b'BIBLICAL STUDIES AND THEOLOGYA THEOLOGY OF PLAY Learning to Enjoy Life as God Intended KEVIN M. GUSHIKENGod encourages you to experience great joy in following Jesus.God has given humans freedom and permission to playto fully enjoy lifes moments as he intended, with no ulterior motive. The Christian life without play becomes malformed, and believers can miss aspects of the abundant life Jesus came to give.In A Theology of Play, Kevin Gushiken builds a case for getting serious about play as a vital element of being a Christian. Play, he writes, is not merely an activity but a way of living. Gushiken explores play from vari-ous biblical and theological lenses:how an identity grounded in Gods good creation invites us to play the connection between play and the biblical concept of Sabbath why past hurts dont have to keep us from enjoying the present releasing false guilt and shame to find true freedom to playhow to play in the midst of difficulty and painUltimately, knowing and enjoying God brings freedom and pleasure. A Theology of Play helps Christian believers identify barriers to play in their day-to-day lives and offers faithful guidance in recapturing play within the rhythms of life.This book challenges readers to examine barriers to play that distort our view of God and stop us from enjoying life to the full-est.Read and go play!Dr. Ling Dinse, DSW,Chair of Social Work, Messiah UniversityThis book provides a necessary wake-up call to all who are some-times tempted to understand play as the prerogative of children, never as the delight of adulthood. Overall, this book effectively presents a topic seldom referenced in either leadership or disciple-ship literature. I highly recommend it!Dr. Gene Habecker, PhD, JD, President Emeritus, Taylor University; Senior Fellow, Sagamore Institute,Author of The Softer Side of LeadershipKevin M. Gushiken (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) serves as Dean of the School of Bible and Ministry as well as Director of the PhD in Leadership and Doctor of Ministry programs at Lancaster Bible College. Prior to this, he served as a senior pastor in Chicago for seventeen years.KREGELA C A D E M I C RELATED TITLES978-0-8254-4865-2$24.99 Biblical Worship:Behold and Become: Paperback5.5 x 8.5176 pages Theology for GodsReading Scripture Glory for TransformationRELIGION / Christian Rituals & Practice / Worship 978-0-8254-4556-9978-0-8254-4760-0 & Liturgy $44.99 $24.99Kregel AcademicRights: WorldAvailablekregel.com/academic15'