Evangellyfish
I’m currently reading this online book called “Evangellyfish” here: http://evangellyfish.com/
I got onto this book because it was reviewed in the briefing this month. Good review.
This is a fantastic read so far. Very funny. It’s a satire of evangelicals in the mid-west bible belt of America. The author, Douglas Wilson, has previously written and published 30 books but no publisher wanted to take this one because it cut a little close to the bone… So far it’s taken a dig at most pentecostal and independent U.S. mega churches, and seeing as I’m not a member of those churches (or necessarily a fan either) I find it very funny.
But of course when you laugh at these types of satires you always end up laughing at yourself. The chapter on youth ministry (chapter VII “those darn back rubs”) is a classic. That alone is worth a read.
Anyway, because each chapter of the book is posted as a blog, the chapters come up in reverse order, and because I’m not much for reading online I cut and pasted the text into a word doc, pdf-ed it and printed it off to read this long weekend out in Wellington (NSW). [Incidentally, if you want the pdf copy just email me. I figured I shouldn't upload it to the net without asking the author first... I'll flick him an email...]
BTW, I’m writing this on Maccas free WiFi at Wellington. Hazaar!
June 11th, 2009 at 12:42 am
So I read it over the long weekend.
Not a bad read. I thought it was funny in part, and there was some good satire, and it was pretty enjoyable, but it’s not the greatest christian satire ever written, which is kind of what I was hoping it to be… i think I had high expectations of this book, and probably higher expectations than what this book even promised to deliver, so I think I came in too keen…
However, it’s worth a read and it did even have me laughing with tears at certain points, and it’s free! So why not.
June 19th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I just finished reading it. I had a good time. Not brilliant but good. I think it could be the best Christian satire I’ve ever read, at least that was written by a Christian. But that’s not really saying much, because there isn’t a lot of Christian satire out there and what is out there is to busy trying not offend people that it loses any effectivness it may have had in being satirical.
But that does lead me to ask, have you read better Christian satire? Because that I would like to read.
June 19th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Teh closest thing to other Christian satire that i have read would be the Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis…
that is a great read!
June 25th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Yes. That is good.
February 9th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
I just finished reading Evanjellyfish and really enjoyed it. A good Christian Satire I like is http://blog.beliefnet.com/stuffchristianculturelikes/
I realise this is going to end up somewhere in the archives but i am hoping you will recieve an email ntification, and if you are anything like most of the bloggers I know you will be on to it in a flash.
Cheers