by Stephen McCutchan, @stevemccutchan
A Good Mystery
A good mystery helps restore
order and makes sense out of something that is unexplainable in our society.
People do not like to live in a society that doesn't respond to logic. How do
you protect yourself if there is not a logical explanation for what is
happening? When we experience brokenness in our society, we need someone to fix
what is broken and fill the hole in our universe that threatens the logic of
our lives. The mystery can be personal, a mysterious death, or enter the area
of thrillers with a threat to our whole society. A good mystery helps us make
sense and restore order again.
An Anxious Society
The news seems dominated by
scandals and examples of forces beyond human control. In politics, think
Anthony Wiener, in religion think Jimmy Swaggart, in ecology think Tsunami or
Hurricane Sandy, in the economy recall the large banks and investment firms
fiascos. On a personal level, we hear of crazy people with guns invading our
schools and terrorists threatening our embassies. How does a person make sense
of how to live in such a crazy world?
Fascination with Powers Beyond Our World
If the media is a barometer
of our society, we see an increased fascination with chaos, and with the
possibility of forces beyond our visible world touching our lives. Think of the
various versions of Dystopia in recent books and movies. Think also of the
popularity of stories about vampires, demons, and alien invasions as well as
the traumatic breakdown of our ability to control the forces of nature.
There is also an increased
interest in Super Heroes who can save us from ourselves. These range from
Superman, Spiderman, to friendly aliens like ET and the world of Harry Potter.
On a more personal level, there is the rise in popularity of Gurus with special
secrets of how to lose weight, find peace, become rich, etc.
Mysteries with a Spiritual Edge
This hunger in our society
for ways to restore order, either by human courage or mysterious forces from
outside our world, makes mysteries with a spiritual edge particularly
appealing. Such mysteries allow the reader to experience the chaos but also the
promise that life will ultimately make sense once the mystery is solved. By
adding the spiritual angle to the mystery, we address the interest in how we
can draw upon forces from beyond our visible world to assist us.
Some
mystery/thrillers like those written by Dan Brown, suggest that there is some
secret to be discovered that can unleash these powers into our world. In my
mystery novel, A Star and aTear, I
choose access to the spiritual forces through the more common experience of
religious disciplines, relationships, and reason. In my story, the demonic
aspect of life is represented by the toxic mixture of a distorted version of
sex and religion that wreaks terror in the community. The mystery is solved by
a healthier confrontation with the symbiotic relationship of sexuality and
spirituality.
Sex, Religion, Reason, and Hope
As one of the
characters in my novel says, "religion and sex are two of the most
powerful creative and destructive forces in our universe." We deny the
reality of these forces at our own peril. However, as the mystery is solved, we
make sense out of life again, terror is banished, and hope is present.
I invite
you to enter the conversation and join me in my effort "to build respect
for clergy one story at a time." Click here ,
enjoy the mystery, and consider if this would be a good book for discussion
among your friends.
Having a Discussion with Friends
If you have a
group of five or more, I am willing to provide you a discount code of 20% to
apply to your Amazon bill. Contact me at steve@smccutchan.com to secure the code.
The book includes provocative
questions at the end of each chapter to help your group probe some of the
themes that are in the book. As you discuss the book in your group, you may
also want to email two or three questions to me as the author and I will respond
as quickly as I can. We also may be able to find a common date in which we
could have a more personal conversation via Skype.
I hope you will enjoy A Star and a Tear.
Stephen McCutchan, writer, humorist, and
advocate for the care of clergy, is a Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister and
the author of Let’s Have Lunch: Conversation,
Race, and Community; Experiencing
the Psalms (recipient of the Jim Angell award from the Presbyterian
Writers Guild); Good News for a Fractured
Society, and three volumes of lectionary devotionals for pastors
plus two CDs, A Deep Well for the
Pastor and Laughter from the
Well.
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