The Doctor and the Apostle. Jeffrey A. Nelson
“You don’t have to be a fan of, or even familiar with, Paul or Doctor Who to appreciate these well-told stories of two imperfect, traveling helpers who rely not only on their own leadings and wisdom, but also on learning from their companions as well as their opponents. Be prepared to see connections between Galatians and Cybermen, and resurrection and regeneration; nuances of gender roles; and jargon-free discussions of Paul’s own writings and later additions.”
—Jonathan H. Harwell
Rollins College, co-editor of Theology and Prince
“In this book, Jeff Nelson answers the question a select few have longed to see answered: what happens if you compare the lives, activities, and values of the Doctor and the Apostle Paul? For those who never thought to ask this question, his book is all the more interesting and valuable, since it opens up fascinating avenues along which you’ll better appreciate your faith and fandom—whether as a Whovian, a Christian, or both—and at the same time be led to ask new questions that will deepen your understanding of stories and/or letters that you think you’re familiar with.”
—James F. McGrath
Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature, Butler University
“If you could take the Tardis to Tarsus, what would you learn? If this question has you intrigued, Jeff Nelson is your trustworthy guide. A feast for Doctor Who fans, and a generative space for students of the Apostle Paul, this book lives up to its claim to mine the intersections of history, culture, ethics, and faith in ways that make both the show and the Bible more relevant and fun for everyday life.”
—Deborah Krause
President and Professor of New Testament, Eden Theological Seminary
“Jeff Nelson’s The Doctor and the Apostle left me with a deeper appreciation of Doctor Who and a better understanding of the Apostle Paul—both of which I have complicated relationships with. Nelson’s unique approach to the intersections of pop culture and the Christian understanding of the Christian biblical canon will enable you to peer into the similarities of science fiction and Scripture. I’m sure you will find yourself in the pages of this book in ways you hadn’t thought possible. It’s worth your time.”
—Robert W. Lee
Author of A Sin by Any Other Name: Reckoning with Racism and the Heritage of the South
The Doctor and the Apostle
Intersections Between Doctor Who and the Letters of Paul
Jeffrey A. Nelson
The Doctor and the Apostle
Intersections Between Doctor Who and the Letters of Paul
Copyright © 2020 Jeffrey A. Nelson. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.
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paperback isbn: 978-1-7252-6317-8
hardcover isbn: 978-1-7252-6315-4
ebook isbn: 978-1-7252-6318-5
Manufactured in the U.S.A. 08/19/20
All scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV), copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
For Chris and Gavin, who know best what this led to.
“Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.”
—The Twelfth Doctor
Acknowledgments
I wrote the bulk of this book under some very interesting personal and professional circumstances. I was in the middle of a job transition, and my family and I were as caught up as everyone else in concerns over the coronavirus. It was challenging at times to keep my focus for this project. I drew support from a wide variety of people to remain centered, both for purposes of writing and for the strange context in which I had to complete it.
I am grateful once again to Matthew Wimer, Daniel Lanning, George Callihan, and the rest of the team at Wipf and Stock for their aid and guidance in each step of the publishing process. It was a pleasure to work with you all again.
Thank you as always to my family for their gifts of patience and time as I stole away to write, and for their ongoing love.
I had so many people loving and praying me through my changing of ministry positions, among them Ian Borton, Mindy Quellhorst, Elizabeth Dilley, George Miller, Mike and Jeanne Murawski, Alex and Hope Molozaiy, Brian Burke, Gayle Tucker, and the group known best as The Cohort. Thank you as well to my Community of Practice clergy group: Melody Ward, Gene McAfee, Allen Kahler, Steve Hockstra, Brent Gundlah, and Adam Marquette. I am glad to have so many companions with whom to share this journey with all its twists and turns.
Thank you to the people of Grace United Church of Christ, who got to hear more than their fair share of pop culture references on Sunday mornings over the years, including a few from Doctor Who that turned out to be the earliest seeds for this book.
And a thank you to Daniel for introducing me to The Doctor all those years ago. I hope that you’re doing well, wherever you are.
1
Fifteen Lives and Two Universes
I sometimes say that I was a Doctor Who fan before I realized it.
When I was in elementary school, I was hanging out with a friend at his house. Our relationship had begun thanks to a mutual love of science fiction and fantasy, especially Ghostbusters. But that day he was eager to show me some episodes of a show he’d recorded, which featured a strangely dressed man who could travel through time and space in a blue police call box that was noticeably much bigger on the inside.
The man only went by the name The Doctor. In these particular episodes, his most defining sartorial choices were a long tweed coat and an even longer multicolored scarf. He was joined on his adventures by a young woman named Romana and a robotic dog named K-9. The episode I most clearly remember, and which I have long deemed my definitive first experience of the show, was a series called “Meglos,” during which The Doctor tries to foil a shape-shifting alien cactus in its efforts to steal a powerful glowing element known as the Dodecahedron and use it for destructive purposes. My friend showed me other adventures, but this one stood out for reasons that are lost to me.
I do remember loving the fantastical elements of the show, especially The Doctor’s ship and the fact that he could regenerate into a new form in order to avoid death. This earliest introduction to the world of Doctor Who made a lasting impression, and its mythology found its way into my playtime in many ways.
Given the influence of this show on my imagination, however, I never made much of an effort to watch more than what my friend had on hand at his house. Even more inexplicably, I didn’t make it a point to watch when I was older and had easier access to it via reruns on TV or through the library. I didn’t even get into the series when it was first revived in 2005, although I can recall a tinge of joy in reliving old memories when its return was announced.
But once I finally decided to delve back into the world of The Doctor a few years later, I remembered everything that I loved about it. When your show’s central character can go to any planet and any point in time that they want, there are very few limitations that can be placed on the potential for the