Jesus Died for This – Becky Garrison
Becky Garrison is a satirist, well known for her work on The Wittenburg Door, and more recently for writing books and articles that examine the state of the Evangelical and “Emerging” church on both sides of the pond.
Jesus Died for This is her latest offering, and although it is certainly funny in places and full of her biting wit, it isn’t satire but an account of her travels over a couple of years, which she recalls as something of a personal pilgrimage. What, she asks, is the state of the Church of the twenty-first century – and does it bear any resemblance to the values that Jesus put forward?
Her answers range through horrified, entertained, side-splittingly funny and poignant. Her own take on some big, famous expressions of church, and some more boutique and downplayed gems, is both personal and perceptive, shooting a few holes in the hype but also revealing some truly wonderful communities that seem to have caught the spirit of Jesus without believing in their own publicity.
It’s a good read and, as is often the case with personal stories, touches the parts that more academically complex theological accounts sometimes don’t reach. As Augustine figured out centuries ago, certain aspects of theology can be discussed theoretically but they are better communicated simply in the way the story is told.
Warmly recommended.
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Maggi has kept a blog since September 2003, writing about theology and faith, the arts and literature, and a little about life and random nonsense...
In an increasingly secularised society few people have a good working knowledge of the Bible. Yet a great deal of our culture is built on stories or ideas that come from the Bible. Literature, art, music, language and even the fabric of our society - such as our justice system - are built on Christian concepts and biblical references. The Writing on the Wall provides a fascinating introduction to the Bible's best-known, and most influential, stories. Each chapter gives some background to the text of the Bible, and shows how the stories have become enmeshed in Western culture. Adam and Eve, the ten plagues of Egypt, The Prodigal Son and Mary Magdalene all feature - along with how the Bible has influenced everyone from Shakespeare to Monty Python, and Caravaggio to Banksy. 
Giving It Up explores the Lenten idea of 'giving up', taking it beyond the traditional idea of simply abstaining from something, and suggesting instead that what we need to give up is our existing ideas about God. With a daily readings for each day of Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, it follows the heroes of the Bible who had to give up their own too-small ideas about God.
This is Maggi’s bestselling book of daily readings for each day of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Advent is the beginning of the Church year, and marks the anticipation of the coming Messiah. These readings explore how beginnings and endings in our own lives are illuminated by the different Gospel narratives of Christ's coming.
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Thanks for taking the time to read and reflect. I appreciate your insights and glad that I hit my targets without going too far.