Lots of helpful tips and tricks for upholding Christian appearances.

This book is satire!

3.5 Stars ( )

The articles on the Babylon Bee website are biting, satirical and uniformly funny. It really is a highly targeted Onion and unlike the other imitators, this one is the equal. I bring that up in this book review because this book is more of a parody of a Christian self-help book than the satire of the site. Because it is different, it can be a little off-putting if one is expecting the same format as the website.

Judging it on its own merits, the book is highly successful at what it is trying to do, which is expose the perceived excesses of American Christianity. It is successful, but not particularly funny, humorous in places (particularly footnotes) but never funny. Perhaps for a topic that is ultimately very serious for the authors, being super jokey was not an option.

Definitely will not convince people who are not Christians, but it wasn't written for them. Should provide some convicting moments for those who are. ( )

I've been following The Babylon Bee on Facebook for a couple of years and was interested in what their book would be like. They are a group that puts out satirical articles poking fun at cultural Christianity. For "How to Be a Perfect Christian: Your Comprehensive Guide to Flawless Spiritual Living," some authors got together, and now they have a whole book that does basically the same thing in a how-to type format. The whole book is meant to be read as satire. It pokes fun at all of the ways our culture has made Christianity into a hip, me-centered universe that does and says all the right things to fit in. Heaven forbid we actually make it all about the Gospel and stop judging someone on what version of the Bible they read. Which, in the end, is their whole point—that no one can be a perfect Christian and that's why we need Christ.

This book was at times super relatable, so much so that it was scary. I found myself laughing out loud, nodding my head because something was all too true, and cringing. I think this book is geared towards my generation, as I appreciated the DC Talk, fish bumper sticker references. I also related a lot because I went to a Bible college with a lot of rules. Many of the rules we had to follow were in this book, down to what Bible we had to use. I think those who do not enjoy satire or don't have this kind of sense of humor might get offended. But it is clear that The Babylon Bee does it all in love and I found it to be a quick, fun read!

Content: This is a clean read.

Rating: I give this book 4 stars

Genre: Christian Non-fiction

I want to thank WaterBrook and Multnomah Launch Team, Multnomah and The Babylon Bee for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255. ( )

Title: How to be a Perfect Christian
Author: Adam Ford and Kyle Mann (The Babylon Bee)
Pages: 200 Format: book
Year: 2018
Publisher: Multnomah
My rating is 5.
Guest review by Cleve Johnson
If you enjoy satire and clean humor, then How to be a Perfect Christian is the book for you. I have seen the humorous articles posted by the Babylon Bee on Facebook, and when I found out that the same brand of satirical writing was available in a book, I had to read it. I loved the wit displayed throughout each chapter as each one focused on different aspects of achieving Christian perfection. Of course, there is a point behind each point covered as the writers poke fun at some of the traditions and activities that Christians participate in as well as how many of us appear to those within and outside the Church. As I read, my mind rushed to memories of my earlier days trying to please God through talking the talk and walking the walk before I discovered the difference between religion and biblical Christianity.
Topics covered in How to be a Perfect Christian include joining the “right” church, worshipping like a pro, serving without lifting a finger, conforming to mainstream beliefs, looking spiritual through online media, and several other “essential” methods of attaining Christian perfection. Also, each chapter starts out with a quote (probably more of a loose—very loose—paraphrase) by famous people such as C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaefer, even the Apostle Paul among others. Just remember that this book is written in jest. It should not be considered a manual for true spiritual living just as Orwell’s 1984 was not meant to be a manual for the government’s policies, but Capitol Hill must not have received the memo.
I highly recommend this book as it made me laugh like I have not laughed in a long time. If you need to find something to take your mind off all the heartache and nastiness that permeates the news and want to take a look at the lighter side of Christianity, this book is for you. If you take life (and yourself) too seriously, you might not enjoy it, but give it a chance. You might just find out that people of faith can have a sense of humor without God striking them down.
Note: I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/. Also follow me on Twitter@lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457 ( )

I'd never heard of The Babylon Bee until a little earlier this year, and I had no particular inclination to read How to Be a Perfect Christian: Your Comprehensive Guide to Flawless Spiritual Living. As much as I like to laugh, I'm not one who goes out of my way looking for satire.

But when the publisher unexpectedly sent me a copy, I figured, hey, why not take a look?

And, then, the book got me within the first few pages, letting me know how Christian culture can lead me to be "transformed day by day into the radiant image of the modern American Jesus."

Hello. Sounds like a goal. Especially if He's the Son of a Father "who sits on a cloud somewhere...and is suspicious of non-Americans and people with brown skin."

Uh huh.

Now, do I totally agree with the attitude of the Bee at every point in this comprehensive guide? Nah. I think some of the Bee's blanket jokes might overlook how issues like manipulation and abuse are very real problems in too many churches (what's making folks feel horrible at church isn't always holy conviction), and for a lot of people, matters of social justice aren't merely "politics," or concepts to debate. They're real matters of life and death.

Still, I doubt the point of a book like this is to make you agree with all of it. Satire is supposed to make you think. Sometimes humor that's unafraid to tackle what others are reluctant to speak up about can help you take a serious second look at something in life or society (or Christian culture) that's backward or off. Not to simply laugh about it, or not to only be offended, but to really stop and think about it.

If you don't seriously think, you can't seriously grow.

Make no mistake, though. I did heartily crack up while reading this thing. And the conclusion is, well, beautiful, I must say.
________
WaterBrook & Multnomah provided me with a complimentary copy of this book, for which I've given an honest review. ( )