How do you reply when your CTKid shares some common bit of violence or meanness from a video game experience? Do you want him stewing about aggression he’s noticing, or would it be better to give him some biblical context with which to process negative emotions? You can use biblical concepts of knowledge, wisdom and understanding  to help him unpack that.

• Offer an interpretation of his experience: It sounds like that game is revealing to you more knowledge about people. Knowledge is good. Now you see why Jesus had to die for all of our sins and meanness. It all had to be paid for.  The good news is when we leave behind this meanness, we will eventually live in heaven with him forever because of our faith. (Or offer a similar gospel formulation that comes more naturally to you.) Encourage him to put the aggression in biblical perspective.
• Use a rhetorical segue: Would you say that this game is helping you develop wisdom about the difference between good and evil? … That’s good, because God wants us to know that and to follow His good. The Bible actually says to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). So what did you do in that situation you just described?
• Offer support: It sounds like that game is giving you understanding  about how people often act out. Maybe because they’re impatient, have a bad temper, or just had a bad day. When you understand various reasons why people act out, it can help you to be more patient with them.

Practice finding your unique ways of characterizing how the Word of God can be tied into your CTKid’s actual experiences online. Be as light-hearted or as pedantic as is natural to you. Follow his cues. As you gain deeper awareness of your CTKid’s biblical comprehension and his typical online experiences, you will see where his knowledge may need development. Help him to seek biblical knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

You can help him become wiser than his years—and redeem his video game time—conversation by conversation.