I ran across an explanation of the game “Werewolf” a few days ago. I’d never heard of it before. My curiosity piqued, so I chased the subject a bit. Dimitry Davidoff, a psychology student at Moscow State University, developed it to prove his thesis that “an uninformed majority will always lose a battle of information against an informed minority.”
From what I can ascertain, it was originally called “mafia” which makes plenty of sense given the presence of organized crime in Russia over dozens of decades. (If you’d like to understand Russia, and where Western Culture is headed read Solzhenitsyn’s “The Gulag Archipelago“) The game is a huge phenomenon now with extensive followers, online forums, virtual global games, movies, and more.
Interestingly, what this game reveals can’t be denied. Look at the conclusion itself. People with knowledge (the informed) typically end up on high ground. Granted, in the case of the Gospel we’re not offing villagers for fun and profit. 😉 Rather, as Christians, we’re sharing the “Good News” of Christ and doing so with the information found only in the Gospel.
You may attain knowledge without wisdom, but no wisdom exists without the Lord.
-Earle Wicham
If Davidoff’s thesis is correct, and I agree it is, what may this mean for Christians? I believe this is far more simplistic than most imagine. For us, the Armor of God will suffice.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Once we finally realize that the Full Armor of God is the Word of God, we comprehend that His teachings equip us in every facet. We have unprecedented access to the Word of God today. And we manage to ignore, evade, and neglect the Word routinely. What an oxymoron. Should we apply the principle of the Werewolf game to discipleship, we’d rightly understand being in the Word routinely would glorify Him. Alas, too few of us do this. In doing so, we have information in the form of the Gospel right before our very eyes, all of which is beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.
As we discern and learn the Word of God, we’re commanded to share it. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Do you wish to be TRULY informed? Then open up your Bible and read it. Say a prayer before you begin and ask the Almighty, with humility, for a passage of scripture that speaks to you. I say to you my brethren, you shall have it. Read until the Word of God has been laid upon your heart. Do so daily.
If we’re to be salt and light, it begins with the Full Armor of God. I pray it be.
(As an aside, if you hadn’t noticed, the Word of God in this blog analogy was represented by information and will always win out over the informationless, having been represented by satan and the Godlessness… Additionally, if you’ve offered the video/concept above to friends, they probably flocked to Davidoff’s revelation like moths to a flame. If so, you’ll begin to understand that the world tends to come to these conclusions naturally. They’ll ooh and ahh over the mic drop moment of Davidoff’s thesis and what truism is bestowed upon the modern world. They might even sing Davidoff’s praises, yet never import God into the equation. Just think what it might be like if they did. Hint, hint.)
