God Laughs & Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist RightIn this multiple award-winning and bestselling diagnosis of the contemporary American spirit, David James Duncan suggests that the de facto political party embodied by the so-called Christian Right has turned worship into a self-righteous betrayal of the words and example of the very Jesus it claims to praise. In a bracing and often hilarious response to this trend, God Laughs & Plays offers churchless sermons, stories, memoir, conversations, and cosmological reflections that scorn riches and embrace the poor; bless peacemakers, not war-makers; celebrate creation, diversity, empathy, playfulness and beauty; and insist that Divine Mystery is indeed mysterious and compassion is literally compassionate. The spiritual kingdom described by Jesus, this unusual book reminds us, is located not in the Sky or beyond a disastrous future, but within us, to be sought and embodied in the here and now. |
Contents
| ix | |
| xiii | |
Wonder Yogi Gladly | 5 |
Unsaying the Word God | 17 |
What Fundamentalists Need for Their Salvation | 33 |
When Compassion Becomes Dissent | 57 |
Ashes Dirt | 77 |
Christian Matters I | 89 |
DeboreHA | 139 |
Romeo Shows Jamey the Door | 149 |
Are Salmon Holy? | 163 |
Christian Matters II | 171 |
The Only Son | 185 |
Nonfiction vs Fiction vs Cosmic Illusion | 189 |
Assailed | 199 |
Authors Acknowledgments | 229 |
Other editions - View all
God Laughs & Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the ... David James Duncan No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
American animal asked beautiful become began believe Bible body Bush cause Christian church claim created dark death dirt divine don't earth example existence experience eyes face fact faith feel felt fiction fields fish Francis fundamentalists give hand hear heart holy hope human imaginative instance it's Jamey Jesus John keep kind Laughs less light literally literature living look matter means mind mother moved mystery mystic nature never nonfiction person physical Plays political prayer reason religion remain rivers Romeo salmon seems seen sense speak spheres spiritual stand story talk tell things thought thousand told tree trout true truth trying turn vast wild wilderness wonder words writing
Popular passages
Page 3 - It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Page xx - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
Page xiii - The question before the human race is, whether the God of Nature shall govern the •world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles...
Bibliographic information
| Title | God Laughs & Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right |
| Author | David James Duncan |
| Publisher | Triad Institute, Inc., 2007 |
| ISBN | 0977717011, 9780977717019 |
| Length | 231 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |