“A Theology of Play: Learning to Enjoy Life as God Intended” by Kevin M. Gushiken
As soon as I saw the title, “A Theology of Play,” I was intrigued. I am not the kind of person that struggles with finding time and motivation to play. That part comes fairly naturally to me. But I have wrestled often with wondering whether God even wants me to play and to have fun? Like, is it alright to go skateboard, or should I be reading Scripture in all my free time? More then that, if play is a part of God’s design and intentions for me, then how can I make skateboarding and other activities of play glorifying to God?
Gushiken provides answers to those questions and many more in his book. He addresses the person like me who loves to play but carries some level of guilt about it, as well as the person who doesn’t make time for play but needs to. He examines things like the common barriers to play, the need for spontaneous play, the relationship between suffering and play, finding freedom from guilt and shame in play, and magnifying God’s glory in our play.
Of course, the most important part for me of these aspects of play is not Gushiken’s thoughts on them, but God’s. Does the Bible provide answers to my questions about play? Can a person actually discover a Theology of Play in Scripture without distorting verses to try and justify it?
My impression from page one and on was that Gushiken is a man who is well versed in the Scriptures, who gives great exegetical thought and care to his study, and who, in this book in particular, was/is seeking to know what God’s Word has to say on the subject at hand. This is not to say that you shouldn’t read this book and then like the Bereans, examine the Scriptures to see if these things are so. We should do that with any book we read. But I do think you can read this book with confidence that Gushiken is equipped to and devoted to genuinely and intelligently finding insights into play that are absolutely found in and based on Scripture.
All that being said, if I had any greater hopes for this book, it would be that Gushiken would have provided further insight into his study. Again, he does a good job of showing the biblical basis for each chapter, but I would have loved to see even more! With Theology in the title, I was hoping it would be a little bit more technical than it was. But, in his defence, then the book may have been less accessible to a wide range of readers.
All in all, a great book. It is a strong and biblical argument for play being something designed and ordained by God, for our joy and His glory.
If you struggle with seeing a reason to play, or if you struggle with guilt in your play, this one’s for you!