Editor’s Note: We talk a lot in this blog about screen time and how technology can both bring families together and push them apart. But every now and then, we like to suggest possible alternatives to screen-based entertainment. And if it’s biblically based, all the better. But just as not every G-rated film is necessarily fit for your family, not every game is necessarily a great fit, either. Our reviewer and board game connoisseur, Kennedy Unthank, is taking a look at some Christian games over the next several weeks; we’ll periodically publish a review of a game on this blog to tell you all about it.
Introduction
Do you remember that time when Balaam got a talking-to by his donkey (Numbers 22)? How about when the author of Song of Solomon compliments his bride by comparing her hair to a flock of goats (Song of Solomon 4)? Or when Jesus’ disciples don’t understand what He’s saying when He says that Lazarus is “sleeping,” so He must clarify Himself in plainer language to explain that He means Lazarus is dead (John 11)?
Yes, some moments in the Bible just might make you chuckle, but those moments aren’t what The Bible Is Funny card game is getting at. No, in this game, it’s all about eisegesis.
What do I mean by that? Well, eisegesis is all about reading your own meaning into Scripture (the opposite of exegesis), and in Anthony Russo’s (no, not the Marvel guy) The Bible Is Funny, players must use out-of-context Bible verses in order to answer the prompt card, Apples to Apples style. For instance, if the prompt card reads, “My high school experience in a nutshell,” a participant might play “When I tripped and fell, they were all very happy.” (Psalm 35:15, NIRV).
We’ll dive deep into the gameplay, content review and my personal thoughts on the game in a moment. But for now, let’s check out the components.
Components
As one of many games that follows the Apples to Apples gameplay route, The Bible Is Funny comes with a very simple setup. Inside its slide-top box (the top of which reads “The Bible: Taken out of context since AD 95”) rests a tiny pamphlet that explains how to play the game. Setting the stage for humor are 35 yellow prompt cards with two potential prompts for a player to choose from. Additionally, the game comes with 165 black response cards, each with an out-of-context Bible verse (or half a verse) via five main translations: (in order of usage) NIV, NLT, CSB, ESV and KJV. So, congrats, NIV users—according to Russo’s game, you’ve got the funniest translation!
Gameplay
You’ve heard me describe The Bible Is Funny as similar to Apples to Apples, and if you’ve played the latter game, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. But if you haven’t, let me describe the overall gameplay.
In The Bible Is Funny, players each take seven response cards into their hand, and when they use one, they’ll immediately replace it with another. Each round, one player is designated as the Judge (or, as this game calls it, the “Theologian”), and that player will reveal a prompt card to the other players who will submit the response card that they believe best matches the prompt. The Theologian will read aloud each response card to the party before he or she picks what they personally thought was the best card (based on their own personal interpretation). The person who submitted that card will get one point, and the position of Theologian will pass to one who is seated at the right hand of the current Theologian. The first one to get seven “Treasures in Heaven” points wins. After all, the number seven is often biblically used to mean completion.
Positive Elements
First, I noticed that while we played the game, it wasn’t just helping to pass the time; it was making the players think about those verses on the response card. There were a few times throughout our play-through that we actually paused to look up the verse to read it in context. And with that, players (and especially parents) might be able to use this game as a way to launch into the book it’s pulled from.
Additionally, though this game is based on taking Bible verses out of context (something I will talk about in a moment), it’s intentionally presented and played in a format in which no one is expected to take such isolated verses seriously. It’s not changing the meaning of the text, nor is it attempting to change your view on anything. The game is just pointing out that some parts of the Bible can be pretty funny when you don’t read it in the original context.
And that was, truthfully, a big relief for myself and the fellow Christians with whom I tested this game. We all believe that the Word of God is inerrant and is the ultimate authority over the Christian life. Naturally, we were all a little wary about a game that would intentionally take Bible verses out of context. But throughout our play, we loosened up, as we realized that the developer (who is himself a devout Christian) means no ill will in his use of the verses whatsoever.
Negative Elements
But that also leads us to the first of two potential issues you may have with The Bible Is Funny. Despite my reassurance that this game handles verses with grace and in a way that couldn’t possibly mislead people into negative perceptions of the Bible, some people still might feel that the game is disrespectful. These verses are taken out of context, cut in half and/or otherwise come from parts of the Bible that speak of unimaginable tragedy and grief. (For instance, many of the response cards come from Job, the anguished outcries of the Psalms or the dire warnings from the prophets.) That layer of this game might turn some people away from purchasing it.
In addition, we have to note that a couple prompts might result in someone using a response card in a sexual connotation, such as “Something you might hear on my honeymoon.”
Conclusion
Even though I’m a board game collector, I’ll be the first to say that I’m not the biggest fan of this style of game. I prefer long-form strategy games that span hours of time and take up every inch of the kitchen table. But most people like a quick party game, and I’ve played them so many times, I actually dread them a bit.
And yet.
The Bible Is Funny kept me engaged, and there was never a moment where we felt that we didn’t have any response card that fit the prompt. Typically, these sorts of games devolve into “this card is great and is used immediately, and this other card stays in your hand the rest of the session.” But in The Bible Is Funny, each card felt like it had at least one moment in which it could shine.
Anthony Russo wants to make people laugh, but through that laughter, players may also learn a thing or two about the Bible. Indeed, that seems to be his intent.
The irony of The Bible Is Funny is that, though the game’s humor is based around these out-of-context verses, I noticed that all four of us would frequently recall what the context surrounding the verse actually was. Initially, we’d read the response card, which sounded ridiculous, and we thought, “That’s in the Bible?” But after a moment of reflection, we’d remember exactly why. In essence, we were prompted to remember the actual context of a verse that the game intentionally separated from that context. In some way, seeing if we could recall where the verse was from ended up being a sub-game we were playing while we enjoyed the base game.
And, well, I guess The Bible Is Funny is just funny like that.The Bible Is Funny can be ordered online for $20.
8 Responses
-It’s a game..
-I’ve been a follower of the FB page that produced the game for several years (it started out as memes). And I always enjoyed watching my kiddo have the same reaction to the out-of-context verses you did: “THAT’S in the Bible? I don’t believe you!” And we’d pull out my Bible app and look it up and read it in context. (I still want a T-shirt with 2 Kings 2-3 on it. “Yes. I know. Be quiet.”)
So when I heard they were making a card game, I had an inkling you guys would pick up on it before too long. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I’ll have to get my own copy when I have some expendable income. Or… any income. (Been a rough couple months at our house.)
-I got concerned when reading the introduction, since I’ve sat through too many sermons where various parts of Scripture were laughed at or treated as silly even by the pastor or speaker (especially if from the holy Song of Solomon). But the rest of the game sounds more reasonable than a “let’s make fun of how alien the Bible’s analogies are to our culture today” thing I feared it would be, based on what I’d seen too often elsewhere. I’d probably take a number of cards out and set them aside. The cow-dung reference shown in the picture is of a deeply tragic context.
Slightly off-topic, going back to the “hair is like a flock of goats” analogy mentioned at the start, I would love to know if Solomon’s and his lover’s various compliments were all intended to have underlying literary or cultural allusions (a flock of goats in that time probably would have been a sign of immense wealth — “your hair looks richly well-kept”). David Guzik’s Bible commentary seems to imply that this is the case.
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra, everybody.
– Personally this game sounds really fun! Some people seem to be taking it very seriously- and as they should, cause it’s God’s word. But it’s also ok to have some fun! This gets you and your family into the Bible in an interactive way. It’s all in the mindset you have towards the game… are you trying to mock the Bible or simply trying to enjoy a game? And yes, it’s with God’s word and you’ll find some pretty surprising things that are hilarious honestly! God is the author of laughter and I don’t think He would mind us having a good time exploring some of His humor.
-Sounds like a much more wholesome, Biblical version of “Cards Against Humanity.”
-There’s also an “Apples to Apples” Bible edition.
-The Bible is a sacred text with significant meaning and guidance for many individuals and communities. It is inappropriate to dismiss or diminish its significance by labeling it as “funny” or wrong. As a Christian, I think this is more than just a game. It is attacking the Bible.
-I agree that it could be misused. I would guess that more Christians would be interested in knowing the context of the verses and so it would help with Bible literacy if they used it and then read the passages. I have not played it yet, though, so I might think it goes to far if I knew more about it.