are you ready?

I mean, come on!  How could you not pick this cute little thing up and hug it and take it right home?  Even though your friend (the other one, the one that’s a real person whose house you are standing in) hasn’t cracked the cover yet?  Sorry, cheerfully snarky books with fabulous covers…well, I can’t be held responsible for terrific breaches of etiquette in such cases.

And this book is as funny as it’s premise: a liberal, secular Jew from New York City decided to spend a year immersing himself in Christian pop culture. Along the way he meets Bibleman, attends a Christian wrestling event, a Christian rave, and volunteers as an extra in the Great Passion Play. Funniest of all, though, is the section where he “interviews” Stephen Baldwin using quotes from his memoir (just stop for a second there; let’s be clear? Stephen Baldwin has a memoir published and YOU DON’T. How did that happen?). He’s forced to do the interview in this way because Stephen ditched on the real interview. Not a good move. I snorted through those 5 pages. Then I went back and read them out loud to Bryan. And snorted all over again. In short, it was everything I expected; someone who really has no reason to be kind looking at a culture that is in many ways, cheaply imitative and completely ridiculous. And which has almost nothing to do with the faith it claims to represent.

What was nice, though (aside from the snorting) were the things I did not expect. Like how much of the face of evangelicalism in America might feel as it comes across to someone of a Jewish background. And, that a person with such a background would actually take a genuine interest in this subject.  He talks – and he listens. It would be so very easy for Daniel Radosh to just make fun – SO VERY EASY – and he does, but he also really has conversations with lots of people.  Enough so that he finds some out there who are interesting, and thoughtful, and authentically trying to live a life of faith.

Amazing thought, isn’t it? That someone on one side of a religious line would really try to hear someone on the other side, and be willing to concede that some of his assumptions may be wrong? It goes without saying that evangelical Christians aren’t exactly known for their openness and willingness to hear the other side. I may not agree with every conclusion Radosh comes to, but his example in this one thing is something I will hang onto for a long time.

Plus, did I mention the part with Stephen Baldwin?