Book Review: Jesus Died for This?

Jesus Died for This? by Becky Garrison came out in August.  (Why I’m just reviewing it now is kind of a long story.)  In this volume Garrison reports as a pilgrim, a sojourner on a quest to find out whatever happened to Jesus.  She documents her travels from early 2007 to the election hype of 2008, taking her all the way from Jordan and Israel to Seattle and Manhattan.  Along the way she witnessed a lot of “Jesus junk” but also found genuine communities living out the Gospel in small groups of broken individuals.

What I’m Reading: Jesus Died for This?

I’m currently reading Jesus Died for This? by Christian satirist Becky Garrison.  In this volume Garrison humorously takes a critical view of the foolish things we do in the name of Christ.  Not since the writings of Michael Spencer has the evangelical circus looked so ridiculous.  From souvenir shops in the Holy Land to product pushing publishers, Garrison begs the question “Is that what Jesus died for, to be hacked by vendors like a ball park hotdog?”  I expect to finish the book and publish a full review this weekend.

This Just In…

There are two things I never do; one is over react in a restaurant if my order isn’t right.  I rarely send anything back, and when I do it’s with a lot of respect for the kitchen staff and multiple apologies.  You should never act like a jerk to the people who are spitting in preparing your food.  The other thing I don’t do is complain about the postal service.  No matter how bad it gets, keep your mouth shut if you ever want to see your mail again.  It’s not like they have competition.

Becky Garrison’s new book Jesus Died for This? went on sale in August.  A batch of our local mail was misdirected, and just discovered this morning.  The postmark on what would have been my advanced copy was July 21.  I’m not bitter, I just bring it up to say this: I’m reading it now, and will post a review as soon as I’m able.  Keep in mind that Garrison is a satirist, not a theologian.  Her books combine hard-hitting journalism and good common sense with frequent LOL’s.  Read more about the book and author here, and perhaps purchase a copy for $14.99.  There is also an audio download and e-book available as well.  My review will be up in a few days.

I was introduced to Becky Garrison when I reviewed The New Atheist Crusaders and Their Unholy Grail for the Internet Monk.  You can read that review here.

There’s probably no God

“There’s probably no God.”  So billboards on buses will soon say in London, England.  The British Humanist Association (BHA) raised money to purchase the ad space, with a matching contribution from Richard Dawkins.  The entire slogan reads “There’s probably no God.  So stop worrying and enjoy your life.”  Read the full story here.  I must admit I’m surprised.

Richard Dawkins is one of the foremost leading voices for atheism alive today.  He is what Becky Garrison refers to as one of the New Atheists that is not just content to not believe in God, but has launched a war against all belief in God.   What surprises me is that Dawkins would settle for such a weak position.  “There’s probably no God” is not spoken with nearly the certainty with which Christians recite the Apostles’ Creed.  I’ve never sung a hymn nor heard a street preacher shout “There probably is a God.”  The slogan even allows the possibility the God may exist.  If all atheists were this soft, I probably wouldn’t give them such a hard time. 

*Click here  to read my review of Garrison’s book The New Atheists Crusaders, and their unholy grail.

The Biblical Exegesis of a Renowned Atheist

“Christians seldom realize that much of the moral consideration for others which is apparently promoted by both the Old and New Testaments, was originally intended to apply only to a narrow defined in-group. ‘Love thy neighbor’ didn’t mean what we now think it means. It meant only ‘Love another Jew.'” -Richard Dawkins

You see friends, what you have here is one of the world’s foremost anti-theists, what Becky Garrison describes in her book as “the new atheists.” Richard Dawkins not only believes there is no God, he thinks religious faith is dangerous and a threat to our society.