06 October 2009
Detective Stories
Last week, a group of Baptist ministers met to do some theology, and were led by Philip Clements-Jewry who read a paper about theological issues raised by detective stories.
You can't do anything much without it suggesting some theological themes, and the detective stories many people read are no different. I was particularly interested by the theme of reading between the lines. Detectives not only amass information, but make intuitive leaps, notice the things that are so obvious as to be hard to see, and pay attention to the gaps. (Isn't there a Sherlock Holmes story about the dog that didn't bark?) The task of interpretation is fundamental to theology and preaching, and it's interesting to think hard about the point where interpretation looks behind the plain meaning.
We had an intriguing discussion afterwards about whether detective fiction is a peculiarly Protestant thing, and why. Something about judgment and sin.
15:39 Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this | Tags: theology
Comments
So a good theological post as i can posses it...but you know i surely don't understand what is the main aim if the whole speech?
Posted by: krisp | 07 October 2009
I'm afraid I wasn't very clear! There wasn't a single point to the talk, but several themes were explored. First there was the idea that detection is only possible if the world makes sense. You must be able to 'read' the clues. Christian faith says that God is a God of order, and the real world does indeed make sense - though it can be tricky to 'read.'
Which gets us onto the idea of reading in the gaps. Christians would say that we need the guidance of the Spirit to interpret correctly (which we partly get through other Christians and from Tradition). Interpreting scripture or the world is not a straightforward thing. We rightly bring ourselves to the process. We have to learn in order to understand, which means we have to be changed.
Finally there was this theme of the gruesomeness of the murders, in many of the books, and the dysfunctionality of the detectives, who are not apart from the evil they fight. This is what seems to represent a Protestant take on the problem of evil and the human condition.
Posted by: Stuart | 07 October 2009
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