Theology, Comedy, Politics

Theology, Comedy, Politics PDF Author: Marcus Pound
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506458351
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
What relevance has comedy for the global crises of late-modernity and the theological critique thereof? Coming out of the experience of war, a generation of modern theologians such as Donald MacKinnon, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and, more recently, Rowan Williams, in their accommodation to literature, choose tragedy as the paradigm for theological understanding and ethics. By contrast, this book develops recent philosophical, anthropological, and psychoanalytical studies of humor to develop a theology of comedy. By deconstructing secular accounts of comedy it advances the argument that comedy is not only participatory of the divine, but that it should inform our thinking about liturgical, sacramental, and ecclesial life if we are to respond to the postmodern age in which having fun is an ideological imperative of market forces.

Theology, Comedy, Politics

Theology, Comedy, Politics PDF Author: Marcus Pound
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506458351
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book Here

Book Description
What relevance has comedy for the global crises of late-modernity and the theological critique thereof? Coming out of the experience of war, a generation of modern theologians such as Donald MacKinnon, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and, more recently, Rowan Williams, in their accommodation to literature, choose tragedy as the paradigm for theological understanding and ethics. By contrast, this book develops recent philosophical, anthropological, and psychoanalytical studies of humor to develop a theology of comedy. By deconstructing secular accounts of comedy it advances the argument that comedy is not only participatory of the divine, but that it should inform our thinking about liturgical, sacramental, and ecclesial life if we are to respond to the postmodern age in which having fun is an ideological imperative of market forces.

Christianity and the Triumph of Humor

Christianity and the Triumph of Humor PDF Author: Bernard Schweizer
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9780367785338
Category : Christianity
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
This book traces the development of religious comedy and leverages that history to justify today's uses of religious humor in all of its manifestations, including irreverent jokes. It argues that regulating humor is futile and counterproductive, illustrating this point with a host of comedic examples. Humor is a powerful rhetorical tool for those who advocate and for those who satirize religious ideals. The book presents a compelling argument about the centrality of humor to the story of Western Christianity's cultural and artistic development since the Middle Ages, taking a multi-disciplinary approach that combines literary criticism, religious studies, philosophy, theology, and social science. After laying out the conceptual framework in Part 1, Part 2 analyzes key works of religious comedy across the ages from Dante to the present, and it samples the breadth of contemporary religious humor from Brad Stine to Robin Williams, and from Monty Python to South Park. Using critical, historical, and conceptual lenses, the book exposes and overturns past attempts by church authorities, scholars, and commentators to limit and control laughter based on religious, ideological, or moral criteria. This is a unique look into the role of humor and comedy around religion. It will, therefore, appeal to readers interested in multiple fields of inquiry, including religious studies, humor studies, the history of ideas, and comparative literature.

A Comedian's Guide to Theology

A Comedian's Guide to Theology PDF Author: Thor Ramsey
Publisher: Gospel Light Publications
ISBN: 9780830745302
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Thor Ramsey (hereafter known as the Jon Stewart of the theological world) defends the essentials of the Christian faith in this volume of comedy for the thinking person. Armed with only a laptop and a rapier wit, he defends the inspiration of the Bible ("all Scripture is inspired by God"—in other words, when you tell someone off, quote the Bible), the doctrine of total depravity (calling someone out for their sins is a tricky business, especially if you don't know how to operate a bullhorn), and the supremacy of Christ (or why Thor's God is bigger than your god), along with a host of other essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Packed with funny stories and hard-hitting truths, this comprehensive collection of biblical insights and personal anecdotes will surprise readers, destroy their misconceptions and leave them wanting more. For readers looking alternatives to the conversation of traditional faith, or those who have a taste for fearless (and hilarious) honesty, A Comedian's Guide to Theology will permanently change how we all look at Christianity—or at least offer a good-hearted shove out of the box (or back in the box, if that's where you need to be). "What a supreme pleasure to read a book that I find powerfully honest, theologically kapow dead-on, and incredibly and ACTUALLY funny funny funny funny! This book is so brilliantly funny and dead-on that if I weren't a very mature Christian I might be jealous." —Eric Metaxas, New York Times best-selling author of Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery, and former editor of The Yale Record.

How to Tell God from the Devil

How to Tell God from the Devil PDF Author: Arthur Roy Eckardt
Publisher: Transaction Publishers
ISBN: 9781412825573
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
How to Tell God From the Devil is the first book to depict the relationship among comedy, the Devil, and God. Drawing from Jewish and Christian theories, Eckardt describes comedy as a means to distinguish the divine from the diabolic. He presents a thorough critique of efforts throughout history to justify God in the presence of radical evil and suffering. How to Tell God From the Devil is a sequel to Eckardt's fascinating earlier study Sitting in the Earth and Laughing. Eckardt employs a variety of historical, psychological, sociological, philosophical, and theological sources. He discusses and assesses such diverse figures as Martin Luther, Reinhold Niebuhr, Zen Buddhists, Conrad Hyers, Nancy A. Walker, Jon D. Levenson, and Harvey Cox. How to Tell God From the Devil is an exceptional work, and will be significant and enjoyable for sociologists, theologians, philosophers, and specialists concerned with the study of humor.

What's So Funny About God?

What's So Funny About God? PDF Author: Steve Wilkens
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830855459
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
Jokes often touch on the biggest topics of our existence, but many Christians haven't taken humor seriously. This insightful yet delightful crash course from philosopher Steve Wilkens argues that viewing Scripture and theology through the lens of humor helps us understand the gospel and avoid the pitfalls of both naturalism and gnosticism, while facilitating a humble, honest, and appealing approach to faith.

Comedy and the Politics of Representation

Comedy and the Politics of Representation PDF Author: Helen Davies
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319905066
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
This edited collection explores the representations of identity in comedy and interrogates the ways in which “humorous” constructions of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, class and disability raise serious issues about privilege, agency and oppression in popular culture. Should there be limits to free speech when humour is aimed at marginalised social groups? What are the limits of free speech when comedy pokes fun at those who hold social power? Can taboo joking be used towards politically progressive ends? Can stereotypes be mocked through their re-invocation? Comedy and the Politics of Representation: Mocking the Weak breaks new theoretical ground by demonstrating how the way people are represented mediates the triadic relationship set up in comedy between teller, audience and butt of the joke. By bringing together a selection of essays from international scholars, this study unpacks and examines the dynamic role that humour plays in making and remaking identity and power relations in culture and society.

Comedy of Redemption

Comedy of Redemption PDF Author: Ralph Wood
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
ISBN: 9780268076542
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Jesus Returns

Jesus Returns PDF Author: John Messenger
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781520111438
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 524

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Book Description
In the year 2022 Jesus returns to Earth, in a parody of Biblical prophecy. But this comical satire of modern life is nothing like the book of Revelation describes. Jesus is horrified by what we have done to our world. So, instead of damning everyone to Hell, he confronts the individuals responsible for the destruction of the planet. Exposing the corruption of political, economic, and social institutions; he travels the globe, forgiving religious leaders, heads of state, titans of industry, and banking oligarchs on his quest to bring unity to mankind. Healing the sick, feeding the homeless, and giving people hope for a better future, while meeting people from all walks of life, Jesus lays out plans for what the new world he envisions will look like, setting right all that is wrong along the way. A fast paced, intense look, at the problems that face our world in the beginning of the twenty-first century; Jesus Returns gives us hope that the better world we want to create is still possible, as many millions join him on his revolutionary journey. By the end of this book, you'll want to go back and relive the adventure again.

The Comedy of Redemption

The Comedy of Redemption PDF Author: Ralph C. Wood
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Balancing theology with literary criticism, this work explores the comic vision in the works of four American novelists, Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, John Updike and Peter De Vries.

The Edict of Religion

The Edict of Religion PDF Author: Karl Friedrich Bahrdt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
Wider attention to Carl Friedrich Bahrdt should revise the standard picture of eighteenth-century Germany. German writers were often reported to be apolitical. Historians often claim that the Germans developed a more radical politics in response to the French Revolution. A commonly held stereotype depicts the Germans as having no sense of humor. Bahrdt's 1788 play The Edict of Religion, a ribald work of satire that attacks the tyranny and hypocrisy of the Prussian authorities, shatters these assumptions. The Edict of Religion is chiefly important in the history of ideas because it called for religious freedom, intellectual freedom, and freedom of the press before the French Revolution focused attention on human rights. Upon its publication, however, Bahrdt confronted the quasi-military discipline of the Prussian state that he denounced. He was tried and imprisoned--but could not be silenced. In The Story and Diary of My Imprisonment, also in this volume (and, like The Edict of Religion, here in English for the first time), Bahrdt holds the authorities up to ridicule and defends himself as an innocent victim.