How Do Christians Play D&D?
Lots of Christians play DnD, even though some people think DnD is against Christianity
Since it first came out in 1974, people have been asking a lot of questions about the intersection of Christianity and Dungeons & Dragons. During the Satanic Panic, many Christians hated D&D and were told D&D was demonic and dangerous. Though that turned out to be false, some Christians are still wary of the game, while other Christians love D&D and have their games influenced by their faith.
I’m Jaclyn Lewis, former youth minister, current professional Dungeon Master and parent, and I had the chance to interview Pastor Derek W. White, a minister with the United Methodist Church, a long-time Dungeon Master and the creator of the D&D satanic panic movie documentary. We’re here to discuss ways that Christians can play D&D and use it to uphold Christian values like building community, telling truth, and and even sharing Jesus!
This article is the second in a two part series. You may be interested in reading the first part, which gives a history of the Satanic Panic, addresses the suppositions of D&D as a dangerous and anti-Christian activity, and discusses the history and value of Christian imagination and interactive storytelling.
Christian Themes of Light and Darkness in D&D
DnD isn’t sacreligious; its influences from Christian writers means it actually exemplifies Christian themes
Dungeons & Dragons is heavily inspired by stories like Lord of the Rings, written by Christian author J.R.R. Tolkien. This influence is clear in the roles that players take on: that of heroes fighting for goodness in the world. D&D characters take down monsters threatening innocents, fight against the forces of evil trying to take over the world, and cast out the darkness threatening their realm. This is very much a Christian ideal:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12, ESV
I’ve been in Dungeons & Dragons games where the player characters go on rescue missions to save innocents, take down evil vampire kings, or, in one memorable campaign, blow up a portal to hell to keep demons from invading the world. In one game, I played a paladin fighting for truth who bore a shield that cries in the presence of liars. In another, I played a monk trying to stop power-hungry necromancers from summoning zombies. In my current game, I play a barbarian fighting to keep her children and her tribe alive. Pastor Derek had a game where his players saw goblins being treated unfairly and, rather than punishing their oppressors with violence, organized them into a union. He told me that’s right out of the lips of Mary, the mother of Jesus:
“He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.” – Luke 1:52-53, ESV
Instead of being against Christianity, Dungeons & Dragons is actually the perfect place to exemplify so many of the things that Christians stand for: spiritual battles of fighting evil and championing good.
Can Christians Play D&D to Build Community?
Pastor Derek served as a “Gaming Chaplain,” using DnD to build Christian community
Derek found a ministry opportunity in a unique place: gaming conventions. He appears there as The Geek Preacher, where he serves as a chaplain for the convention itself. “The real world doesn't end at a gaming convention,” he says, “I've been at conventions when somebody has had to leave early because they had a family member pass away. And so what I've done as a chaplain is inform convention organizers that those games needed to be cancelled or this was happening…which is just normal chaplaincy work. Sometimes people have more friends and contacts that they see at gaming conventions. They have what we refer to as their ‘found family’ at a gaming convention. So they want to get married at a gaming convention. I provide that service there. I've had people come up to me at gaming conventions and ask me to bless their children.” At one convention, he even performed an infant baptism!
Now, of course, not every Christian’s calling is becoming a chaplain at a gaming convention, but it speaks to a truth that’s particularly relevant: D&D builds community – and that brings glory to God! “I don't care whether it's the dinner table, the gaming table, or the Lord's table, you're always welcome at my table,” says Derek, “And it's in the midst of building community that God is glorified. Whatever that community looks like it is in the midst of building an inclusive caring and supportive community….That's what the early church did. The early church supported widows and orphans. They supported one another. They were a society of mutual care and support.”
The Bible tells us that this is exactly what the early church looked like:
“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” – Acts 4:32-35, ESV
I personally saw D&D bring people in a big way during the pandemic. With an impending sense of loneliness, dread, and, in some cases, grief, people were desperate to spend time with others. So we went to Zoom calls and began to play. My regular group talked and played every week despite never seeing one another in person. Friends and friends-of-friends came together to start new games; people from states away who had never seen the others' faces were meeting virtually to talk about life and slaying imaginary dragons. A youth group I worked with in town was full of teens desperate for something to do, so I pulled together a game on Discord that, for at least a few hours each week, left us smiling and laughing together. My brother even pulled together a special game for me, my siblings, and my husband-to-be as a wedding gift.
Derek’s seen that in his games as well. “I have seen game gaming groups that are filled with atheists and agnostics. When one of their number gets hit with a medical bill or gets hit with a need, they have gone out of their way to raise money to help them. And I — my friends sometimes get a little annoyed at me, but they sometimes laugh and smile — I say ‘that's God working in the midst of you to care for one another.’ This is where I see God working in the world.”
Should Christians Play D&D for Evangelism?
Christians can play DnD for fun, but they can also play DnD to share the Gospel!
But building a community isn’t the only thing we’re called to do as Christians – and it’s also not our only calling that can be carried out through Dungeons & Dragons. Let’s go back to the early church. On top of coming together and supporting one another, they were also building their faith and spreading the word of God.
“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” – Acts 44-47, ESV
That “adding to their number”? That’s evangelism, plain and simple. In the past few decades, evangelism has evolved; these days, believe it or not, it actually aligns perfectly with playing Dungeons & Dragons. “You know it's not about the evangelism that I grew up on where we ask people ‘Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?’ things like that,” says Pastor Derek, “It's the evangelism of trying to get people to see the light and the goodness that God has put into this world. In my tradition, as a United Methodist, we call that Prevenient Grace; that's the goodness of God that God has granted to all the world through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Light has come into the world, like it says in John Chapter 1….Sadly for many Christians, it's a complex thought to wrap their brains around. What we're trying to do is work people toward light and goodness. And when they see light and goodness, it's our hope and our prayer that that's where they could meet and encounter Jesus. Because for me my faith is very Christcentric. It's all about meeting Jesus. When we meet Jesus, goodness and mercy flood into us and then we become the conduit of goodness and mercy into the world.”
Christians Can Play D&D to Give Glory to God
Showing the light and goodness of Christ is exactly what Peter called the early church to do in his letters.
Pastor Derek is a Christian who plays DnD…and uses it in his ministry!
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” – 1 Peter 1:12, NIV
When I reread this verse recently, I was really struck by the phrase “among the pagans.” Peter isn’t talking about inviting “the pagans” to church, hosting a Bible study for them, or bringing them to some pre-approved Christian event. He says we are to live among them, bringing the light of Jesus to where they are instead of demanding they meet us on our terms. This is exactly what D&D is to me: a way that I can set a table for young people in my community to come, eat snacks, have fun, talk about life, and play a game – and where I can point them towards kindness, openness, and growth, giving them the gift of their own little community. “What I love about the younger generation now is they use this phrase I'm making room for XYZ or I'm making space for this. That's exactly what I've been talking about for years,” says Pastor Derek. “We need to make space for conversations to organically occur…and I think D&D helps really in this.”
The structure of consistent meetings and the flow of conversation in and out of the game lets conversations about faith and life can pop up organically. For example, during a zombie-killing portion of one of Derek’s games at church, his daughter left to go pick up more drinks. During the break in the action, the conversation turned towards theology. “And so I start talking about how the Hebrews weren't originally a monotheistic people; they were henotheistic. And so we started talking about that and the evolution and the growth that we see in the Bible and how God in the incarnation adds humanity to God's own self, so God began to experience what it was like to be human. And that was a thirty-minute conversation while we're waiting for her to get back with sodas!”
Those teens I started running games for in 2020? They’re not my D&D kids any more. They’re not even kids any more. Now, they’re inviting me to their open houses, babysitting my kiddo, and asking me for relationship advice when I give them rides to their college classes. One of them even joined my husband’s ministry on campus; they went to a weekly bible study and came over to our house for the end-of-semester dinners.
And I get to meet new kids every year who are eager to play D&D. I get to love them and pray for them and make them their own space where they’re treated kindly, where they get to be silly and creative and free, and where they know that, even though in our imaginations they’re off fighting monsters, at the table they are safe. Even if they’re not safe at home or not safe at school, we’ve made a space where they know I love them and maybe, maybe, one day they’ll know that Jesus loves them too.
D&D Games for Christian Teens
If your Christian teen wants to play DnD, we might be able to help
If you’ve got a young Christian interested in playing Dungeons & Dragons, we can’t encourage it enough. It’ll be an opportunity for them to show Christian values in action, support their peers, and even have opportunities to share their faith. And if you’re struggling to find them groups to join, we’re here to help. At Young Dragonslayers, we run online D&D groups for tweens and teens, matching up players with similar play styles to have the best experience. I love being a Dungeon Master for these games; it’s amazing to see these young people build relationships and grow in everything from cooperation and communication to creativity and strategy. Check our games out and, while you’re at it, take a look at what Pastor Derek has been up to!
