In my second post ever at The Christian Nerd I wrote that Christians like playing board games because they give us an opportunity to boast. Now we’ll say that we like playing board games because they help us build community while having some good, clean fun. And while that may be true, deep down I think we really like board games because they give us a chance to walk on the wide road.
Take a new game I played last night called The Resistance. The Resistance is a game of secret identities, deduction and deception, according to its box. Each player is secretly a member of the Resistance or a Spy, with the Resistance members attempting to accomplish missions and spies attempting to sabotage missions. A fellow youth pastor, Ryan (who blogs here), told me about the game. We played it with our student ministry leaders and had a blast.
Now we had a blast because it was fun to build community and hang out with each other. But I think it was even more fun to lie and be deceptive.
Lying, deception and cheating are looked down upon in Christianity – and for good reason. The ninth commandment tells us not to give false testimony and Jesus himself said that our yes should be yes and our no should be no. I firmly believe that Jesus and the Bible show us the best way to live our lives, even if it takes a little more effort to walk the narrow road. But it is fun to get a taste of the wide road, even if it’s just in a game like The Resistance.
I enjoy telling the truth but it’s fun to lie in a game.
I enjoy taking people at their word but it’s fun to be suspicious in a game.
I enjoy working together but it’s fun to sabotage a combined effort in a game.
We should strive to live like Jesus in every aspect of our lives. But, if we can get a taste for the other side of life in the safe, consequence-free environment of a board game, then we should.
Unless that game is a Ouija board.
What board games do you like and what do they stir up in you?
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