This is Faith in Play #66: Promises, for May 2023. I was very young when I saw a western something-or-other (don’t know if it was a movie or a television show) in which one of the characters made a statement that has stuck with me for over half a century: “A man’s only got his … [Read more…]
This is Faith in Play #65: Family, for April 2023. There has been a lot of talk in recent years about something called “Family Game Night”, the idea that families benefit by spending time together playing games. Some might be offended by the use of the slogan, “The family that plays together,” but it’s probably … [Read more…]
This is Faith in Play #64: A Kingdom Allegory, for March 2023. I was musing on random ideas when my mind stumbled on a setting idea, a piece of a larger world I would expect, into which the characters might wander and which they might find confusing but possibly, what, educational? I have couched it … [Read more…]
This is Faith in Play #63: Inadequacy, for February 2023. Decades ago comedian Bill Cosby got a lot of laughs from a sketch about Noah’s conversations with God. Throughout Noah is full of doubts and questions (“Am I on Candid Camera?), not at all happy with what he has been instructed to do. We don’t … [Read more…]
This is Faith in Play #62: Theocracy, for January 2023. Whether our imagined worlds are vast universes or small villages, there is always someone, person, people, or other, who is in charge. We call that government. In most of our medieval-themed worlds, and many of our futuristic ones, we envision a monarchial feudalism. In the … [Read more…]
We again finished the year, and should observe the tradition to post an index of the past year’s articles on the last day. In December of 2021 we published 2021 At the Christian Gamers Guild Reviewed, and in previous years 2020 at the Christian Gamers Guild Reviewed; 2019 at the Christian Gamers Guild Reviewed; Thirteen … [Read more…]
This is Faith in Play #61: Christian D&D, for December 2022. Someone I have known online probably since I first became Chaplain of the Christian Gamers Guild recently read my recently republished book Do You Trust Me? (and made some positive comments about it), but then messaged me thus: …in your book Do You Trust … [Read more…]
This is Faith in Play #60: Afterlife, for November 2022. What happens when we die? The western religious view (I call it “western” because it is the view of most but not all Christians and Muslims) is that the soul or spirit goes to a place of either punishment or reward, depending on what it … [Read more…]
This is Faith in Play #59: Ghosts, for October 2022. At some point I was asking about topics for this series, and someone suggested including the undead, giving a list of several examples in that group. We did a piece about Vampires specifically, but otherwise have left the group untouched. Yet there is one member … [Read more…]
This is Faith in Play #58: Supers, for September 2022. Last month I added Heroes to the list of archetypes from which we can learn something, and in conclusion I distinguished those ordinary people who rise to the need from the more potent archetype which I called the superhero. I said maybe we would come … [Read more…]