Doctor Who to Church's Rescue

As reported in the Telegraph today, leaders at a church conference were encouraged to study Doctor Who and to draw upon the themes that run parallel to Christian doctrine in their sermons as a means of reaching more young people.

Andrew Wooding, a spokesman for the Church Army, which organised the conference, said that its intention was to give vicars new ideas for conveying their message. "There are countless examples of Christian symbolism in Doctor Who, which we can use to get across ideas that can otherwise be difficult to explain," commented Wooding.

In sessions with titles like "Meaningful Monsters: Daleks Through the Decades", members of the clergy watched clips of various episodes and discussed the relevance of certain scenes to Christian teachings. The Rev Andrew Myers, vicar at St Aidan’s in Leeds, commented: "We saw the Doctor persuaded to save a family of Pompeians in one of the most recent episodes, surely a reference to Genesis and Abraham’s bargaining with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah."

Former Doctor Who producer Barry Letts said it was right to look at the series for religious parables. "I think it’s inevitable because of Britain’s cultural heritage that a long-running programme about the fight between good and evil will have some Christian themes as a backdrop," he said.