The Messiah Formerly Known as Jesus: Dispatches from the Intersection of Christianity and Pop Culture

Tom Breen

Baylor University Press, 2008 - Humor - 217 pages

Acclaimed Internet Theologian Tom Breen has written a satirical, tongue-in-cheek exploration of pop Christianity. Whether pondering why there are so many Christian rock bands but so few good Christian rock songs or providing helpful tips on writing hip translations of the Bible (hint: lose the boring parts and constantly mention celebrities), Breen offers whip-smart, non-stop fun, along with a side-splitting send-up of our contemporary obsessions.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - MorganH - LibraryThing

This book was an absolute hoot -- I haven't laughed out loud so often in quite a while. If you know at least some basics about the Christian faith and actual church history, and didn't have your sense ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - grabbingsand - LibraryThing

With this book, I did what I never do. I returned it to the store. It looked like it would be an interesting look at how modern Christianity has developed a pop culture all its own. That’s what the ...

Contents

• III: 23
• IV: 47
• V: 71
• VI: 93
• VII: 113
• VIII: 141
• IX: 161
• X: 183
• XI: 205

Popular passages

Page 5 - For the word of God declares that the preaching (although in itself true and most worthy of belief) is not sufficient to reach the human heart, unless a certain power be imparted to the speaker from God, and a grace appear upon his words; and it is only by the divine agency that this takes place in those who speak effectually. The prophet says in the sixty-seventh Psalm, that "the Lord will give a word with great power to them who preach.

About the author

Tom Breen currently works as a reporter for The Associated Press. As "The Internet Theologian," his online musings about faith have been read by literally dozens of people, or, possibly, by one person with dozens of LiveJournal accounts. He lives in West Virginia.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Messiah Formerly Known as Jesus: Dispatches from the Intersection of Christianity and Pop Culture
• Author: Tom Breen
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Baylor University Press, 2008
• ISBN: 1602580197, 9781602580190
• Length: 217 pages
• Subjects: Humor / Topic / Religion; Religion / Christian Living / Social Issues; Social Science / Popular Culture