I Really Dislike (i.e. HATE) Boardgames
A couple weeks ago I stood in the pulpit and made a confession: I absolutely hate playing board games.
I’d rather have my teeth cleaned and drilled into, which I should know because I just had that done recently, for two hours straight, all because I hadn’t been to the dentist in over 4 years!
I hate board games that much.
But I love my wife.
And my wife loves playing games. All games. Board. Card. Puzzles. Multi-player. Role-playing. You name it, she’ll play it. And I love her, so I’m learning to love games too. My journey begins with some simple card games such as Hand and Foot, Black Queen and SkipBo. It’s slowly morphing into playing Cribbage with her, which is tough for me because, well, “me not good at counting and things.”
However, the bridge (pun intended) I’m not willing to cross involves those crazy board games like Catan, Splendor, and Dominion. They are absolutely bonkers with their hundreds of pieces, and huge game play boards that take hours to construct, let alone play. I give up before I even start when I see a rule book that is the size of War and Peace, or, dare I say, Dominion by Tom Holland.
How is that for a segue?
If you’ve ever found yourself lost in Dominion—the board game, that is—you know the feeling of trying to navigate a tangled web of strategy, luck, and confusion. Much like these head-spinning board games, Tom Holland’s Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World is an exercise in navigating complexity. But unlike the board games, which thrive on chaos and competition, Holland’s Dominion explores the seemingly paradoxical ways Christianity has shaped, subverted, and ultimately transformed Western culture.
Holland’s Dominion may not involve drawing cards or rolling dice, but it does take us through a labyrinth of history, power struggles, and ideological shifts. Just as figuring out how to build a deck or plot global domination in Risk can leave you scratching your head, understanding the profound and paradoxical influence of Christianity can feel equally complex. Yet, Holland guides us with precision, showing that behind the apparent confusion lies an enduring and transformative force that has shaped our world in ways we might not even realize.
Much like the disorienting moment in the boardgame Catan when your carefully planned strategy is blown apart by an unexpected alliance or competitor’s move, the early Christian movement upended the established order of the Roman world. In Rome, power was synonymous with domination and control, held by emperors, generals, and the wealthy elite. But Christianity introduced a radically different view: one in which power was demonstrated not through might, but through sacrifice and service. As Holland writes, “The cross, which in Roman times had served as the ultimate symbol of failure, was transformed into a symbol of hope and redemption.”[1]
This was a game-changer—literally. Suddenly, the weak, the marginalized, and the oppressed were no longer merely pawns in the grand strategies of emperors. They had dignity and worth, a revolutionary idea in a world that valued strength above all else. If the rules of Dominion the game sometimes feel convoluted, this radical shift in power dynamics is Christianity’s version of flipping the board—and changing the game entirely.
But just like how Dominion(the game) can make frenemies out of allies, Christianity’s influence is deeply paradoxical. Terry Eagleton, in his review for The Guardian, describes Holland’s work as “an absorbing survey of Christianity’s subversive origins and enduring influence.”[2] Holland shows that while Christianity has at times aligned itself with power—becoming entangled with empires, colonialism, and warfare—it has also been the very force that critiques and condemns these abuses. As Tim Keller notes, “Christianity has such an enduring, pervasive influence that we cannot condemn the church for its failures without invoking Christian teaching and beliefs in order to do so.”[3]
This is where Holland’s Dominion starts to feel like one of those multi-layered strategies in a game of Dominion, where every move seems to contradict the next. Christianity preaches humility and the love of neighbor, yet the church has been at the center of many historical power struggles. Holland documents the many times the faith has failed to live up to its ideals. But even in these failures, Christianity provides the moral framework through which those failures are judged. It’s as if the game itself sets the rules for how to critique the players.
Holland goes even further to show how Christianity’s influence is as pervasive as the invisible strategy behind a winning Dominion deck. Even when people today reject religion or view it as outdated, they are often operating within a moral framework shaped by Christian values. Holland contends that Christianity is “the most influential framework for making sense of human existence that has ever existed.” It’s not just that the faith has shaped our laws and institutions—it has shaped how we think about concepts like human dignity, equality, and justice.
It’s a little like trying to play Dominion without realizing that the entire deck-building process is what makes the game work. You might be focused on gathering cards, but the framework is what drives the action. In the same way, Holland argues that many secular moral values—like compassion for the poor or the belief in universal human rights—are deeply rooted in Christian thought, whether people realize it or not. Tim Keller echoes this point, suggesting that “the central values and priorities of modern, Western, secular culture have actually come from Christianity.”[4]
Holland’s analysis of Christianity’s cultural influence reads like an intricate board game strategy—every move, every historical turn has a ripple effect that continues to shape modern society. Phil Mitchell in a review of Tom Holland’s Dominion says, “No society is contemplating how much Islamic culture to incorporate. Or how much Buddhism or Hinduism to adopt. Or how much Shintoism or Animism. But every nation is wrestling with what to incorporate of the culture created by Jesus Christ.”[5]
Unlike board games, where the end goal is victory, Christianity’s influence isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about transformation. Holland suggests that even as the world becomes more secular, the moral and ethical frameworks underpinning our society remain inextricably tied to Christian teachings. It’s a long game, and Christianity’s impact is far from over.
Kind of like my long journey to enjoy boardgames, and to even better love my wife!
Speaking of LOVE: I love each of you and am so grateful for your partnership in these last few years of our graduate studies. I could not have asked for a better cohort and peer group.
Grace & Peace to you all.
[1]. Tom Holland, Dominion, page 3.
[2]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_(Holland_book)
[3]. https://gospelinlife.com/article/tom-hollands-dominion-a-review/
[4]. https://gospelinlife.com/article/tom-hollands-dominion-a-review/
[5]. https://www.the401stprophet.com/a-synopsis-of-dominion-by-tom-holland
About the Author
John Fehlen
John Fehlen is currently the Lead Pastor of West Salem Foursquare Church. Prior to that he served at churches in Washington and California. A graduate of Life Pacific University in San Dimas, CA in Pastoral Ministry, and Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA with a Masters in Leadership and Spirituality. He and his wife Denise have four grown children and four grandchildren. John is the author of "Don't Give Up: Encouragement for Weary Souls in Challenging Times," a book for pastoral leaders, a children's book called "The Way I See You," and the forthcoming "Leave A Mark: The Jouney of Intentional Parenting." You can connect with John on Instagram (@johnfehlen) as well as at johnfehlen.substack.com.4 responses to “I Really Dislike (i.e. HATE) Boardgames”
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I HATE board games too! I mean HATE them. I cannot sit still for that length of time and I always feel like there are other things I should (or want) to be doing. I play them when my kids play them with Grandma…because I love my family, but I get bored (and usually frustrated when it inevitably becomes a testosterone fest between my three boys).
In case you haven’t yet tried these (card) games, from one board game hater to another, I do like Nertz (fast moving and competitive, and I also like Golf. That’s it.
Hi John,
I always enjoy your posts.
You wrote, “Unlike board games, where the end goal is victory, Christianity’s influence isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about transformation. Holland suggests that even as the world becomes more secular, the moral and ethical frameworks underpinning our society remain inextricably tied to Christian teachings. It’s a long game, and Christianity’s impact is far from over.”
Wow.
On Thursday, I am speaking about immigration (probably to a hostile audience). I hope to lead with scripture (it is a Bible study) and then discuss the personal actions I have taken to contribute to the immigration process. (My NPO is interlinkt.org)
My hope is that my actions will speak louder than words.
I lack the eloquence to convince anyone, but my desire is that my NPO will demonstrate how big problems do start with small solutions.
At the end of it all, I am willing to let them be wrong.
While it is important to have a grip on the white and dark spaces of Christianity’s past. I believe that, your NPO and the cohorts is focused on the future.
A Christian future.
All of our NPOs are HIS work. I believe that we are responding to Satell’s Cascade…creating ripples of change.
Shalom. and Calamari
Hi John,
How are you at playing board games with you grandchildren? I’ve already been informed by my youngest grandson what games to expect to play first thing every morning during Christmas! Golf will be the new one for me. Playing board games really is an act of love.
My take away from your post is that we are called to navigate the complexity of our broken world with love! Where love shows up transformation happens!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
I said, ” I will respond to one more post and it will be a thoughtful response. My last response will be to whomever is after Kim.” IT WAS YOU…how awesome is that! And as it turns out, you wrote a long, engaging, witty, and brilliant post. I enjoyed it and learned a bit more about you. We absolutely love board games in our family…we have monthly game night and invite close friends over. It’s really hard for me to believe that you would not enjoy it.
Now…back to what I liked most about your post. It was this, “Unlike board games, where the end goal is victory, Christianity’s influence isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about transformation.” Oh boy… powerful and so true. It is about transformation, period! Thank you for your support, listening to my sermons, special assistance in Oxford, and the making me laugh. Go forth and change the world, my friend…I’m sure we will cross paths along the way.