by Norm Miller
The word recreation for some people fosters images of a day at the lake or amusement park. Maybe a round on the links or a few racks of 9-ball come into view. Perhaps a family picnic and a hike is the activity envisioned.
However one imagines recreation, the word holds more of a connotation with what a person does rather than a denotation of what recreation does for the person.
But how many consider recreation to be both a theological word and a spiritual activity?
Consider the word’s pronunciation while emphasizing the first syllable: RE – creation. There, it’s easy to see the theology of the word when pronounced thusly.
When considering a student recreation center on a college campus, the theological import of recreation is more than a blip on the radar screen of academia. As the saying goes, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” The same is true for Jill.
As health conscious as American culture is nowadays, leaders at Truett-McConnell College are conscious of students’ spiritual health. And the proposed George Blaurock Student Recreation Center is an integral part of administrators’ holistic approach of ministering to, and training all students to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.
Dr. Robert J. White – executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention – acknowledges this reality: “Being a healthy communicator of Gospel truth begins with a commitment to wholeness. That’s what I love about Truett-McConnell — forthright commitment to radical transformation of the body, mind and spirit. The new student recreation center will reflect the vibrant environment of Truett-McConnell College, a Georgia Baptist College, that is devoted to the health of every student, every professor and every administrator.”
Truett-McConnell College is committed to wholeness. Whereas the academic and athletic environments on campus hone and shape young men and women for the Lord’s purposes, the George Blaurock Student Recreation Center will complete the picture, adding the dynamic asset of physical activity that represents stewardship of the students’ physical bodies indwelt by God the Holy Spirit.
Recreation: it’s theological.
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