with the games that we've been playing, not just here at the guild, but everywhere that has been coming very popular, the act you know, the activist is losing, and we're as fans winning this war on ideology, because we want the storytelling. We want to escape the real world, and that's fine. That's great, but as many people have has speculated, you know, the damage is done. So where do we go from here? And that's quite simple.
Pastor Brandon Holm:Really to state is, let's rephrase the question. It's not, will the fan fandom forgive? The real question here even as Christian geeks is, should the fandom forgive? It's a very very quick, Christian question, and we have a very Christian take on it. So how do we look at it?
Pastor Brandon Holm:I mean, we're told constantly, you know, in church, and from other Christians, you know, forgiveness is correct, but it's not the same when we, you know, in the way we believe, you know. Forgiveness is definitely a correct I'd idea to have, especially when it comes to things that that have happened in recent months years, but it's not in the same way as we believe, and and it's little it's it's not complicated, but it's, kind of, hard to wrap it all up in basically a short message, but to sum it up. Forgiveness is really part and parcel of the healing process. It's basically, like, when you have a bad relationship, and you just, you know, cut off that relationship. Whether it be with your significant other, or you're dating somebody, whatever, or it's with your favorite fandom, or it's with, you know, a game series that you really like.
Pastor Brandon Holm:It's it's that process that we have to go through. We're gonna be angry, but in the end we have to forgive. And the reason that part of that, it's not just a healing process as in general for our psyche, but it is the healing process for our soul as well. Our spirit really needs the forgiveness, and it's not just they have to forgive us. We have to we have to forgive their transgressions as the saying goes.
Pastor Brandon Holm:So to do that, we have to forgive as God forgives us. So the question I'm gonna ask you is how as Christian fans do we forgive the destruction of of Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, and definitely Doctor Who, and basically all our games, within the last 5 years? Well, think of it this way. It comes in 4 parts, and the first part is forgiveness is commanded by God. God demands that we forgive, and in Romans chapter 12 verse 19, he it says, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.
Pastor Brandon Holm:For it is written vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. You're not to go out there, and just go banging on the felt on the shelves just because you forgive. It's very peaceful. I mean, it's kind of contrary to what we had in the Summer of Love, and if you remember that you'll understand that.
Pastor Brandon Holm:We don't are not gonna be violent towards people. That's not how we're supposed to. We can forgive, and if we forgive that's great, but God also forgave us for our transgressions when Jesus died on the cross. The other thing is is that number 2. Jesus did so.
Pastor Brandon Holm:He led he led by example basically on the day he died. His last few words and it we it's it's great because we have it documented in Luke 2334, and Jesus said, forgot father forgive them or they know not what they do. That's very powerful, and the problem is with that one and I'm gonna hear it a lot from other Christians like, well they knew what they were doing. Yes. They did, but we're asking God to forgive them just as we should forgive them.
Pastor Brandon Holm:Do they know what they're doing? Well, yes and no. They brought in the activist, they saw and they green lit it, but did they know what the repercussions were gonna be? Probably not. So it's like, you know, we gotta forgive them because the repercussions have been hard on them, and that's fine.
Pastor Brandon Holm:The third aspect is, you know, it's to be a testimony for others to understand why we forgive. In Colossians 312, Paul basically writes, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. As the Lord has has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Now this is why The Phantom Menace really exists after the 1st star Disney Star Wars movie released. Now, we're telling them, you know, these are the wrong things that are wrong, you know, as The Phantom Menace did.
Pastor Brandon Holm:Look at NerdRoddic, Overlord DVD, Lady Graemeister who gave us our question, RK Outpost, Geeks and Gamers. Yes, Jeremy, we're talking to you too. I wanted to mention that this is not about ding dropping for cloud. You know, look at their videos. Every one of their videos gives testimony to assure fans that the fans voice is heard.
Pastor Brandon Holm:And in that we'd look and we talk we we rewatch their videos, and we ask ourselves, should we forgive? And the answer is definitely, yes. Not just because, but if you also look at channels like, Midnight Says, or the world class b s, You know, they bring people in from the industry to testify about the woke mentality activism going on in it in entertainment. So we know what's going on inside as well. And we need to forgive those people on the inside as well, because they went in I'm sorry to say it.
Pastor Brandon Holm:They went in with great intentions, but their execution sucked. And not only that, what they were doing destroyed almost a lifetime of George Lucas's legacy. You have Gene Roddenberry's legacy being, you know, sacrificed on the altar of her wokeism, and we do need to forgive them for that, and it's just not because we have to. We need to. Because all that anger is just gonna boil up and and and hurt us.
Pastor Brandon Holm:So if we forgive, we're gonna make sure that we can go out there and say, you know what? Is it worth getting out the pitchforks and and and and, you know, torching things? No. But is it worth mentioning that, yeah, you guys really screwed up on this. And finally, as Christian fans, for us to be forgiven for our sins we must forgive others.
Pastor Brandon Holm:You know, God's not one way. He's on this on two sides, and we see this in Matthew chapter 6 14 and 15. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses. See, it's a two way street.
Pastor Brandon Holm:We have to forgive in order to receive forgiveness. I know it sounds weird but this is God's rules, you know? But in all of this have you ever heard me say, forget? Well, no. Notice in every one of these passages and how I've been speaking it's always, forgive, forgive, forgive.
Pastor Brandon Holm:You know, forgive is in these quotes, but I've never say said that you had to forget the transgression. That's where people, kind of, get screwed up because a lot of people forget that forgive and forget is not a Christian value. It's not even at the Bible. Forgive is a Christian value. Forgetting is not.
Pastor Brandon Holm:We can remember what they've done to us. This is why I mentioned all these folks who are part of not just the Phantom Menace, and Phantom Menace is, you know, not really relevant in my opinion anymore, but, you know, RK Outpost, you know, Overlord DVD, Lady Gravemeister, Nirrock, those guys and gals. Those are the people that really form it all together, because if you listen to them, they're really not saying, let's get revenge. Let's, you know, let's let's do harm to them, you know, because, you know, let's, you know, let's not ride at the gates. All they're saying is like, look.
Pastor Brandon Holm:Here's what's going on. We can be mad. We can do that. Because for the many of those people who they are Christian, you know, they know revenge is not the answer. You know, that's up to God.
Pastor Brandon Holm:And like I said, in Romans 12/19, he says, vengeance is mine. But so how do we not forget about these transgressions? Well the answer is simple. Like in our last election, we vote with our wallet and our fandom. If we're not gonna be treated properly, so we don't go watch it.
Pastor Brandon Holm:I mean, it's like what many of these creators said, these woke creators said, you know, if you don't like it, don't buy it. Fine. We're not gonna do it, and we've been doing that. That doesn't mean we don't forgive them. We do honestly, But it's, like, well, you know what?
Pastor Brandon Holm:You had a bad game. I'm sorry. You had stuff in there that I don't like. I'm sorry to hear that, and I forgive you for being, you know, that dumb because you put in all that stuff that we don't like. We've told you we didn't like.
Pastor Brandon Holm:We have great people who are telling us that this is not something we want. So great. We're not gonna buy it. We're not gonna indulge our time, and we're not gonna put time into it for ourselves to just be part of it. Okay?
Pastor Brandon Holm:So as I said, forgiveness, but don't forget it. And as I close this out, I just wanna remind you that, you know, God demands that retaliation is for God, not you. Game developers, movie studios, and even anime studios, and manga publishers will feel this pinch when we decide to reject their Activision activism. Activision. There's another one.
Pastor Brandon Holm:But, you know, we reject the activism that is built into their psyche, and it is being forced down our throats, in our games, in our TV shows, in our movies, in our entertainment in general. And when they say that we are basically wanting more better stories over the woke ideology. That's not revenge or retaliation. It really is a message like you read in the Bible. Now the Bible is our book on how to do life.
Pastor Brandon Holm:Our choice in what we consume as fans, you know, that's the message we need to send out to woke companies. We don't need the messaging. We want story. We want something that we love. We want Star War we want levels of story that it comes from Star Wars 1 through 6.
Pastor Brandon Holm:Indiana Jones, the first three movies. No. The, you know, time before the, you know, 12th doctor. I think 12th doctor was the female one. But any someone before those stories were great.
Pastor Brandon Holm:We want those back. And let me remind you that these companies are gonna be gaslighting you. It's already done with Jaguar. So if the companies are gaslighting you, and you continue to fight for what you believe in, along with forgiveness that they're just being stupid at the moment, it means that you're on the right side of history as the kids say. Again, look at Ubisoft, Disney, even full mainstream media.
Pastor Brandon Holm:They've been gaslighting you for a long time, and you've been fighting. And you're saying and people are saying, well, you you're not supposed to fight about it. Well, you can fight for it. But as long as you put forgiveness in your heart and say, you know, I forgive you for being this dumb, and then say, here's the reasons why, and that's why you have RK Outpost, Geeks and Gamers, Overlord DVD. All these groups put putting that out there and saying, hey, look this is not fun.
Pastor Brandon Holm:This is not great. We don't like this. Because now we're asking for as we respect them for, you know, for forgive in forgiveness, you know, that means that they should respect us for what we want. And just a reminder, Overlord DVD, you know, doom cock. I'm gonna say it again.
Pastor Brandon Holm:Without respect, we will reject, And the company has been feeling it now. So keep it up. But remember, during this whole time, forgive them. You don't have to forget what they did, but just forgive them. It'll make it so much easier to go in life.
Pastor Brandon Holm:And this message really is for everybody in life who's had, you know, family wrong them in the past. And especially when it comes to Thanksgiving, I'm hearing a lot of people are just the families are breaking apart because, you know, you voted for the other person instead of what I wanted. That's the wrong thing to do, but I'm hearing from a lot of families, and this is from out here, that those people are still forgiving those family members who don't want any part, because they voted the opposite direction. That's what we need, and that's how we start the healing.
Greater Guild Announcer:Thanks for tuning in to Church Nerds United by the Greater Guild Church. We hope today's message, should the fandom forgive, sparked some epic conversations in your life group, guild, or raid team. If this inspired you, hit that like button, subscribe, and share the podcast with your friends. Join us next time as we continue exploring the intersection of geek culture and faith. Until then, may your dice rolls be high, your heart's full, and your faith strong.