The Mantra of Jabez: A Christian Parody [Paperback]

Douglas M. Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2001

Bruce Wilkinson's best-selling book, The Prayer of Jabez, is so popular with Evangelicals it just had to be bad. Wilkinson told us to be "gimpers" for God; Jones shows us how to be kippers for God. In this parody the conservative Christian author allows humor to reveal the more ridiculous assumptions driving the original book. Each chapter of the original is turned inside out so that we can really see what's being said. Though the parody is rather ruthless in its humor, it is not hopelessly cynical just for the sake of mockery. It points to a more constructive vision, a vision of Christianity's inherent riches of truth, beauty, and goodness that the original Jabez book passively trivializes. Get this parody for the laughs; get it for something greater.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is the most profound parody since, since . . . okay, I never read a parody. -- Rene Descartes

“I like my father because he makes me.” -- Eric Jones

“The Mantra of Jabez made me happy to be an American.” -- Martin Bucer

About the Author

Douglas M. Jones is a fellow of philosophy at New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho and senior editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine. He is co-author of Angels in the Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 60 pages
• Publisher: Canon Press (June 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885767889
• ISBN-13: 978-1885767882
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,563,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good parody, terrific critique, November 24, 2003

By 

Joshua M. Clark (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mantra of Jabez: A Christian Parody (Paperback)

I believe the best thing about Doug Jones' work here is not the hilarity of his parody, but the soundness of his critique. Having read Prayer of Jabez a while back, a lot of the more pointed jabs elicited guffaws from me. The satire really is good. But what I really liked about this book - particularly in contrast with Nathan Wilson's parody, Right Behind - is that Mr. Jones really showed quite powerfully exactly what was wrong with Wilkinson's position, and I thought he offered a brief but substantial explanation throughout of better ways to view things. He wasn't just making fun of the book; he was also offering a replacement.

So in short: good parody, but the critique of modern evangelicalism was the real gem. Gives a short, concise summary of some of the problems in the church today, and offers a glimpse of some of the solutions. Swell book.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, November 26, 2001

By 

Luke Sneeringer (College Station, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mantra of Jabez: A Christian Parody (Paperback)

I bought this book on Friday (it's Monday) and received it today. I read it in about 20 minutes, and my neck hurt because I was laughing so hard. The author is RIGHT ON about the Prayer of Jabez and all its reprocussions. I especially loved the bit about gnosticism.

If you're evangelical and want all the problems with Jabez pointed out to you (e.g. you want to know the truth), purcahse this book.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars hilarious with some striking bits for thought, December 22, 2002

By 

"scbroesamle" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mantra of Jabez: A Christian Parody (Paperback)

This was refreshing. I thought the original book assumed a lot that isn't necessarily true, even abusing some people's desire for earnest faith, and this book underscored that. The author boils it down to "immaturity", which is both funny and true.

Not to be taken too seriously, of course - they do warn the reader of this on the back cover: "This is a parody, for Pete's sake!" - and I enjoyed it. They refer too much to "Right Behind" (the sister parody book), so it's kind of over the top. And they don't nail every obvious theological aspect that I had thought important. But the section lampooning the "airplane" personal example had some very pointed thoughts about how we view life and other people, which I found unexpectedly worth the whole book. Worth your three bucks!