No Christian faction, not liberals, mainliners, evangelicals or fundamentalists, escapes the smarty-pants treatment from this senior contributing editor of the religious satire publication, The Wittenburg Door
. Garrison assumes a gentle "above it all" attitude, redirecting the church's attention to the Beatitudes and to Jesus' "great commandment" (to love God first and love others as ourselves). She also argues for renewed separation of church and state, noting Jesus' tendency to serve "as a prophetic voice to proclaim the Word of God without being a pawn of the Roman government." Garrison is especially tough on those who publicly claim to have God on their side. "Given that my last name ain't Falwell, Robertson, or LaHaye, I can't claim to speak for Christ," she states. But don't for a moment think Garrison blames all of life's problems on the religious right. She's blessed with the ability to observe, cringe at and poke fun at anyone who insists on a "correct Christian response" to complex social and political matters. If you like the Door
's approach to the lighter side of Christian culture, or if you just need a good laugh after reading too many serious religion books, it doesn't get much better than this. (Apr. 28)
