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Publication Date: 17 Jun 2021
Publisher: SPCK Publishing
Page Count: 160
Author: James Cary
ISBN-13: 9780281085637, 9780281085996

The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer

By James Cary
In The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer, James Cary explores how the gospel looks if you’re open to the idea that the Bible is a lot funnier than it first appears.
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Maybe Jesus was joking, the disciples didn't know what they were doing and the New Testament is a lot funnier than you might think.

You would think it weird if someone suddenly ascended into heaven, right? Reading between the lines, do we detect a touch of rivalry between Peter and John? And surely the lack of parables in the latter's mystical tome is simply crying out to be redressed...

In this sparklingly witty book, BBC sitcom writer James Cary gives us a new and liberating way of looking at the gospel as he entertainingly relates it to a modern context, with references ranging from Charles Dickens to The Vicar of Dibley. Cheerfully playing around with the text, he takes the Bible seriously but allows us to laugh at our own petty vanities and foibles - and be enlightened in the process.

The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer is ideal for anyone wanting to liven up their Bible reading and looking for new ways to be thrilled by this sacred text. It's also perfect for priests, pastors, youth leaders and all those involved in ministry and giving sermons, as James Cary shows using comedy and humour is a brilliant way to communicate the gospel.

Warm, funny and full of brilliant insight and Christian humour, The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer will make you laugh out loud and shake your head in awe. You'll never read the Bible the same way again.
James Cary is a sitcom writer for the BBC, with a hand in Miranda, Bluestone 42, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones and Hut 33. He’s also a Member of the General Synod and The Archbishops’ Council. He blogs on religion and comedy at jamescary.co.uk and sitcomgeek.blogspot.com, and co-presents podcasts Sitcom Geeks, and Cooper and Cary Have Words. He is the author of The Sacred Art of Joking, a look at how religion and comedy intersect (SPCK 2018).

The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer is an unmitigated delight, blending sketches with Scripture, theology with laugh out loud jokes. Funny and moving in equal measure, it dances with Paschal joy.

- The Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie, author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy

Cary is an accomplished comic writer. His sketches here are hilarious, clever, knowing, and beautifully crafted.

- Church Times on The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer

An elegant treatise on how [the Church] could lighten up its image.

- The Times on The Sacred Art of Joking

Having worked for many years at the coalface of comedy, sorting the dross from the combustible, James Cary is uniquely qualified to write this book.

- Milton Jones, comedian and panellist on BBC2’s Mock the Week on The Sacred Art of Joking

Marvellous potential . . . for opening up conversations and avenues of thoughtful debate.

- Church Times on The Sacred Art of Joking

A truly brilliant debut book.

- Iain Dale, LBC Drivetime presenter on Death by Civilisation

A wonderful cascade of sage snippets . . . fit to grace bedside tables and smallest rooms in the greatest houses.

- Church Times on Death by Civilisation
About
Maybe Jesus was joking, the disciples didn't know what they were doing and the New Testament is a lot funnier than you might think.

You would think it weird if someone suddenly ascended into heaven, right? Reading between the lines, do we detect a touch of rivalry between Peter and John? And surely the lack of parables in the latter's mystical tome is simply crying out to be redressed...

In this sparklingly witty book, BBC sitcom writer James Cary gives us a new and liberating way of looking at the gospel as he entertainingly relates it to a modern context, with references ranging from Charles Dickens to The Vicar of Dibley. Cheerfully playing around with the text, he takes the Bible seriously but allows us to laugh at our own petty vanities and foibles - and be enlightened in the process.

The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer is ideal for anyone wanting to liven up their Bible reading and looking for new ways to be thrilled by this sacred text. It's also perfect for priests, pastors, youth leaders and all those involved in ministry and giving sermons, as James Cary shows using comedy and humour is a brilliant way to communicate the gospel.

Warm, funny and full of brilliant insight and Christian humour, The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer will make you laugh out loud and shake your head in awe. You'll never read the Bible the same way again.
Author
James Cary is a sitcom writer for the BBC, with a hand in Miranda, Bluestone 42, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones and Hut 33. He’s also a Member of the General Synod and The Archbishops’ Council. He blogs on religion and comedy at jamescary.co.uk and sitcomgeek.blogspot.com, and co-presents podcasts Sitcom Geeks, and Cooper and Cary Have Words. He is the author of The Sacred Art of Joking, a look at how religion and comedy intersect (SPCK 2018).
Reviews

The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer is an unmitigated delight, blending sketches with Scripture, theology with laugh out loud jokes. Funny and moving in equal measure, it dances with Paschal joy.

- The Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie, author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy

Cary is an accomplished comic writer. His sketches here are hilarious, clever, knowing, and beautifully crafted.

- Church Times on The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer

An elegant treatise on how [the Church] could lighten up its image.

- The Times on The Sacred Art of Joking

Having worked for many years at the coalface of comedy, sorting the dross from the combustible, James Cary is uniquely qualified to write this book.

- Milton Jones, comedian and panellist on BBC2’s Mock the Week on The Sacred Art of Joking

Marvellous potential . . . for opening up conversations and avenues of thoughtful debate.

- Church Times on The Sacred Art of Joking

A truly brilliant debut book.

- Iain Dale, LBC Drivetime presenter on Death by Civilisation

A wonderful cascade of sage snippets . . . fit to grace bedside tables and smallest rooms in the greatest houses.

- Church Times on Death by Civilisation

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