Customer Reviews

A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Larknews is the best thing to come from Christianity since ...well, salvation. This book sprinkles some of the best news articles from Larknews in with a wonderfully hilarious introduction to Evangelical Christianity for those hell-bound sinners that dont have giant Thomas Kincaid paintings adorning walls in every room of their house.

I may not be an evangelical myself any longer [having moved on to one of those liturgical 'religious' churches] but I spent enough sundays sitting in the padded pews of a smiley happy mega church to know that this book is spot on. If you have a good sense of humor this is definitely a book for you.

If Saturday Night Live was organized by a bunch of Christians, this is what is would be like. Kilpatrick brings raw satire to a Christian format that makes for some great laughs and insights into Evangelical behaivor. If you're a Christian with a good sense of humer, this book is for you.

Kilpatrick has an amazing wit. "Jesus is coming back - probably tomorrow." The Rapture as ultimate "I Told You So." The author both celebrates and pokes fun at pop culture. From Sponge-Bob-Square-Pants to Marilyn Manson (who even the devil himself seems to fear), Kilpatrick presents life in all its beautiful, unseemly, squirmy glory, through the super-sizing lens of Evangelicalism. In "Field Guide," Evangelicalism appears less a religious stance and rather more a collection of forgivable, if pesky, cultural-biases. If Evangelical speculations that Pat and Debbie Boon will be playing in heaven, AC/DC in hell, leave you entertaining sympathy for the devil, you're perhaps getting the author's key message: An overemphasis on worldly "trappings" (Christian-paraphernalia, right-wing political-party affiliation) that attend a supposed commitment to following Jesus, misses the point. The religious life is far simpler, yet endlessly more challenging: treat the guy standing next to you in line at the supermarket the way you'd like to be treated.

Having grown up in the church and attended a Christian college, it's scary how right on Kilpatrick is in his field guide. I laughed out loud several times in recognition, and shook my head in embarassment as I noted truths about myself and friends of mine. This is a must-read if you are an evangelical with a sense of humor.

If you look at life differently than most people and see humor where others see sacred cows you'll dig this book. If you're an evangelical, reading this book is like seeing yourself on video for the first time -- you'll realize you're not as attractive as you thought. Even so, you'll find yourself laughing way too much and you might even shed a tear and determine to change the way you go about living out your faith. I highly recommend this book, as it is challenging and funny.

Joel Klpatrick's book, "A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat" sounded funny, but upon reading it I realized I was wrong, it was hilarious. I tried to read a segment to my husband, but I was laughing so hard he couldn't understand what I was saying! I just loved the bluntness and the God's honest truth about us evangelicals. Hopefully we'll live this one down. If you want a truly funny and different angle, you'll love this book!

Joel Kilpatrick is hilarious. This book guts the subculture of evangelicalism in America, and then picks it apart with irreverent, though never disrespectful, insights. Loved it!

This is a great book for many Christians, who are otherwise too smart to be sucked into the "Evangelical World", which usually consists of Southern Baptist, Assembly of God, and non-denomination churches (charasmatic and non-charasmatic). I for one, cannot stand the tacky, wholesome, bland, middle-class, White Christian culture that seems to permeate most of suburban America.

I think another book needs to be made called "A Field Guide to Fundamentalists and their Habitat". The true fundamentalists are usually from "Independent Baptist" churches and shun women wearing pants, people wearing shorts, contemporary Christian music, and reading Bible's other than the King James version

I bought this book on the recommendation of a few who are malcontent with the evangelical life. I thought it was definitely a good laugh, but if you are evangelical, be prepared to laugh at yourself and not get offended! Though mostly accurate, there were some definite dated things...such as I doubt many evangelical teen girls have Michael W. Smith posters on their walls anymore...a whole new slew of Christian music talent has overthrown the exclusivity of one act. Otherwise, it's a quick easy read.

Funny, funny, funny. Mr. Kilpatrick corrals all the sacred cows of the evangelical church, then lights a barbecue. Very well written, and did I mention that it's funny?