The collar

This wide-ranging study looks at how Christian ministers appear in literature and film, from heroes and comic figures to schemers and villains. Sue Sorensen works through the material by theme and through detailed close readings, paying attention to the ministers' motives, mistakes and inner lives.

The book's starting point is that every Christian takes part in some form of ministry, so the ideas that secular culture holds about clergy shape how all believers are seen and see themselves. The examples come from several countries, chiefly the United States, Britain and Canada, and from different denominations and centuries. Sorensen wants readers to respond to the demands of Christian leadership with imagination and faithfulness, and to notice when the expectations placed on leaders become unreasonable.

Using novels, plays, television and films, the author explores pastoral passion, frustration and fallibility. The book is aimed at pastors, church members, students of practical theology, and anyone who enjoys thoughtful writing about film and literature.