Trust & Obey

In the year of 2049, the pandemic has come to an end and the race wars have run their course. We see a world that our upcoming generations are left with and it is a mess. To cope with the difficulties of this new world, many people engage in Virtual Reality (or VR) as a drug that allows for escape. In VR you can be whoever you want to be, do whatever you want to, and live the life you want with little to no consequences. This addiction is frowned upon by society and those who engage in it are given the title “Dead Heads”. Those who secretly do it are called “closet Dead Heads”. Angie Channing, the protagonist, is a writer and a closet Dead Head, which is how she does research for her books. After being apart of a freakishly realistic VR experience called The Red Protocol, Angie is left with whiteouts- moments of unconsciousness- and wondering what’s even real anymore.

In Ted Dekker’s latest thriller Play Dead, Dekker does his thing by creating a world that comes to life in only a few chapters without bogging you down with too many details. I was instantly captured by Angie’s unique personality and thoughts. The same is true with the character Randy, who we see consistently throughout the novel.

Even though, I was deeply enveloped in the world with Angie, I strongly disliked Play Dead. I had a great time reading it until chapter 37 and that’s when it spiraled out of control. Through this book, I discovered that you can’t just make a twist, you gotta have a twist that works with the plot. Play Dead‘s twist did not feel right. It didn’t match and I didn’t get that “OH WOW!!!!” Dekker usually brings with his novels. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with this thriller.

My other issue was Dekker’s ideology. Dekker’s earlier works like The Bride Collector, Adam, and The Boneman’s Daughters all carried strong Christian morals and truths which left you contemplating your faith in a fresh way. I would finish the final page and have a whole new perspective on what it means to be a Christian and our relationship with Christ. Ever since The Outlaw Chronicles, Dekker has begun to add a bit of New Age into his Christian beliefs, which made me nervous. Play Dead has crossed the line for me. Now, Dekker is teaching that reality really doesn’t matter, is reality even reality? Is it just an illusion? How could we know? I struggle with this idea because in that case, why would I take this life seriously? If this may not even be reality, then what’s even the point? This idea if taken too far, could easily lead to suicidal ideation. Why would I want to live here for no good reason with all of the suffering and pain that happens daily in our world. Even the best parts of our lives involve pain, like having children, loving people, etc.. This world is so difficult why would it make me feel better to know it isn’t fully real?

This is reality and it is important to take this life seriously. For Christians, we have been placed here to share the good news of Christ and guide others to Heaven so we can all see each other in Heaven and later the New Earth after Christ’s return. Now, we understand that this world isn’t necessarily our home and it is cursed. We are living for eternity, not for this world. However, that does not mean that this world isn’t real or we should try to transcend it.

I love Ted Dekker’s novels but unfortunately, Play Dead has lead to the death of my adoration for Dekker and I don’t think I will be reading any of his future works anytime soon.

Thanks for reading today’s post! It went a little heavier today but I think it’s important to discuss different teachings and to think about what they imply. We can’t just take everything we read as true because it comes from someone we respect or like, we need to be critical thinkers now more than ever.