A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Evangelical Christians in America now number 70 million people, and they are populating at an estimated rate of 3.2 children per family..." (more)
Key Phrases: evangelical church service, evangelical children, evangelical education, United States, Song of Solomon, The Act of Marriage (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kilpatrick, founder of the religion satire site Larknews.com, has written a mildly entertaining, if also slightly snarky, introduction to American evangelicalism. First, he claims evangelicals think most people—the New York Times staff, divorce lawyers and all Muslims and Buddhists—will go to hell. Evangelicals themselves, of course, will go to heaven, "the ultimate gated community." It can be hard to spot evangelicals out and about, though they are likely to patronize businesses with biblical names, like Last Days Auto Repair, and they often carry cell phones that ring hymn tunes. Evangelicals also favor certain décor: Thomas Kinkade paintings, Precious Moments figurines and art with biblical quotations. If you wish to actually visit an evangelical church, look for an organization that sounds more like a rehab center than a house of worship: if the building down the block is called Grace Community or Hope Fellowship, odds are it's an evangelical church. There are, to be sure, some chuckles to be had here. "The Legend of the Sand Dollar," a takeoff on cheesy evangelical poems, is very clever, and the chapter on evangelical education offers an amusing look at both home-schooling and Christian colleges. But on the whole, the jokes are a tad too predictable. (Mar.)
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Review

"Entertaining reading for those not afraid to laugh about religion or themselves." (Grand Rapids Press )

"Joel Kilpatrick has been making Christians laugh and cry for years. His latest book will continue to do just that." (Relevant Magazine )

"Kilpatrick is probably the funniest voice in the evangelical world today." (Dean Batali, executive producer, That '70s Show and writer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; illustrated edition edition (March 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060836962
• ISBN-13: 978-0060836962
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #286,204 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Satire of Evangelical Christianity., March 27, 2006

By	Non-Redneck in a Redneck State (Houston, Texas, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This has got to be one of the funniest books I have read in a long time.

Joel Kilpatrick explains evangelical beliefs and lifestyles in a way that is just plain hilarious. His book is one of those things that's funny because it's true. He writes with just enough humor, sarcasm, and in some cases, irreverence, to make it a good parody as well as a veiled critique of some parts of evangelical attitudes.

As a former evangelical (still Christian though), I can state that at least 99% of what he writes is true! From the mega-churches to Wal-Mart to the evangelical dad tipping 5% at a restaurant. No part of the evangelical lifestyle is left untouched or unparodied.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hahaha, March 24, 2006

By	raven - See all my reviews

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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christian Saturday Night Live, March 28, 2006

By	Elizabeth Perez - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.