In a fast-paced society that prizes utilitarian productivity, leisure and play can be difficult to enjoy without guilt. Rather than resist this cultural tide, the church often inadvertently baptizes such workaholism, spiritualizes the idolatry of productivity, and participates in the functional desecration of the physical creation that God declared "good." But leisure is not only fun; it is essential for our spiritual health.

This issue of An Unexpected Journal explores the theological and philosophical foundations for the sacredness of play, along with lighter reflections on how various sports, hobbies, and leisure activities reveal the goodness and character of God.

Contributors

• "The Curse of Gnosticism and the Cure of Play: Why Leisure is Essential for Spiritual Health" - Jasmin Biggs on the Imago Dei & Its Implications for Play
• "Leisurely Rambles: Hiking & Birding as Sacred Play" - Annie Nardone on Hiking and Birding
• "Vortex" (Short Story) - Molly Hopkins on Workaholism
• "Taylor Swift, T.S. Eliot, and C.S. Lewis: Eras for the Ages" - Seth Myers on Taylor Swift's Timeless Themes
• "The Arrow That is Not Aimed: Flow in the Art of Archery and Writing" - Megan Joy Rials on Archery and Writing
• "Leisure the Basis of Education: Applying the Sabbath Principle to the Classroom" -Alex Markos on Sabbath and Education
• "Fly Fishing and the Fall" - Jim Swayze on Fly Fishing
• "Obeying the Rules of the Game" - Zak Schmoll on Power Soccer
• "Sea Reflections" - Tiffany Kavedzic on God's Character
• "Pursuing the Tempest: Why We Chase" - Zachary Biggs on Storm Chasing and Landscape Photography
• "How My Horse Taught Me to Be a Parent" - Annie Crawford on Horsemanship and Parenting
• "In The Image of a Playful God: Flourishing Through Playfulness And Connection" - Anna Beresford on Play & Connection
• "Bones Will Sing: Dance in Spiritual Formation" - Rachel Bruce Johnson on Incarnational Embodiment
• "Craft and Glory" - Molly Hopkins on Hobbies and Craftsmanship
• "Forgiveness in the Foam" (poem) - Dwayne Sheridan on Cosplay and Redemption
• "Take Me Out To The Ballgame: How Baseball Can Restore Our Senses And Our Souls" - Sandra G. Hicks on Baseball
• "Counterpunching Trials With Joy: Boxing As A Unique Parallel To Christian Sanctification" - Matthew Hill on Boxing
• "Kings Over Bishops: The Play of Chess in Late Medieval and Early Modern England as a Representation of the Relationship Between the Sacred and the Secular" - James L. Underwood on Chess and History
• "Bombs, Board Games, and Bede the Venerable: But Mostly Chess" - Seth Myers on Board Games and Chess

Fall 2023; Volume 6, Issue 3. 310 pages

Illustrator: Virginia de la Lastra