against the backdrop of his own deteriorating health and inevitable death, his growing closeness to Mary, his wrangling and disapproval of the ‘parent’ mega-church, and his conflict with Choir Leader Esther. At this point, post-Michael’s suicide, each of the other characters becomes the embodiment of a particular theme, and Toller interacts with them as such.

Jeffers is the embodiment of male competition, for example. He is a generous man who gave Reverend Toller his position at First Reformed Church when he desperately needed help, but whenever they interact, Toller is initially humble, and then the two descend into pseudo-intellectualism. At times, they sound like two literature professors, trying to defeat each other by quoting the best lines of some classic written work – never acknowledging the fact that...

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