Giles Fraser, a big fan of the HBO series “True Detective,” muses in the Guardian about whether the heroes of modern detective fiction play a theological role in society.
The modern secular imagination prides itself on having got beyond the childish ways of historical theology. But our continued obsession with detective fiction suggests something remarkably adjacent to traditional theological concerns, and its lonely, world-weary hard-drinking advocates – think Luther – have become the priests and theologians of our day. Yes, there are obviously religious detectives – Father Brown, Brother Cadfael – but they can be seen as seeking (unconvincingly, perhaps) to reclaim something of this new priestly ministry for more traditional ideological purposes.
Read his column here.