Joel Kilpatrick

A fun look at the parts of the Bible you don't get in Sunday school. The authors provide good discussions of the various theories surrounding origins of the stories, and what they meant to those who wrote them. One of the biggest weaknesses is the idea of the authors that the Bible should be treated with reverence, no matter what. No book, no idea, should be treated with reverence; this causes critical thought to go out the window, a phenomenon that was on occasion in evidence here.

Who knew that scholarly textual analysis of the Bible could be so fun? This book, by two religion professors from Rhodes College and a seasoned journalist, is laugh-out-loud funny and yet still informative and thoughtful. Multiple biblical interpretations are considered in attempts to answer questions such as “Did Abraham pimp Sarah?”

A humorous look at the rise of the evangelicals. The book takes the form of a how-to field guide, instructing you on how to recognize and interact with evangelicals, including working with them, attending their church, and having them in your home. There are some genuinely laugh-out-loud funny moments in here. The author doesn't present or pretend to present a scholarly work full of research; he's gently mocking the group, and because of this, the book will appeal primarily to those who are show more fine with mocking religion. In some places, the author uses research findings, but is too accepting of the findings of surveys, even though numerous studies have demonstrated that people will lie on anonymous surveys, usually to make themselves look better. The chapter on evangelical sex could have been improved if the author had been a bit more aware of those findings. Otherwise, a fun, easy to read book. show less

If nothing else, I now know why Thomas Kinkaid is so popular. This book amusingly considers who Evangelical Christians are, and how they're different from other people-including how to infiltrate their community without getting endless phonecalls from the Welcome Committee.