The Salvation of Doctor Who Leader Guide: A Small Group Study Connecting Christ and Culture

by Matt Rawle

Pastor and author Matt Rawle is on a mission. He sees Christ all around him-in books, movies, TV shows, rock music-and he wants to share what he sees. As Matt says, "God offers the raw ingredients, and 'culture' is whatever we cook up."

In The Salvation of Doctor Who, pastor and author Matt Rawle draws on the long-running TV show and cult favorite Doctor Who to chart the intersection of faith and science. Chapters include “Bigger on the Inside,” “God and Time and God’s Time,” “The Oldest Question in the Universe,” and “The Sonic Screwdriver Is Mightier Than the Sword.”

This Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the Participant Book and DVD. It includes session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.

The Salvation of Doctor Who is part of The Pop in Culture Series of Bible studies in which Matt Rawle stirs up a tasty gumbo of insight, humor, and inspiration based on some of your favorite pop culture classics. A Participant Book, a DVD featuring four sessions with the author, and a Worship Resources Flash Drive also are available for group study.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Religion

64 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Matt Rawle is Lead Pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church in Bossier City, LA. Matt is an international speaker who loves to tell an old story in a new way, especially at the intersection of pop culture and the church.

Matt has a B.A. in music from LSU and an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School. He and his wife Christie have three daughters. Matt loves meditating on Scripture, listening to the heart of God, and inspiring people to do the work of God—Love. He also loves thinking about new ways to tell an old story.

He is the author of a new series of books titled The Pop in Culture Series. The series includes The Faith of a Mockingbird, Hollywood Jesus, and The Salvation of Doctor Who.

Reviews

[❀Aimee❀ Just one more page...]

2.5/5 STARS
I picked up this book because 1. I’m a Doctor Who fangirl. I’m late to the party though – I only began watching about a year ago, but I’m catching up quick! (David Tennant FTW)
2. I have not been blind to the good vs evil themes and have at times pondered the parallels between Christianity and Doctor Who. I think that anyone looks for parallels in their everyday for the things they believe in, love, or have faith in. It is in our nature to try to find patterns and to learn and assimilate what we experience into our belief system (whether or not that involves a deity makes no difference).

You will see themes such as:
The Doctor and God are both beings that love all creatures and are loathe to engage in violence…even forgiving those that hurt them.



The universal struggle between good and evil.


Jesus and The Doctor both desire and need “companions” or relationship.





The Doctor and Jesus both die for those they love…and are resurrected.


How the Doctor’s enemies and demonic forces work against goodness and humanity:
Daleks spread hate,

Cybermen have no compassion or emotion,

The Silence use distraction to make you “forget”,

Weeping angels feed off “lost potential” similarly to how we can cripple ourselves with regret,

the Master being so similar to Lucifer.


The Doctor and God both live outside the construct of time.


God and the TARDIS bring us where we need to be, not necessarily where we want to go. And it’s not always fun, but it’s worth it in the end.


How the story of Job and the episode with Vincent Van Gogh struggle with making a difference for people struggling with depression and circumstances.


Even a short reference on the parallel between Holy Communion and “Fish fingers and custard” – both are a remembrance of Jesus/the Doctor.


What could be improved:
The flow is halting at times, with some sections repeating later in the book, almost verbatim. It was as if he forgot he used that material in an earlier chapter. Sometimes his thought process is a little too meandering as if he was scattering ideas. Overall it just needed a bit more tightening up and closer editing.

Some discussion about God doesn’t seem tied to the Doctor, and vice versa.

What I didn’t like:
I didn’t always agree with this particular pastor’s beliefs. He often takes a lot of creative license with Scripture interpretation that I just don’t agree with. But that’s me.

A final word to the wise: If you don’t have a decent understanding of Doctor Who, this book probably won’t appeal to you.

Thank you Netgalley & Abingdon Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Hilary]

3.5 stars

A Bible study based on concepts in Doctor Who... how could I resist? But first, a warning: If you haven't watched up to the end of Season 8 (new season), you will find many spoilers.

The premise is clearly laid out in the introduction: this is exploring four ways that Doctor Who invites deeper questions, that is, looking at our own identity; how to connect with a timeless, eternal God; sin and redemption; understanding and living with God's love.

I didn't get very far in before I realized I had to share it, and made it a part of our daily reading. I found that each of the four sections included "huh" moments, startling me into looking and thinking in a new way. There are shorter segments within each section, which is what I used for the daily reading, and these end with three short questions for reflection or discussion, some very thoughtful and inspiring long conversations while others just provoked a "Hmm" response. I was surprised by the depth of understanding, and will definitely bear this in mind as I continue watching and reading.

So why only 3.5 stars, you ask? Part of it may be the Kindle copy I received - I suspect some disjointed sections may have been inset boxes that just didn't convert well to Kindle - but a larger part is that the copy I received needed some more editing to smooth out transitions and make sure each piece flowed, rather than having abrupt switches to a new train of thought, and some overly repetitious phrases. It also lacked a conclusion, ending suddenly with no wrap-up and nothing drawing the whole book together, which surprised me given the thoughtful and useful introduction. The formatting may have been an issue with the ARC, but the abrupt ending had no excuse,

I may have received an ARC, so please don't write this off based on the criticisms above; I very much enjoyed the rest, and it had some great insights. I'd definitely consider using this for a small group study.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Michael]

Can my favorite secular television series offer us any insights on the divine? The answer is yes.

Matt Rawle's book The Salvation of Doctor Who looks at spiritual lessons we can take away from the over fifty year run of the series. The book is broken down into four sections, each one focusing on an aspect of the series from the Doctor himself to the nature of time to the various foes the Doctor has faced over the years. Rawle offers short chapters that are intended to be read daily and to help the reader find deeper meaning from the series.

As a starting point for a conversation, I've got to admit I enjoyed this book a great deal. And while I may not necessarily agree with all of Rawle's points in the book, I still found his arguments were well made and I could see where he was coming from.

This book has a heavy influence on the modern Doctor Who. And while I can see why the book might lean more on the modern stories and their situations, the classic Whovian deep inside me kept wishing we got more than a passing nod to the original stories. I realize that there a lot of new Who fans who haven't or won't watch the classic stories and this book is designed to appeal to all fans. But I still can't help but feel like Rawle only did a passing glance at the fifty year history of the show and possibly overlooked a few lessons that are sitting there in the classic era run.

Also, I can't help but feel that my reading this book straight through in a couple of sittings wasn't how it's intended to be read or experienced. I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley, so instead of reading one lesson a day and allowing it to sink it, I read the book straight through in a couple of sittings. This lead me to notice that Rawle begins to repeat certain points in later sections of the book. I might not have noticed (as much) had I used this as a devotional or a conversation starter from a small group as it's intended.

[Morgan]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Like basically everyone else who stumbled across this book: I'm a Whovian.

Being raised (partly) Southern Baptist, there were a lot of conflicting messages over the years -- part of why I have removed myself from the more organized aspects of Christianity. People who assume Harry Potter is evil when it has so many good messages (would be a good one to focus a group study on too). So the thought of someone taking fandoms and looking at them for the lessons they can teach instead of condemning without knowing... Well, I thought it was worth a look at the very least.

It could definitely use some editing to tighten things up a bit -- repetition and things of that nature that just slowed things down. Of course, it would also make the book a little shorter. Nothing that couldn't be remedied with another addition since there are now Twelve Doctors, a relative army of Companions and countless villains to draw from.

Some things seemed to be an error in translating to Kindle/eBook format where what was likely the title at the tops of pages stuck in what was actually the middle of pages. It caught me a couple times where there was a second where I thought the title or chapter title was just being mentioned.

That said it is definitely for reasonably current Whovians since there are some spoilers with regards to various things the Doctor has gone through in his various incarnations. BUT there's also a LOT of recapping/introductory material as if people who aren't at all familiar with the Doctor will be involved in the group studies. It's possible, of course, but maybe it would be better to choose some introductory episodes that fit the group study topics/showcase them so that the introduction is there and people who don't need it will just settle in for a good rewatch. Maybe not as much thought put into the actual practice of the group study as into the topics/relation to scripture, but still not a huge drawback since it could be amended if someone were actually using it as such in a mixed group. (There is apparently also a DVD that is related, but I have no knowledge of what it contains/shows.)

There are a few times where it's just like HERE'S A RANDOM FACTOID that doesn't quite seem to relate in to what is being talked about -- but usually it's about Doctor Who and, well, that's why I picked this up to begin with, right? Of course, nothing that was new information there. It does, however, go a bit off topic at times (though not off Doctor Who in general). It sort of reminds me of talking to a friend about something you're really excited about that they might not be familiar with and you can get a tendency to just word vomit all of your "feels". ;)

All told, I obviously think that the idea behind this series of group studies is great. Perhaps some reworking or revision might be in order, but more in terms of reaching a wider audience.

[Megan]

I enjoyed the comparisons between Christianity and Doctor Who. However, for such a short book there was a lot of repetition (even within the same chapter) and that was boring - at least for me. Not all of the similarities were obvious, some were more of a stretch. I think I'll be reading this again in the future, though, so I can see if it's more enjoyable if I take my time with it (instead of reading it in one day).

If you enjoy Doctor Who and the book sounds interesting, I'd say give it a read.

3 1/2 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.

[GothChickVibing]

Title: The Salvation Of Dr Who



Author: Mike Rawle



Genre: Nonfiction, Devotional, Biblical, Bible Study, Television Show, Christian.



Plot: Connecting the dots between a classic secular British television show and the Bible is a tricky thing to do but pastor Mike Rawle manages to pull it off relatively successfully. This isn't a traditional devotional with verses and short bite-sized chapters but it can be used in addition to other while watching Doctor Who and looking up the reference verses in your handy Bible.



Doctor Who a long-running science fiction show about an ancient alien who uses humor, knowledge and a profound dislike for violence to save the day from nasty invading foes. There is a lot of good to be found buried in this show and connecting it to Christ's messages isn't necessarily hard to achieve. Most readers will read this and then go watch the show.



Likes/Dislikes: Fans of Doctor Who will adore this book. I personally didn't see a huge appeal beyond going, "Oh, it's about Doctor Who." But that's okay, I don't feel like I was the target audience. I still enjoyed reading the bits about the older episodes of the show and how you can see good in a secular interest.



Rating: PG-13 and up, mainly for reading level.



Date Reviewed: January 14th, 2020



I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

[M Christopher]

A Bible study based on the long-running British sci-fi TV show, Doctor Who. More for those with good knowledge of the adventures of the Doctor and less knowledge of the Bible than the other way around. I may still try to find a way to use it.

[Mark]

This read helps inform a potential, upcoming Bible study centered around Doctor Who. I also will use several other books dealing with Faith and Christianity and Doctor Who as a center piece.

[Andrea Stoeckel]

[ I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank them for their generousity. In exchange, I was simply asked to write an honest review, and post it. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising]

"Taking a look at each incarnation of the Doctor offers a window into the different personalities inside each and every one of us."

I am a retired pastor of almost 30 years. When I was active, I spent a great amount of my career acting as an interim between settle pastors or closure of the church building. I am also a tried and true "Tom Baker as Doctor Who, why on earth doesn't he trip on that scarf" groupie. Baker was my first Doctor, seen on the cardboard low budget set in black and white on WGBH Boston as a teenager and young adult. My first reaction was it was one of the funniest shows on TV and why in the heck didn't it run on the Network? And, as I've grown older, I've been uncomfortable with the more violent incarnations of today's BBC versions on film rather than the days of videotape. And then I see Tom Baker, now white haired, still pontificating like MY Doctor Who....or the sometimes "cheesy" Christmas episodes of the current shows that are seen in reruns all over the Discovery Networks a/o BBC America (NBC) and I remember just why the show is still on...because despite the violence aimed at those ubiquitous 18-28 year old males, it can still tell an awesome story.

And that is precisely why a study like this one will "sell really well" in a church. In our "first world" view, the question of culture is often left to the geeks of the world, who stutter, or are too old, or wear bow ties, or even affect with a scarf so long you'll swear it will hinder any movement. They are like us, more often than not, and as the United Methodist minister who authored this study, they reflect both the church and the culture it "plays in", trying to define who we are in our culture. Can we, as Children of God, recognize that we can change our culture, and if so, how so?

In this short book, there are background pieces of both Doctor Who and the story of our trinitarian God, and how, as we plan our lives, the actual living of an authentic life might not he as we want it, that the seming randomness of the Christian life is reflected in “Time and Relative Dimension in Space.” (TARDIS). Is there salvation in Doctor Who? Take a chance and reflect with this study.

[Brent Phillips]

A study book that delves into the intersection of Christian theology and Doctor Who? How could any Englishman resist. The book is split into four main chapters, each dealing with a broad topic: Identity, Time, Grace and the Trinity. Each Chapter then explores similarities between the Doctor Who mythos and specific aspects within those broad headings, for instance how the Doctor's regeneration is much like the Christian call to constant renewal along the path to sanctification.

For the most part the book is exactly what one would expect, drawing attention to the Doctor's general non-violent stance, his desire to see worth in his enemies and spare them and the fluid nature of identity. How much the reader will get from that depends greatly on how comfortable you are with relating pop culture to biblical teaching. For instance, I can imagine Rawles highlighting the Doctor having two hearts, in both a physical and emotional sense, thus making him not only fully Time Lord but also fully human might cause those of a less irreverent nature some discomfort. However, I think those willing to accept this as a light-hearted ice breaker intended to promote discussion rather than a deep dive into strict doctrine, will be richly rewarded.

I especially loved Rawles' examination of the Transfiguration, where he poses the question "From where are Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus?". He rules out them becoming one with the Force and appearing as phantoms and ponders, given their own mountaintop encounters with God, could these all be the same event, simply stretched over the "big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff"? Could the glory Moses saw be the transfigured Christ? Is the conversation Elijah has with the Lord, Jesus asking "why are you here"? It is a wonderfully thought-provoking and unique looking at scripture framed by pop-culture references.

Another great example would be the parallel Rawles draws with the long-discussed and often confusing mystery of the Trinity and the TARDIS herself. How exactly each works is unknown, we just accept that somehow they are "bigger on the inside".

I found The Salvation of Doctor Who, much like the Doctor himself, to be a wonderfully entertaining, educational and whimsical experience. For fans of NuWho, the 9th Doctor and later incarnations, who are curious to learn more about Christianity this book is one that'll certainly have them saying 'Allons-y'.

[Laurin]

Matt Rawle has plunged into a series of small group studies that most of the people in my church would simply shake their heads at (of course, the average age of my little church is probably about 65-years-old, and that’s with me bringing down the average!). The “Pop in Culture” series seeks to show how Christ can be found anywhere – even in pop culture. The series includes such titles as Hollywood Jesus and The Faith of a Mockingbird.

As a Whovian (big fan of the extremely long-running BBC television series Doctor Who, for those of you who may not know the term), I could not resist the draw of a Bible study based on one of my favorite diversions. The Salvation of Doctor Who begins with a “quick refresher” on the TV series before launching into topics that Whovians will recognize, like “The Oldest Question in the Universe” and “Bigger on the Inside.”

There were some things I really liked about this study, but I must admit there were a few things I found troubling as well. Rawle comes up with some fairly astute insights (such as his explanation of the Trinity), but he’s also rather Laodicean about certain topics (such as Creation vs evolution – he wouldn’t say what he believed, as if he was afraid to alienate those who don’t agree with him. Man, you can’t be lukewarm; God will spit you out!)

I’m terribly intrigued by the idea of this series, of employing pop culture as a medium for understanding our faith. Yet at the same time I feel it is very important to remember that God tells us there is a dividing line between the sacred and the carnal (I think of Romans 1 and Galatians 5 right away). We, as Christians, need to be discerning and filter everything through the Word of God, not twist the Word to fit the carnal things we fancy.

Overall, however, I did enjoy this study. Rawle pulled some great quotes out of Doctor Who to help highlight different sections, he provided some very interesting observations, and, if nothing else, he made me continually refer back to and filter his information through the Word, which is ultimately what a small group study should be all about.

Many thanks to Abingdon Press and NetGalley for the free copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own!

[Tarissa]

A book that parallels Doctor Who and the Christian life?

Yes, please.

Overall, I did enjoy it. The book takes basic principles from the sci-fi TV show Doctor Who and brings out religious topics to match it. Christian Who-vians will find it fun to read. Although I personally read it just by myself, I'm sure it could spark some amazing conversations in a group setting. Excellent soul-searching questions are included with each chapter.

The main point? I refreshed my memory on some of God's wonderful truths, and also learned interesting tidbits about Doctor Who. The book uses story plots from the modern TV show as illustrations, and also shares the history behind the original 1960s version. I loved all the behind-the-scenes details! (If you don't want any episode spoilers while reading the book, the reader has to have watched up to the Season 8 finale, by the way! It was a close call for me...)

"Our memories fail. We try to walk with Christ, but we make countless mistakes and missteps along the way. How wonderful to know that my salvation doesn't lie in my ability to remember Christ, but rests in the grace of Christ to remember me." (Matt Rawle, The Salvation of Doctor Who)

Cons: One thing stood out -- HUGELY. At one point the author literally makes an illustration out of how the earth has been around for *millions* of years. (Seriously?! In a Christian devotional?!) I could have taken it in stride if, say, the author was quoting from Doctor Who (which is definitely NOT based on Creationist thinking)... but it was indeed the author's own writing: "The light we see from the stars has taken millions of years to get to the Earth from the far reaches of space, so when we look to the stars, we are seeing the stars as they were millions of years ago, through ancient light..."

The bottom line? It's a cool book -- one that would be great for friends to read together (who share the same interest in awesome TV shows); it makes you ponder about your journey with God.

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the free review copy.

[J.L. Neyhart]

Matt Rawle's book, The Salvation of Doctor Who, offers spiritual insights and connections between Doctor Who and the Christian faith. The book is divided into four sections, where each section focuses on a different part of Doctor Who (the T.A.R.D.I.S., the Doctor’s enemies, the nature of time, the Doctor himself, etc.) The chapters are short, intended to be read daily, in-between the meetings with the small group.

As the subtitle of the book tells you (A Small Group Study Connecting Christ and Culture), this book is meant to be used as a guide for a small group study. I’m guessing this is why I found it a bit repetitive in nature since I read it all in one sitting. I also felt like the book was a bit disjointed at times: Rawle would throw in tidbits about Doctor Who and then the next paragraph would start with a Bible verse without really any real transition. And while some of the comparisons he made were on point, others seemed like a bit of a stretch.

I also disagreed with some of Rawle’s theology, but not significantly enough that it hampered my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I don’t regret reading the book, but I probably won’t read it again.

(Thank you Netgalley and Abingdon Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.)

[Cat Caird]

As a fan of Dr Who and looking at culture and christianity I was eager to read this book. It’s a short study guide that is meant to be taken in chunks for a small group setting.

On the offset I think this book has a huge amount of potential. Rawle weaves in themes about Dr Who and links them with Jesus and the bible, which makes a rather interesting read. I learnt quite a lot of new things and there were plenty of times where I pondered the themes that came up.

Saying that, I do think the book needs a bit more editing. There were quite a few times where Rawle repeated himself unnecessarily and I felt he could have gone more in-depth on some of the themes. There were also places in the book where it felt disjointed and I felt like I was going from one point to another without any real connection. Other than that I love the idea of this, the cover is awesome and some of the themes that were brought out were really interesting and challenging.

[Kimberly]

I am a huge Dr. Who fan, however the last book with a TARDIS on the cover disappointed me a little. This book is not a disappointment. Matt Rawle has shown connections between science and faith. I was also a former science teacher at the fifth and sixth grade level. So many times the children would come to me and tell me that there was no connection between these two. I wish I had this book then.

Rawle includes chapters such as "The Sonic Screwdriver Is Mightier Than the Sword" and "Bigger on the Inside." This is the foundation for a small group Bible Study that shows humor and God can also go together.

Matt Rawle is a pastor and an international speaker, plus he has written other books in The Pop in Culture Series.

I want to thank the author, NetGalley and Abingdon Press for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Bethany]

I was excited for this book. As a Christian and a huge fan of Doctor Who I was curious to see how Matt Rawle would combine Christianity and Doctor Who. I would love to be able to actually do a small group study with this book, I think being able to discuss Doctor Who and it's parallels to Christianity would be great fun.
I felt the book itself was a bit disjointed talking about the story of Doctor who and then suddenly a Bible verse thrown in. But I will be buying the book when it comes out and would love to host a small group to discuss the book.

[Nate Miller]

I ordered this book because I was intrigued by its challenge to relate Doctor Who to the Bible. It is a fascinating read, but the concepts are far too deep for a small group Bible study. Most of the information in the chapter on time exercises a base knowledge in metaphysics to understand the points the author is trying to convey.

[Joanne']

I got this book because...why else, I am a Doctor Who fan! I enjoyed it, however I did find some of the "reveals" to be cookie cutter and things I had put together myself. all in all a okay read. I personally was looking for a little more insight....a little more of what I am not sure....just missed the mark for me.

[Jaymie]

Even with only a passing acquaintance with Dr. Who, I was able to enjoy this. Great for fans who want a small group experience. Would be great to watch the episodes referenced during the discussion.

[Diannaha]

I enjoyed this book. It used one of my favorite shows and brought it into my faith in such a way that any one could understand.