Theology, Religion, and Dungeons & Dragons

Explorations of the Sacred through Fantasy Worlds

Scott Donahue-Martens, Brandon Simonson

• Publisher: Fortress Academic
• Year: 2024
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781978784109
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

On its 50th anniversary, the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) has found renewed popularity and a generally positive representation in popular culture. Reflecting on these fifty years of development and history, and looking forward to D&D's bright future, Theology, Religion, and Dungeons & Dragons: Explorations of the Sacred through Fantasy Worlds explores the intersection of D&D with the academic disciplines of Theology and Religious Studies. From Tolkien's notion of sub-creation to pedagogical ponderings on hell, readers will uncover deeply theological and religious aspects of Dungeons & Dragons in this volume. Unlike some during the so-called Satanic Panic, the authors of this volume embrace D&D as spiritually and theologically formative. Discussions on alignment and campaign settings like Dark Sun and Ravenloft foreground notions of interrelating and wellbeing, and reflections on communal conceptions of canon and spiritual formation chart paths forward by understanding historical realities. This volume responds to growing interest in the academic study of tabletop role-playing games in general and D&D in specific, and it addresses pressing issues in the academic disciplines of Theology and Religious Studies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: On Dungeons & Dragons, Fantasy, Religion, and Theology
• Part I: Perception and Performance
• Chapter 1: Healing Words: D&D Magic, Speech-Act Theory, and Chaplaincy
• Chapter 2: Roll for Discernment: Dungeon Master as St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Director
• Chapter 3: From Redemption Arcs to Making Your Own God: Redemption and Authenticity in Critical Role and Dimension 20
• Chapter 4: Role-play, Spiritual Formation, and Theological Education
• Part II: Heroes and History
• Chapter 5: Canon in Dungeons & Dragons: Insight from Ancient Judaism
• Chapter 6: The Harrowing of Avernus: Delving into Hell from Antiquity to Dungeons & Dragons
• Chapter 7: The Role and Function of Religious Names in the Creative World of Dungeons & Dragons
• Chapter 8: Tolkien’s Shadow: The Sub-Creating Influence of Middle Earth on Dungeons & Dragons
• Part III: Adventures and Alignment
• Chapter 9: Abandon All Hope and Roll for Initiative: Reading Dante into Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
• Chapter 10: The Gilded Gothic Cages: Corruption, Judgment, and Moral Development in Ravenloft’s Domains of Dread
• Chapter 11: “Does Anyone Here Eat Elf?” Ecotheology in the Dark Sun Campaign Setting
• Chapter 12: A Chaotic-Historical Reflection on Alignment in Dungeons & Dragons
• Epilogue
• List of Abbreviations
• Index
• About the Editors