Jack and Sherrie gave their new church home a much-needed face-lift inside and out. Prayer meeting attendance increased, a women’s prayer breakfast was started, and the new couple took steps to help the members toward spiritual renewal.

But underneath the veneer of a revitalized church, hard-edged judgmentalism was slowly severing the tie between the Raineses and their friends. All was not well at home, either, where mandatory Bible study and countless rules were alienating family members.

Playing God is the story of a family whose religious fervor becomes skewed blurring the line between nurturing and condemning. Soon the Raineses find themselves caught up in a struggle for control—theirs over the people they are trying to help, and God’s over them. Everyone who has ever felt the sting of good intentions will find this compelling reading.