Context
Held at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs, next to Garden of Gods5 days and 4 nightsSponsored by Office of Congregational Excellence of the Missouri Annual Conference of United Methodist ChurchAbout 33 participants - mostly clergy, but some lay persons as wellThe fourth of a series of spiritual formation retreats known as “Soul Connections” - this one was on the theme of “Enchantment”Stayed in a lodge, ate meals in the castle, hiked through surrounding hills and mountainsAsked me to lead three 2-hour sessions on “Theology of Play”Day 1 - Introduction to Play
Bernard Suits’ definition of game – “the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles”Talked about my own journey into gamingResearch into gamingGames and play are essentially the same thingPlay has been an essential part of the human condition (including adults) since the beginning of historyTheologians interested in play too! Play as salvationPlayed “Just One”Reflect on how games help us be present to each other, gives us sense of agencyPlay as graceParker Palmer - Play as sign of calling - asked folks to reflectDay 2 - Barriers to Play
Told them Monopoly historyIf play is so good for us, why are we resistant to it?Told story of Bernard Suits' The Grasshopper except for the ending - including haunting dreamHistorical roots of barriers to playReformation, Age of Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution“Earning” salvation was replaced with “proving” salvationBeing productive was sign of virtue; being unproductive was sign of immorality“Morality of achievement” - MoltmannTurns human into cogs in machines“Pushback on idea of play as work which we want to do. Someone shared story of “workaholic” who said “my work is my play.”Played Wits & Wagers - reflectionReflection on Genesis 3:1-6 - Adam & Eve & serpentSin was thinking we didn’t need God or anyone else. We could prove our worth through our achievement.The greatest barrier to play is “practical atheism” - the belief that we can’t rely on God, not really. We have to prove our worth and value by achieving and producing.Ending of the Grasshopper - everything is unnecessary from a utopian point of view (or cosmic scale), so all is playDay 3 - Toward a Playful Life
2 tools to help us move toward a playful life:Sabbath - Looked at the book The Sabbath by Joshua Abraham HeschelSabbath hallows time like temples hallow spaceJust as a Sabbath is the end unto itself (not to “recharge”), so too is play. It is not in service to work.Jane McGonigal - Reality is BrokenThe opposite of work is not play, it is despair, hopelessness.Work is about having agency.So work is just play we want to do.So how can we make work more into something we want to do - gamification of life!How will world view us if we move toward a playful life? 1 Corinthians 1:18-25Holy Fool TraditionFilling out “Character Creation Sheet” - make your own Holy Fool Self (Mandi Hutchinson)Made me wonder whether it would be helpful to lay out 3 terms, not just 2:Play - voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstaclesWork - obligatory attempt to overcome unnecessary obstaclesRest - refraining from both of the aboveMore barriers to play for women than menCharacter sheets - some were reluctant. Maybe pass out the day before to get people time to work on it.Wits & Wagers didn’t quite work as well as I hoped. Would replace next time with the Mind.What seemed to resonate with people:Suits’ definition of gamesEnding of Grasshopper - everything is unnecessaryPlay as callingWE WANT TO DO THIS MORE! If you would like Kevin or Daniel or both to teach about the theology of play on your context, or serve as a resource in any other way, please let us know!
