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If you haven't played with one already, someday you will. He or she will regard you coolly over the character sheets, perhaps condescendingly. He commandeers every in-game conversation, insisting on showing off his cunning whether it's needed or not. She takes over every battle, killing opponents out from under her fellow adventurers just to prove she can. He's a wizard, and gives unqualified, patronizing advice to warriors. She's a cleric, and thinks that if others lack the ability to heal themselves, that's their problem. He hoards treasure. She hoards spells. He ridicules others' mistakes, but blames all his misfortunes on the vagaries of the dice. She wheedles concessions out of the GM, but cries foul when another player asks for similar considerations. They are in it for their own glory, and care about little else. No one enjoys playing with them, but they are allowed to continue by the grace of the GM, probably because they are the GM's old school friends, siblings, or significant others. The GM too is wearied by them, but continues to have patience. Insufferable players they may be, but players they remain.

Alas, there are insufferable Christians, too. If you haven't met one already, someday you will. He or she will give you that same cool, condescending look. He loves to brag about his close relationship with God. She flaunts her material wealth as evidence of divine favor. He enumerates your faults and glosses over his own. She prays for forgiveness for herself and calls on God to punish others in the same breath. He loves to tell you you're a sinner. She loves to tell you you're wrong. They are in it for their own glory, and care about little else. They set your hackles up and your teeth on edge. You wonder how they can be Christians. But God cannot bring himself to ban them, or, indeed, anyone, from His campaign, so they are allowed to continue in their ways. Bad Christians, but Christians still, they remain. And, unfortunately, just as a session with a few rude players can turn you off to gaming in general, a run-in with a few rude Christians can ruin your opinion of Christianity.

We as gamers, though, should know better. After all, we have often been the victims of stereotypes ourselves. The general public says we're out of touch with reality, even neurotic, and the mass media, given the excuse, is ready to brand us school shooters and devil worshipers. True, a few of us really are any or all of these things, but the people who fit these categories constitute a minority of role-playing gamers. For every sociopath that has ever filled out a character sheet, there is a room full of sane and friendly, if rather quirky, veteran players. Likewise, for every haughty or self-righteous person who has ever invoked the name of Christ, there is a room full of kind and humble, if fallible, Christians. It is a shame that the worst that both RPGers and Christians have to offer are often the ones who make the most headlines. It is worth noting, too, that the media uses many of the same labels for the two groups. Christians are also considered out of touch with mainstream society, and accused of fostering intolerance and even violence. Yes, there are Christians who are guilty of these things, but there are also many who are innocent punished alongside them- and we know what that is like. It would be hypocritical of gamers to insist on individual consideration and yet continue to make blanket judgments about Christians.

When you do meet the bad Christians, don't let them drag you down to their level. Don't let the bad apples sour you as well. Don't let them provoke you into a shouting match, because for many of these people, senseless shouting is their strong suit. Return their volleys of veiled insults and barbed insinuations with truth. If they tell you you're a sinner, remind them that they are as well. If they tell you you're going to hell, remind them that only God can make that decision. Learn the Bible well enough that if they quote verses at you, you can counter them with their own weapon. Spar with them. Don't think of it as combat, and don't aim to injure them. They may be poor allies, but they are not your enemies. Think of it as a practice bout, training for the real battles ahead. Aim to disarm, and hurt only their pride. The sting will be no more than they deserve, and may teach them a much-needed lesson in swordsmanship.

Perhaps you think I've gone too far. Perhaps you are one of those Christians across the table from me. Maybe you think that since I'm new to the campaign, I've no room to talk. Maybe you think seniority equals superiority. Besides, I'm obviously misguided. I can't be a real Christian, or I would come over to your side of the table and leave the other gamers behind without a second thought. For those who think these things, I have some questions, and for all present, I have some answers.

Do you think I cheapen Christianity by relating it to a game? Consider Paul's letter to the Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 22. "I have become all things to all men, so that by all possible means I might save some." I have been a gamer and I understand gamers. Is it wrong to use this understanding to communicate truth? That is what Paul did. He brought the gospel to people on their own terms. He spoke to Jews in a manner that was within their cultural framework, and to Gentiles in a manner within theirs. I speak to gamers in a manner that is within the cultural framework of gamers. What is the difference? How can you consider analogies an unworthy carrier for truth? Christ Himself taught in parables. He related the concepts of faith to ideas that were familiar to his listeners. If extended metaphor hurts the message, then the gospels themselves are crippled.

Do you think I soil my hands by being among non-Christians all the time? Do you think I should worry more about keeping myself pure than about aiding others? That is what the Pharisees thought, and we know what Christ thought of them. Even if I am a bit dirty, there is such a thing as good dirt. A farmer who labors among his crops, or a blacksmith who toils in the forge, are dirty at the end of the day, but their smudges and grime come from honest work, not wrongdoing. Besides, it will wash away. By the same token, a soldier returning from the front line is often filthy, but the filth is only skin-deep, and is the result and proof of his or her efforts. There is no such thing as a clean war, and God's campaign is no different from physical war in this respect. Welcome to the trenches. They're a mess. Mud, pitch, ash, and blood are everywhere. If you're still immaculate after a few hours here, you're not doing your job. When the Lord Commander calls me down from my post to give my final report, I'd be more ashamed to admit shirking than to appear before Him with dirt under my nails.

Do you think less of me because I call role-players my friends and companions? Recall that when Christ walked this earth as a man, He did not hang out with the favored of society. He ate dinner with tax collectors and prostitutes. He was and is our Lord, but He has never been a snob. If He were to come again in bodily form today, I do not think He would balk at entering an arcade or scorn to share pizza with a few college students in a basement. And since He is to be our model and example, if He would not disdain the friendship of gamers, why should I? I have shared life with gamers. They are my people. More to the point, they are our people. Every Christian is under obligation to every human, to offer aid when it is needed and respect when it is due. If you sincerely believe that RPGs are evil, then gamers deserve your help. In no case have we earned your contempt. As C.S. Lewis put it, "If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them."

Whatever your opinion, don't fail to notice that this applies in both directions. To the person across the table, your side is the other side. The important thing to remember is that wherever we sit, it's still the same table and the same campaign. However obnoxious you may find them, fellow players are still fellow players. If one of the PCs is lost, guide him through the map. If she's in error, point her to the proper page in the rulebook. And if he's just being arrogant, pass the dice and watch his back while he attempts to prove himself single-handedly. You may be tempted to roll your eyes, but if you look towards the head of the table instead, you may see the GM smile. God understands. He has done the same for each of us.