Faith, Fire, and Fantasy: Why Dungeons & Dragons Deepens—Not Diminishes—My Orthodox Christian Life

By Subdeacon Charlie Stayton, Behind the Die

I’ve been a dungeon master, a dragon slayer, and a medic. I’ve healed wounds with prayer and gauze, stood between danger and the people I vowed to protect, and now, as a Subdeacon in the Antiochian Orthodox Church, I serve Christ at the altar. You might think these paths are worlds apart—but in truth, they walk the same road.

Let me say this clearly: playing Dungeons & Dragons does not contradict my Orthodox Christian faith. In fact, it complements it.

Growing up with dice in one hand and Faith in the other, I never saw the two as enemies. Yet I know that, for some, there’s concern: Isn’t D&D filled with sorcery? Doesn’t it glorify violence? Aren’t you pretending to be gods, demons, and thieves?

Here’s the reality: Dungeons & Dragons is a storytelling tool. It’s a sandbox for moral decision-making, empathy, courage, and creativity. It's about choices—and that’s what spiritual life is, too. When I sit at the table with my players, I’m inviting them into a world where good and evil matter, where mercy changes lives, where sacrifice means something. It’s a world shaped by the same deep hunger for meaning that leads us to Christ.

And then there’s the cleric.

In every campaign, I inevitably gravitate toward the cleric. Why wouldn’t I? It’s the class that heals, protects, uplifts, and wields light in the darkness. Sound familiar?

Before I became a Subdeacon, I was a firefighter and medic. I’ve braved burning buildings, resuscitated the dying, and stood with the broken. In game terms, I didn’t just play a cleric—I lived as one. Now, serving in the altar, I’ve laid aside turnout gear for vestments, but the call is the same: to serve, to intercede, to bring peace in the midst of fear.

And dragons? I’ve never fought a literal one (though I’d like to think I could hold my own), but dragons take many forms in the real world. Addiction. Despair. Hopelessness. Sin. These are beasts that stalk our lives, and through Christ, we learn to slay them—not with sword and spell, but with love, sacrifice, and unshakeable faith.

So yes, I roll initiative. I recite the epiclesis. I map dungeons and chant liturgies. And I believe firmly that my Orthodox faith doesn’t just permit this—it blesses it, when approached with discernment and integrity. God made us creative beings. Telling stories that uplift virtue, challenge darkness, and explore redemption? That’s holy ground.

If anything, D&D has made me a better Person—and Orthodoxy has made me a better dungeon master.

So whether I’m rolling healing spells or chanting a Litany, one truth endures:

I am, and always have been, a cleric.