Embracing the Adventure: Dungeons and Dragons Through a Christian Lens
In the world of tabletop gaming, few titles evoke as much fascination and controversy as Dungeons and Dragons (DnD). For decades, this game has sparked imaginations, created friendships, and has expanded the landscape of modern fantasy storytelling. In recent years, we’ve seen a huge resurgence in DnD’s popularity, starting around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolated people around the globe found solace in jumping on a video call with their friends to get lost in a transcendent world of fantasy adventure.
However, Dungeons and Dragons has a checkered history. In the 1980’s, during what’s now known as the “Satanic Panic“, Christians throughout the United States condemned this game as satanic, owing to magical and otherworldly themes in the world of DnD. I don’t discount the fact that Satanists and anti-Christian groups have played DnD, and used it to perverse and ultimately evil ends. But that doesn’t change the fact that Dungeons and Dragons as a concept is a neutral tool. As a wise Christian mentor once said, “I’m not going to stop having breakfast because Hindus eat it too.“
As a Christian fantasy author myself, I believe it’s time to explore how Dungeons and Dragons, far from being a tool of evil, can be adapted to support a Christian worldview.
Understanding Dungeons and Dragons
At its core, Dungeons and Dragons is a collaborative storytelling game. Players create characters who embark on adventures, guided by a Dungeon Master who narrates the unfolding story, creating experiences and managing challenges. It’s not a game in the same way Monopoly is a game—rather it can be better thought of as a medium for a story. What kind of story you create is up to you.
What makes DnD unique among other games or story-telling mediums is its collaborative nature. People gather to dynamically unfold a story using themselves as characters in that narrative. I have found when you get a group of people together who know Jesus and value creativity to play DnD, beautiful and redemptive stories always follow! Done in a healthy and responsible way, DnD doesn’t only promote teamwork and problem-solving, but also the Christian virtues of hope, love, overcoming evil, and celebrating good.
Addressing Concerns
Many concerns about Dungeons and Dragons stem from its fantastical elements, which include magic, monsters, and deities borrowed from pagan folklore. I am not trying to soft serve that fact. Scripture tells us that pagan gods are not just nightmarish fantasies invented by humans, but are reflections of demonic realities.
Paul tells the Corinthians, when dealing with their neighbors who worship idols, “they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons!“ (1 Cor. 10:20). As believers in Jesus, part of our witness is to oppose idolatry and spiritual realities in rebellion against God.
However, like I said before, DnD is a flexible medium. You do not need to play within the basic world setting. For example, my brother and I enjoy running campaigns with our friends in a fantasy world we’ve dreamed up together, adapting the base components of DnD to better fit a Christian worldview. For instance, where the original DnD world includes “Tiamat“ as a deity in the world (literally the Babylonian goddess of the watery depths), we invented a new fictional demonic entity called “Tehom“, which is the Hebrew word for Chaos.
Notice, we don’t erase supernatural or demonic elements from our world. If we did, we wouldn’t be keeping to a Christian worldview. The Christian worldview, in fact, tells us that there are spiritual entities that oppose Christ’s kingdom. It’s what we popularly call, “Spiritual Warfare“. If you are opposed to anything supernatural in general, I’d recommend not reading your Bible.
In keeping with a Christian worldview, we include divine forces for good, angels and holy forces set in place by the Creator God. In all cases, when you adapt theology to fantasy it doesn’t always translate one-for-one. The goal isn’t to make a Pilgrims Progress allegory, but to allow players to make a story in a world that reminds them of the truth of our real world—we are in a war against evil, and everyone is in process of either becoming like Christ, or becoming a tool of the Evil One.
Adaptation to Christian Values
As a Christian fantasy author, I see tremendous potential in adapting Dungeons and Dragons to reflect Christian values and realities:
1. Themes of Good vs. Evil: Dungeons and Dragons often explores themes of moral choice and the battle between good and evil. By guiding the narrative to emphasize virtues such as courage, compassion, and self-sacrifice, players can engage in stories that resonate with the teachings of Jesus.
2. Redemption and Hope: Many D&D campaigns involve characters who undergo personal growth and transformation, often projecting real-life emotional baggage onto their fictional characters. Players have opportunities to challenge their sin and grow their character in ways that simulate real spiritual and emotional healing.
3. Community and Fellowship: The game naturally fosters a real sense of community among players, promoting love, healthy conflict, and collaboration. These fictional relationships can break down real-world barriers to fellowship, evidencing a real sense of Christian community that goes beyond the game session.
4. Discernment and Wisdom: In navigating the complexities of their adventures, players often face ethical dilemmas and decisions. Christian virtue, as well as the timeless “cautionary tale”, both have a place in the choices and ambitions of the characters.
Role of the Dungeon Master
As the storyteller in a D&D campaign, the Dungeon Master (DM) plays a pivotal role in shaping the game’s narrative tone direction. In some ways, a thoughtful and wise DM can actually weave a story that dialogues with points of Christian interest, like self-sacrifice, the value of life, injustice, revenge, the use of violence, the role of government, overcoming personal vices, etc. A Christian Dungeon Master can intentionally weave themes and scenarios that align with their faith, ensuring that the game experience is enriching and edifying for all players.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Dungeons and Dragons is not inherently evil but is rather a canvas for redemptive storytelling and imagination. As followers of Jesus, we can reclaim and adapt this collaborative storytelling medium to counteract the faults of modern paganism and materialism and instead champion the beauty and complexity of a biblical worldview. By infusing narratives with themes of virtue, redemption, community, and wisdom, we can create meaningful and genuinely fun gaming experiences that resonate with the truth. Let us embrace the adventure, recognizing that in the realm of fantasy, there lies ample opportunity to explore and celebrate the timeless truths that define the Christian worldview.
So, whether you’re a seasoned Dungeon Master or a curious newcomer, consider the potential of Dungeons and Dragons as a platform for redemptive storytelling that can inspire, challenge, and grow faithful community—a game where faith and fantasy can harmoniously make something beautiful.
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