The Doctor and the Apostle: Intersections Between Doctor Who and the Letters of Paul - Paperback

by Jeffrey A. Nelson (Author)

What could a first-century church planter and tentmaker who helped forge the earliest years of a new religious movement possibly have in common with a British time traveling alien who first appeared in the 1960s to teach children about history? Doctor Who has been a beloved science fiction franchise for over fifty years. Paul's letters have been around for quite a while longer, with the earliest ones that he wrote dated less than a generation after the life of Jesus. Both have inspired and instructed people on how to live and have stoked the imagination for what individual and communal life can be in their own way. And both were or are deeply flawed, sometimes struggling against their own tendencies or those of others in order to help bring about something greater for their respective worlds. The Doctor and the Apostle explores the similarities and differences between Doctor Who's title character and Paul of Tarsus, comparing and contrasting the stories of each. Whether a fan of one or the other or both, the reader will gain a greater understanding of the possibilities of a life of faith, as well as a deeper appreciation of how pop culture and Scripture may help inform one another.

Author Biography

Jeffrey A. Nelson serves on the national staff of the United Church of Christ. He is the author of Wonder and Whiskey: Insights on Faith from the Music of Dave Matthews Band (2018) and Prayer in Motion: Connecting with God in Fidgety Times (2018).