Author: Terry Lindvall File Type: epub In God Mocks, Terry Lindvall ventures into the muddy and dangerous realm of religious satire, chronicling its evolution from the biblical wit and humor of the Hebrew prophets through the Roman Era and the Middle Ages all the way up to the present. He takes the reader on a journey through the work of Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales, Cervantes, Jonathan Swift, and Mark Twain, and ending with the mediated entertainment of modern wags like Stephen Colbert.Lindvall finds that there is a method to the madness of these mockers true satire, he argues, is at its heart moral outrage expressed in laughter. But there are remarkable differences in how these religious satirists express their outrage.The changing costumes of religious satirists fit their times. The earthy coarse language of Martin Luther and Sir Thomas More during the carnival spirit of the late medieval period was refined with the enlightened wit of Alexander Pope. The sacrilege of Monty Python does not translate well to the ironic voices of Soren Kierkegaard. The religious satirist does not even need to be part of the community of faith. All he needs is an eye and ear for the folly and chicanery of religious poseurs.To follow the paths of the satirist, writes Lindvall, is to encounter the odd and peculiar treasures who are Gods mouthpieces. In God Mocks, he offers an engaging look at their religious use of humor toward moral ends.**ReviewThis is an excellent overview and introduction to numerous authors of religious satire...will appeal to readers of literary criticism and church history buffs seeking a unique perspective.-Library Journal From Balaams ass to Erasmus to Kierkegaard to The Onion, Lindvall finds redemption in satires impulse to make us better human beings.-The Christian Century Lindvall provides a comedic...analysis of the role of satire in religious life across the ages. Lindvall makes the case that satire has been part of religious observances from the outset.-Publishers Weekly God Mocksis a catalogue of hundreds of years of religious satire, parody, caricature, commentary, and mockery and most importantly, the differencebetween each and why some are more effective than others all intended to comment on the influence and practices of various religion orders and organizations over the centuries.-San Francisco Book Review Terry Lindvall, a stand-up comedian cleverly disguised as an academic, makes the difficult art of humor look easy withGod Mocks.-Virginia-Pilot This is a godsend for those interested in the role of humor in Christianity. It is remarkably comprehensive and detailed without being pedantic. Lindvalls writing sparkles with the same wit he is chronicling, making this book a delight to read.-John Morreall,author of Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion Terry Lindvalls lively and witty prose is perfect for God Mocks, an engaging and fascinating history of the unexpectedly comical ways that prophets and preachers, artists and writers have exposed the sins and foibles of the saints across the ages. This broad and creative study cleverly probes the lighter side of human depravity to reveal how much satirical discourse has always been vital to the redemptive (and oft times entertaining) task of prophetic consciousness raising. A delightful, thoroughly researched, and perceptive contribution to understanding religious communication.-William D. Romanowski,author of Reforming Hollywood How American Protestants Fought for Freedom at the Movies God Mocksleads readers through the comic savagery that believers have perfected over the centuries...Lindvalls book unfurls a delightfully variegated tapestry.-Christianity Today God Mocksshould be required reading for all ministers and religious bloggers that regularly speak or write with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.-Patheos I read Lindvalls book with great appreciation and learned a lot. It contained so much more than I expected, a virtual history of religious mockery, which no one has attempted before. It is a significant contribution to religious and cultural studies. Beside that, it is a just plain good read.-Harvey Cox,Hollis Research Professor of Divinity, Harvard University ****About the AuthorTerry Lindvall is C. S. Lewis Chair of Communication and Christian Thought at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Virginia. Previously he taught at Duke Universitys Divinity School and was the Walter Mason Fellow of Religious Studies at The College of William and Mary. He is the former president of Regent University, where he was professor of film and communication and the arts and held the Distinguished Chair of Visual Communication. He is the author of Surprised by Laughter The Comic World of C.S. LewisThe Mother of All Laughter Sarah and the Genesis of Comedyand The Silents of God Selected Issues and Documents in Silent American Film and Religion, 1908-1926, among other works. **

Author: Susan Schneider File Type: epub Featuring numerous updates and enhancements, Science Fiction and Philosophy, 2nd Edition, presents a collection of readings that utilize concepts developed from science fiction to explore a variety of classic and contemporary philosophical issues. ullUses science fiction to address a series of classic and contemporary philosophical issues, including many raised by recent scientific developmentsllExplores questions relating to transhumanism, brain enhancement, time travel, the nature of the self, and the ethics of artificial intelligencellFeatures numerous updates to the popular and highly acclaimed first edition, including new chapters addressing the cutting-edge topic of the technological singularityllDraws on a broad range of science fictions more familiar novels, films, and TV series, including I, Robot, The Hunger Games, The Matrix, Star Trek, Blade Runner, and Brave New WorldllProvides a gateway into classic philosophical puzzles and topics informed by the latest technologylul**