RE: A Theology of Play
Earlier this year I read a a blog post by Brock Henderson that I enjoyed so much, I printed it off to keep at my reading corner. I only just revisited it a few months after my first look at it, and felt I had something to contribute to the discussion.
It might be clear from my previous blog posts that the intersection of Christian theology and play is an area that I’ve been very interested in, and one that I really feel has been under-explored. It seems rare that the concept of “play”, however you may define the word, is spoken of in a positive light in scripture. Brock identified one of the few places where it is mentioned in Zechariah 8: 3-5 (emphasis mine):
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”
It’s a beautiful and encouraging image being painted. And Brock’s first point regarding this “theology of play” is equally so (again, emphasis mine):
“…one of the beautiful things about play is that it gives us a glimpse of the life God designed us to have—a time when we were naked and unashamed before God and each other in the garden. It was a time of safety, security, peace, freedom, and joy. We weren’t scared or stressed or posturing before God or each other. We weren’t hung up on image, status, or possessions. When we engage in play today, we return to that time for however brief.”
This last sentence really struck me, as I felt it tied closely to a very important set of verses from the Gospels:
“At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” – Matthew 11:25
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” – Matthew 18:1-5
“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” – Mark 10:15
I’ve heard a few interpretations as to what is being suggested by the above passages, particularly what it means to take “the lowly position of a child.” A common thread among them is trust. I’ve heard it said that these verses suggest that we return to the state we found ourselves in as children, where we were in complete and total trust of the guidance and protection of our parents and place that same level of trust in God as we grow into adulthood. I’d like to offer another interpretation, though, that might fit right in between this need of trust and Brock’s approach toward a Theology of Play…
Ian Boghost is an academic and game designer, and the author of “Play Anything”, a book I particularly enjoyed when reading into the broader concepts of play. While I am unsure of his own religious beliefs, if any, his writings in his book fell strangely in-line with the importance scripture is placing on children and their humble places in the world. Early on in the book, Boghost shares an anectdote about his daughter, who is finding the time and space to play while she hops from floor tile to floor tile, all the while her father is actively pulling her along, trying to make a rendezvous that they’re running late for. He had this revelation, upon realizing what his daughter was doing:
“Children are forced to live in a world that wasn’t designed for them, one that isn’t concerned with their desires and welfare. Children are constantly compromising, constantly adjusting. That’s wisdom, not innocence.”
“Children are right to allow the humility of their smallness rule the day.”
Much of the book following this point explores what it means to “play”, and what it means to have fun. One big message I took away from his writings, however, derives from another quote that summarizes a lot of what Boghost thinks it means to play and be playful (emphasis mine):
Play cultivates humility, for it requires us to treat things as they are rather than as we wish them to be. If we let it, play can be the secret to contentment. Not because it provides happiness or pleasure—although it certainly can—but because it helps us pursue a greater respect for the things, people, and situations around us.
Something I specifically want to highlight from the above passages is the importance of two specific factors in play, particularly from the child’s perspective: humility and trust.
Referring back to Matthew 18:4, some biblical translations swap out the words “lowly position” for “humble”. Children play naturally, without need for external motivation. According to Boghost, child’s play is an act that cultivates such humility as what may possibly be referred to in this Matthew passage. Could it be possible that a child’s playfulness is one way we can actively “receive the kingdom of God”? Play cultivates humility as it requires you to remove your own self interests in order to actively engage with “the other”, be it a stick, the floor tiles in the mall, a difficult work task, a best friend. You play at your best when you are actively dedicating your time, efforts, and attention to this other thing and person, wholly accepting who or what they are and removing your desires from the equation. Children almost seem to play this way naturally.
This level of dedication towards another person or an object requires some level of trust on the part of the player. Bernie DeKoven in his book “The Well Played Game” highlights the importance of mutual trust in building a play community:
The safer we feel in the game we’re playing, the more willing we are to play it. But, for this experience of safety, we can’t rely solely on the game, we must also be able to believe we are safe with each other.
While it might not be the intended message of the aforementioned Gospel verses, we could look at the very act of play and a mindset of playfulness as an exercise of virtues that are still important to a spiritual life. Through play, we humble ourselves by removing our self-interests, placing trust in a plaything or another player that they will not betray us in our mutual exploration of the magic circles we find ourselves in. In a sense, we trust “the other” to provide what we need in this context, even if we don’t quite know what that is yet. Much like we trust our parents as children, and much like Christians place trust in God as they grow into spiritual maturity.
In trying to figure out how to round out this post, I remebered a segment from The Chosen that stuck out to me. It’s a recreation of Matthew 11, whereby Jesus speaks to a crowd about John the Baptist. In particular, starting around the 4:30 mark in the below clip:
While the scene is padded with quotes you won’t find in scripture, it still feels fitting next to the reference of Aesop’s Fables:
“Those of you who have rejected John’s message of repentance, and those who are now rejecting mine, you remind me of the children in the marketplace that play games while the adults are busy… You are like the children who refuse to play. Whether it’s a happy game or a sad game, it doesn’t matter what it is.”
Anyway.
Great, thanks for sharing! Welcome to the community 🙂