Should a Christian Read Mystery Novels?

After reading the entire Sherlock Holmes series, which I enjoyed immensely, I began a search for another mystery series with a similar style - deductive and logical, not gruesome or mystery-turned-horror-story. I discovered the work of Agatha Christie, the world's bestselling author and mystery writer. She wrote many of her novels in the 1930-50 era. I decided to read one of her most famous works, "The A.B.C Murders," with the famous detective Hercule Poirot and his sidekick Captain Hastings. It was an easy read, very engrossing, and pretty clean; I finished it in two days time. The content was not gruesome, and the characters had fairly good morals, excepting the bad guys. No details were crude or inappropriate, and there were only a few "mild" profanities - the book was, by today's standards, very clean indeed. And yet, when I had finished reading, something stirred within - the Lord convicted me of several things. The question arose, "Is it God-honoring for a Christian to read mysteries, especially those centering on murder?" Not, again, that the book was inherently bad or wicked, if viewed from a purely "checklist" sense. Nevertheless, the Lord showed me several points that related to this sort of reading (and honestly, any reading we chose to do).
   
     First, several Scriptures came to mind, and as I searched through the Scriptures last night, more followed.

--"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret."   ~Ephesians 5:8-12

--"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love..."    ~Colossians 1:13

--"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."    ~1 John 1:5-7

As evidenced in these Scripture verses and many more, we are called, as Christians, to live in the light. The Lord reminded me that reading about dark things, dark deeds, as a form of enjoyment is a very risky business. This is certainly not to say that we are never to read about anything bad, or any bad deeds. It is also not to say that we are never to read a mystery. One must be especially careful, however, where the focus of the narrative lies. Just because the book is about how a murderer was discovered, and even punished, does not mean it doesn't have a subtle delight in darkness. If the focus is continually on gruesome details or the murder itself, then the author may very well delight in darkness. If the detective is desiring for something to occur, some crime to take place - a very big problem in "The A.B.C Murders" - then they are delighting in darkness. I really appreciated the Sherlock Holmes series in this aspect: It laid out the problem (robbery, murder, ect) and then focused mainly on the logical solution to that problem. In this way, I did not get a pervading sense of dwelling on the darkness.

     Furthermore, the way the crime/criminal is viewed plays a critical role in whether the mystery is suitable. Does the detective condone darkness? Does he sympathize with workers of iniquity? Does he use methods of darkness (robbery, for example) to come at a solution? Where Sherlock Holmes may have lacked focusing on darkness, it, in many cases, condoned it all the same. This often takes the form of excuses. "I'll let the criminal escape, though justice would forbid it, because he really loved that lady and was simply ridding her of that nasty brother of hers." Or, "He wasn't really doing a wicked thing, he was just executing vengeance for a terrible wrong done him years ago." I am, of course, not talking of situations where the justice system of a particular nationality is perverted, so that honoring God means disobeying the government. There were no cases of the sort in any of the Sherlock Holmes series or in the Agatha Christie book. If the book causes you to sympathize with or condone darkness, then it is rejoicing in darkness, and has no part in the light. The Bible says, "You shall not murder." Period. End of discussion. Furthermore, the penalty for murder is capital punishment. Numbers 35:31 says, "Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death." The Lord is a God of justice. The book should reflect this fact. If it does give the proper perspective in this area, and does not in any way condone darkness, it may be plausible. Again, I am not implying that all mysteries are bad. Many of the Sherlock Holmes challenge the mind to reason and deduce, while not perverting justice or dwelling in darkness. These may have some value.

     Another point that is of definite import, which the Lord impressed upon me, is language. Is there really such a thing as "mild" swearing? Or can we say, "Oh, but there were only a few profanities," as though the Lord's standard makes exceptions? What are the Lord's standards regarding this? Many of the verses regarding darkness, listed above, apply to this issue. Another one is Hosea 4:2, "By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with blood shed upon bloodshed." (emphasis mine) Swearing, in this verse, is on the same caliber as murder. Using the Lord's name in vain, often viewed as less of a problem than profanity, is even more highly condemned in Scripture: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, who takes His name in vain."

     I understand how difficult it is to find books that meet this criteria, but we must be set apart, for God has set us apart.

--"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; once who were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."    ~1 Peter 2:9-10

--"But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him."    ~Psalm 4:3

I speak these things as convictions from the Lord, and I know many will disagree. It is between you and God to determine what crosses the line from light into darkness. Not all mysteries do, certainly. Please remember, however, that if the Lord reveals something like this to us, and we disobey it, we are placing that thing higher than God. We love reading this book more than we love Jesus. This is a dangerous position to be in, my dearest friends. Until you deal with this area, the Lord will not reveal another to you. He reminded me of these Scriptures also:

--"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."    ~Matthew 6:24

--"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."    ~John 12:26

--"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."    ~Joshua 24:15

I have made the commitment, however difficult, to refrain from reading anything that dwells in, condones, or uses the language of darkness. Will you join me? I will be creating a list of good books to read, both fiction and nonfiction, sometime in the future, and they will be posted on this blog by summer.

Please, please, please leave a comment. I do so enjoy hearing from you!