Genres: Theology in Mysteries
Definition of the Genre
The Mystery Genre is one of the most intellectually engaging and versatile genres at a storyteller’s disposal. Whether the mystery involves big, dramatic life-or-death situations, intense bureaucratic or corporate politics, serial murders, theft, or the more mundane mysteries of life, such as secret admirers or missing pies, the genre provides its audience with an intellectual hook to keep them engaged. Much like Romance, Mysteries can also be used as plots and subplots in other stories across genres, adding another layer of storytelling to any story. Some of the most common crossover genres for Mysteries include Thriller and Contemporary, although the options are just about limitless as to where and when a mystery plot can be added in other kinds of stories.
Mysteries can be simply defined as “a character seeking answers for a well-defined question”, for example who murdered Professor Jones in his laboratory? Most Mysteries tend to have some level of “whodunnit?”, where there is a specific perpetrator to a specific incident, however, some revolve around questions of “where?” and “why?” depending on the story. Most of the time, the primary plot question of Mysteries relates to material problems or questions rather than more ambiguous or philosophical topics; i.e. a mystery is going to focus on who stole the painting? rather than what is humanity’s purpose on Earth? although the second question might still be worked into the background messaging.
The Theology
One of the key themes of this genre is the pursuit of justice. Many of the most popular and enduring Mysteries start with some kind of crime that has been committed. Then, through some sort of investigative process, the characters weave their way through clues, hints, riddles, or eyewitness accounts in order to find the perpetrator and bring them to whatever fitting justice is necessary. This is where the Christian mystery writer can shine: because our God is just.
The pursuit of evil, shining a light on hidden sins, and bringing evildoers to appropriate punishment for their crimes are all things that can and should have echoes of the Scriptural truth — whether overtly or covertly. It is easy, as well, to include a Biblical message on whether or not to take revenge into one’s own hands, or where to exhibit mercy on a criminal. What happens when humanity takes vengeance — something God expressly states is His — into their own hands? What happens when someone tries to cover up a heinous crime and will stop at nothing to keep the truth from leaking out? Where do characters draw the line for mercy? All of these things can easily be presented in a Christian creative’s story.
This being said, not all mysteries involve criminal activity, however. Some include secret staircases, strange diaries, archaeological curiosities, or globe-spanning treasure hunts (although the latter is most often added to the “adventure” genre). For these kinds of mysteries, the more Christian messaging is not going to be in justice, but rather the pursuit of right answers. Christians can and should ask questions of their faith and pursue God’s truth through His Word, His creation, or the testimonies of fellow brothers and sisters. Mysteries involving answer-seeking can shine a light on how to ask the difficult faith questions or how to go about diligently seeking answers with trusted advisors or mentors as well as how to pursue God’s heart, even when things feel muddied or confusion.
The Pitfalls
As justice is one of the primary theological tools of the Mystery Genre, the mishandling of justice — or, the pursuit of revenge — is typically its most common pitfall. The Lord clearly states that vengeance is His (Romans 12:19 and elsewhere), whether that be through the judges and rulers that He has appointed over Earth or at the Final Judgement. Regardless of how God enacts His vengeance, however, the point is that it is not humanity’s job to take revenge into their own hands. Often, the focus of crime-based Mysteries is extracting revenge or some kind, not merely brining someone to justice.
This isn’t to say that a Christian mystery can’t have a character take justice into their own hands — it’s not about the sin but about how the sin is depicted — however, it needs to be handled diligently. Does the revenge the character takes actually solve anything? Are there consequences they could not foresee? Did the revenge bring back anything they had lost? These are the kinds of questions a Mystery with a vengeance or revenge plot can ask and answer in a Godly, Scripturally-backed way. A similar pitfall is encouraging a lack of forgiveness or mercy on the part of the victim. It is understandable to write a character who has been in some way harmed by a criminal as unforgiving and merciless towards the one who wronged them; however, there should be consequences for that decision. Perhaps a bitterness that eats away at their heart which destroys their relationships with those around them or harms their relationship with God.
The pitfall for mysteries that do not revolve around crime is usually something along the lines of greed or covetousness. There is usually a prize that is being sought, whether that be treasure, an inheritance, a lost artifact, or some other object of human affection. Now, typically these stories have a built-in counterpoint: the antagonist. Most classic adventures in this subgenre have a villain that is the embodiment of greed, while the protagonist(s) are seeking the treasure for a different purpose. Regardless, intentionally or accidentally carrying a message of greed is one of the biggest things Christian creatives need to keep an eye on when it comes to these kinds of stories.
In the Current Realm
The Mystery Genre, much like Romance, tend to be one of those genres that stay present regardless of the current cultural trends. The biggest reason for this is their versatility and focus on a virtue almost all humans crave on a deeper level. It, much like how Romance embodies one of God’s timeless characteristics (love), embodies justice and the revelation of wrongdoing. Even setting aside this more theological take, mysteries are incredibly versatile and infinitely adaptable to storytelling trends and a myriad of audiences. Complexity, adventure, tension, peril, technical curiosities, gore or blood, and intensity of the crime can all be molded depending on the needs to the author and the audience. Many popular children’s books are mysteries because it is easy to adjust to fit grade level.
Another primary draw of the great mystery novel is the intellectual tension it causes the reader. The best mysteries are typically the ones that keep the audience guessing, trying to crack the case wide open before the plucky protagonist can. Given this, the most difficult part of writing a mystery is usually keeping the reader engaged, curious, and intellectually stimulated. This can make writing a good mystery daunting for the creative, but it is not impossible, especially with centuries of writers paving the way. There is also the factor of audience; even with adults who usually prefer something a bit more to chew on in the Mystery Genre, there is still plenty of room for cozy or casual mysteries that aren’t necessarily action-packed or have the most dramatic plot twist imaginable. And, sometimes, the audience loves solving the crime or puzzle first, especially when the story is well-told.