Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church: Eyewitness Accounts of How American Churches are Hijacking Jesus, Bagging the Beatitudes, and Worshipping the Almighty Dollar [Hardcover]

Becky Garrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0787983136 | ISBN-13: 978-0787983130 | Edition: 1

A master of satire with a theological black belt, Becky Garrison shines a bright light on hypocrisy from both sides of the political spectrum, exposing how both red and blue Christians hold hostage the teachings of Jesus in service to their own partisan gain.  What’s lacking is a true understanding of Christ’s mandate to love all of humanity—including our enemies—which, if honored, would open the door to honest dialogue and understanding that transcends political labels.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. No Christian faction, not liberals, mainliners, evangelicals or fundamentalists, escapes the smarty-pants treatment from this senior contributing editor of the religious satire publication, The Wittenburg Door. Garrison assumes a gentle "above it all" attitude, redirecting the church's attention to the Beatitudes and to Jesus' "great commandment" (to love God first and love others as ourselves). She also argues for renewed separation of church and state, noting Jesus' tendency to serve "as a prophetic voice to proclaim the Word of God without being a pawn of the Roman government." Garrison is especially tough on those who publicly claim to have God on their side. "Given that my last name ain't Falwell, Robertson, or LaHaye, I can't claim to speak for Christ," she states. But don't for a moment think Garrison blames all of life's problems on the religious right. She's blessed with the ability to observe, cringe at and poke fun at anyone who insists on a "correct Christian response" to complex social and political matters. If you like the Door's approach to the lighter side of Christian culture, or if you just need a good laugh after reading too many serious religion books, it doesn't get much better than this. (Apr. 28)
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Review

No Christian faction, not liberals, mainliners, evangelicals or fundamentalists, escapes the smarty-pants treatment from this senior contributing editor of the religious satire publication, The Wittenburg Door. Garrison assumes a gentle "above it all" attitude, redirecting the church's attention to the Beatitudes and to Jesus' "great commandment" (to love God first and love others as ourselves). She also argues for renewed separation of church and state, noting Jesus' tendency to serve "as a prophetic voice to proclaim the Word of God without being a pawn of the Roman government." Garrison is especially tough on those who publicly claim to have God on their side. "Given that my last name ain't Falwell, Robertson, or LaHaye, I can't claim to speak for Christ," she states. But don't for a moment think Garrison blames all of life's problems on the religious right. She's blessed with the ability to observe, cringe at and poke fun at anyone who insists on a "correct Christian response" to complex social and political matters. If you like the Door's approach to the lighter side of Christian culture, or if you just need a good laugh after reading too many serious religion books, it doesn't get much better than this. (Apr. 28) (Publishers Weekly, February 13, 2006)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (April 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787983136
• ISBN-13: 978-0787983130
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,485,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

On the same day that Princess Di was brought into this world tiara in hand, this Yankee gal with an accent befitting a Southern debutante was born breech first. Ever since my upside down birth, I have always viewed life from a unique perspective. "Becky, only you see it that way" is a frequent comment made by friends and relatives alike. I began writing for The Wittenburg Door in 1994 and am currently a panelist for Washington Post's On Faith blog. My additional writing credits include work for The Guardian, Killing the Buddha, Geez, The Revealer and Religion Dispatches.

The first video highlighted on my Amazon author site came from the documentary The Ordinary Radicals (wwww.theordinaryradicals.com); the second and third videos are from http://www.altervideomagazine.com (props to Travis Reed); and the fourth is from the documentary Nailin' it to the Church (http://www.nailinittothechurch.com)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wake up christians!, May 8, 2006

By 

da man (DC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church: Eyewitness Accounts of How American Churches are Hijacking Jesus, Bagging the Beatitudes, and Worshipping the Almighty Dollar (Hardcover)

As a moderately conservative Christian, I was expecting this book to be more bashing than insightful.

I was wrong - this book should resonate with any true Christian concerned with the politicization of the church. While we may not agree on many subjects, I too have been deeply disturbed by how much hatred has crept into the daily religious experience and think this book does an excellent job walking through numerous, specific examples in a light-hearted and insightful way.

Christians take heed - we have lost our way and need leaders that are more spiritual than political. This book is a good step in the right direction.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking and very, very funny!, June 13, 2006

By 

R. Lopez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church: Eyewitness Accounts of How American Churches are Hijacking Jesus, Bagging the Beatitudes, and Worshipping the Almighty Dollar (Hardcover)

Like all memorable satire, Ms. Garrison's book has something to offend everyone and something to make us all take another look at what we thought we believed. In a series of essays that invoke the spirit of Monty Python and George Carlin, she tackles those two subjects your mother told you not to bring up at dinner parties--religion and politics--with fearlessness, insight and, above all, great love and good humor. The fact that this book has stirred up such controversy shows that she has hit more than one nerve in doing so. But those nerves needed to be hit!

Read this book. Laugh at it, argue with it, call your friends to debate it. One thing I can promise you, though: you won't be bored by it!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Takes no prisoners, right or left!, June 13, 2006

By 

E. J. Guldi "Inscape" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church: Eyewitness Accounts of How American Churches are Hijacking Jesus, Bagging the Beatitudes, and Worshipping the Almighty Dollar (Hardcover)

Ms. Garrison's thesis is that warring red and blue politics have left the American sense of community black and blue. The Kingdom of Heaven, reflected in that beloved community, escapes the politics of parties, and cries out for individuals of faith to recognize each others' calling.

Few writers today have had the wide experience of all sides of American religion as those at the Wittenburg Door, a magazine that has the rare quality of being equally funny to the fundamentalist, evangelical, mainline, or radical who is able to laugh at herself.

Avoid this book if you don't have a sense of humor or if you maintain the conviction that you are your own personal savior. For everyone else, read the book with the expectation of enjoyment and rare insight into both sides of American religion.