With this post we continue to gain theological understanding from Odd places. For this post, I found a quote in the volume that I am currently on that reminded me of quote from a different author.

The quote from Odd Apocalypse is this:

The Devil and all his demons are dull and predictable because of their single-minded rebellion against truth. Crime itself – as opposed to the solving of it – is boring to the complex mind, though endlessly fascinating to the simpleminded. One film about Hannibal Lecter is reverting, but a second is inevitably stupefying. We love a series hero, but a series villain quickly becomes silly as he strives so obviously to shock us. Virtue is imaginative, evil repetitive. 

That’s a profound insight. And it reminds me of something I think Dallas Willard says.¹I went hunting for the quote online and by thumbing through my copies of his books, but was unable to find where he said this. I think it is in The Divine Conspiracy, but again I couldn’t find it. If you are familiar with the quote I am talking about please comment and let me know. He said something to the effect of sinners are boring because they are all the same, but saints are the really interesting ones.

Saints come in an astonishing variety of kinds and types. We have young saints and old saints. We have male saints and female saints. We have black and brown saints and we have white saints. We have saints of all kinds. We have married saints and single saints. We have educated saints and uneducated saints.

Saints are interesting. Sinners are boring.