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Finding Fun in Faith

Joel Kilpatrick, creator of www.LarkNews.com has made the move from online satire to print with A Field Guide to Evangelicals & Their Habitat. This compendium of Christian quirks pokes lighthearted fun at the subset of Americans highlighted in the title. The book includes tips on how to identify Evangelicals, what you can expect to find in an Evangelical church and helpful advice on "How to Talk and Act Like an Evangelical Without Being One." The book even includes frank fare on "Evangelical Mating Habits" that includes excerpts from Tim and Beverly LaHaye's best-seller The Act of Marriage and the Bible that are definitely meant for adult viewing only. Sprinkled liberally with "clippings" and sidebars from Lark News, the Field Guide is a humorous romp through the things that make us a "peculiar" people – and not in the Biblical sense of the word.

Among the chapters worth reading are:

· What Evangelicals Believe, Plus a Master List of Who Is Going to Hell

· Identifying Evangelicals in the Field

· Planning Your Field Trip to an Evangelical Church

· Decorating Like an Evangelical

· Partying Like an Evangelical

There is also a helpful glossary of Evangelical words and phrases such as:

Frozen Chosen: A humorous term Christians use to describe apathetic congregations. (167)

"Should The Lord Tarry:" Phrase used to remind other evangelicals that all plans are subject to the sudden occurrence of the Second Coming. (169)

The Field Guide is a lighthearted look at a serious subject – the degree to which and the manner in which we distance ourselves from the surrounding culture. As Evangelical insiders we find Kilpatrick's approach amusing but behind the laughter lies the real question – is this what Jesus intended for us to become? As we engage in the Culture War (a decidedly non-biblical concept since we are called to win souls, not cultures), we need to ask, "What if we win?" What will we have accomplished if we convert the entire culture into an Evangelical Paradise where everyone reads Focus on the Family and follows Dr. Dobson's advice? Do we really want a culture created in the image we see in the Field Guide?

Fortunately, the casual reader is never invited to indulge these questions in the book. Instead they creep in later when least expected. Above all else, the book is fun and the seriousness comes of its own accord from outside the pages of the Field Guide. Kilpatrick is never preachy or moralistic. In fact the book is entirely free of any sharp criticism or finger-pointing, never losing its lighthearted appeal. Garbed in friendly fun, the real lessons come upon reflection about whether what is true of Evangelicals ought to be true of Evangelicals.

One of the most poignant revelations of the book is how close it comes to hitting home on more occasions than I care to mention. I found far too many similarities between myself and the Evangelicals described in the book. While I personally eschew bumper stickers and Christian logo items, it became increasingly clear as I read the Field Guide that I am easy to spot as an Evangelical. I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it is more than a little disturbing to see how well I fit into a cultural stereotype. I don't mind being an Evangelical, but it feels odd to fit so neatly into a descriptive box – a comfortable box, I might add. His descriptions of our church services, home décor and party habits were uncannily accurate. Instead of letting it bother me, though, I laughed and went on. I would recommend you do the same. Pick up the book, read it through and enjoy the insider-outsider portrait that Kilpatrick paints of us. If you think maybe we can improve our image a little, then perhaps Kilpatrick has done the satirist's job of making delicious steak out of some sacred cows.

by Rick Presley