Five young adults huddle together on a wintry Sabbath afternoon. They quietly discuss the options in front of them: Should they send a missionary to Crete to establish a new church or grow the existing church plant in Tarsus? Should they send an angel to spring the Apostle Paul from jail or collect the remaining books of the Bible and complete their fledgling collection? With the right choice, Christianity will flourish in the Roman Empire. Make the wrong move and it will be extinguished forever.
English is a rich language of so much colour and variety!! In Australian English and also in British English the term “gaming” is a synonym for gambling.
Ha! Oh my! Well, I’m glad to know the headline will catch international eyes, even if most will be relieved (or disappointed?) to learn no gambling took place.
How about pay for a real missionary, or go yourself and preach somewhere rather than play games. How about getting a part-time job for those hours spent playing games and do something useful with the money, likesending it to missions or giving it to the poor? This is fiddling while Rome burns. This is lukewarm Laodicea at its finest.
When I read the article, I had some of the same thoughts. And that is despite enjoying and fostering the gaming experience in my family.
In defence of gaming, I found that my own family were not engaging as much as they could. We introduced the Sunday night tournament, where each week a different person gets to select the game. It has brought us together, helped us to think strategically and lose graciously.
As for the part-time job comment, you don’t know whether these participants already have employment. We don’t all need to be Scottish in our work habits.
Even missionaries need some time off. Also, this could be used as an outreach tool to build relationships. Imagine how many people would attend one of these but would never set foot in a church. If done correctly, tabletop conventions can be a powerful tool for ministry.
