The God Who Plays: A Playful Approach to Theology and Spirituality
Overview
Christianity Today’s 2019 Award of Merit in Spiritual Formation
Many people would be surprised to hear that a playful attitude towards God and the world lies at the heart of Christian faith. Traditionally Christians have focused on the serious responsibilities of service, sacrifice, and commitment. But the prophets say that the future kingdom is full of people laughing and playing, which has implications for Christians who are called to live out the future kingdom in the present. Play is not trivial or secondary to work and service—only a playful way of living does justice to the seriousness of life! Play is the essential and ultimate form of relationship with God, which is why Jesus told people to learn from children. Indeed, a playful attitude is an important part of all significant relationships. This book explores grace, faith, love, worship, redemption, and the kingdom from the perspective of a playful attitude. It describes how to create a “play ethic” to match the “work ethic” and discusses play as a virtue, Aquinas’s warning against the sin of not playing enough, and Bonhoeffer’s claim that in a world of pain it is only the Christian who can truly play.
Key Features
- Presents play as an essential form of relationship with God
- Explores the role of a playful attitude in spiritual life
- Includes reflection questions for each chapter
Contents
- Christ: The God Who Plays
- Faith: It’s Child’s Play!
- Worship: Fun and Games
- Spirituality: Playing with Friends
- Theology: Ludic(rous) Thinking
- Grace: Creating a Play Ethic
- Love: Play and True Beauty
- Redemption: Play and Pain
- Kingdom: Playing with God
Top Highlights
“pleasure.’18 The pleasure that refreshes the soul is playful” (Page 12)
“Play is the spontaneous expression of a free spirit, of something done purely and only because one wants to do it” (Page 9)
“Play, or one might say a ‘playful attitude,’ is at the heart of religious experience” (Page 9)
“play is what one does for pleasure while work is essentially productive in nature” (Page 11)
“this enables one to return to contemplative prayer—rather than merely to work.” (Page 12)
Praise for the Print Edition
In The God Who Plays, Brian Edgar presents a wonderful gift to God’s overly serious people . . . The chapter headings are inviting, the writing clear and even playful. Brian clearly had fun writing this book. And the imaginative invitations to play with God, concluding each chapter, are irresistible. Enjoy.
—Gordon Preece, Director, Ethos: EA Centre for Christianity and Society
In this compelling book, Brian Edgar manages to lighten the spirit and lift the heart while offering profound stimulation for the Christian mind. All such ends, he argues, are proper to authentic theology, and are well summed up in the concept of ‘play’. While hardly the most common focus of theological scholarship, Edgar expertly mines Scripture, ecclesial tradition, and saintly experience to demonstrate that play is, in fact, essential rather than peripheral to discipleship, worship, mission, and redemption.
—David Hilborn, Principal, St John’s College, Bramcote, Nottingham
Play, it has been said, is the serious business of childhood and of heaven. What’s more, as Brian Edgar convincingly shows, all things, such as work, spirituality, theology, worship, are meant to be infused with play. Indeed, play is rooted in the nature of God, in the perichoresis and playfulness of the Trinity. But not only is his book a profound theological reflection about play; above all, it is a joyful invitation to play and to join with The God who Plays.
—Stephen Seamands, Professor, Asbury Theological Seminary
Product Details
- Title: The God Who Plays: A Playful Approach to Theology and Spirituality
- Author: Brian Edgar
- Publisher: Wipf & Stock
- Publication Date: 2017
- Pages: 142
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Christian Living
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
Reviews
1 rating
Tim Kuhn
4/9/2024
The author goes to great lengths to twist the meaning of scripture. "The central idea around which everything that follows revolves is the notion that play is the essential and ultimate form of relationship with God.” After making this point, he tries to use scripture to back up his claim. "Jesus had come “eating and drinking” and they said he was a glutton and a drunkard. They rejected both and would not play with either of them.” The Pharisees wouldn’t play with Jesus? Did they forget to bring their marbles? Chapter 8 - Crucifixion as Play - I just don't have the words. Can you imagine Paul telling people this? I will finish the book just as a reminder of how badly we can twist scripture to try to prove our point. The Christian life should be one of joy, but that is different from play. "In short, the Christian focus has tended to fall upon service and work rather than play, and upon activity in general rather than rest.” Run the race, count the cost, full armor of God….maybe he is reading a different Bible. None of those sound like ‘play’ to me. Play - engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. While we should be joyful in our service to God, it is serious and practical. People are going to hell. The gospel isn’t something we are playing with. Perhaps the author could have used a different word other than ‘play’. Brian Edgar, The God Who Plays: A Playful Approach to Theology and Spirituality (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017), 4. Brian Edgar, The God Who Plays: A Playful Approach to Theology and Spirituality (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017), 16. Brian Edgar, The God Who Plays: A Playful Approach to Theology and Spirituality (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017), 1.
