The post you are looking for is included in HA!, a full-sized collection of five years worth of my best humor. If you are a Kindle owner and a member of Amazon Prime, you can borrow HA! for free, with no due dates. (If you don’t own a Kindle, here’s where to get one. To learn more about Amazon Prime—and to get a one-month free trial—go here. ) As per Amazon’s rules, content included in the Kindle Lending Library program cannot be available elsewhere online. Sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you.
![John Shore on The Huffington Post](http://johnshore.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/huffpost.jpg?w=120 "John Shore on The Huffington Post\")
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Friedreich Nietzsche criticized Christianity for being completely humorless and thus created a problem for countless dogmaticians (systematic theologians). As John correctly points out, defining humor dogmatically is like balancing a balloon on the point of a needle. Does this account for the set in concrete smile of many Biblical literalists and other absolutists? I think it does. Still Nietzsche is more dead than God! Ha ha ha! (Christian humor) “Why do the heathen rage? He who sits in the heavens shall laugh!”
OK, I know no one but me finds that funny. But, then sometimes I laugh at mathematics jokes. I agree with John. It’s very personal.
I’m reminded of an old story about Kraft Foods building a plant in Nazareth, PA. They’re calling it Cheesus of Nazareth.
Check out http://larknews.com. It’s what happens when evangelical Christianity meets The Onion.
I think you have a wonderfully twisted sense of humor, and you have a gift for sarcasm. Some folks just think laughing means you’re not a serious person, and we know that not to be true.
You know who’s funny and not vulgar? Mike Birbiglia. I discovered him on This American Life. He’s self-depreciating and talks a lot about his own life in hilarious and sometimes thoughtful ways. He has a great bit on Christian (and other religions) music that I found on YouTube. It just kills me.
C.H. Spurgeon often laughed. He thanked God for the gift of laughter. He once responded to those who did not like his humor by telling them that they should be glad that he held so much back.
Humor is not the exclusive domain of the secular world. I get a kick out of Mark Lowery. He can really roast some sacred cows, but do it in a way that will make you think about what he's saying even if you don't agree.
Humor, I think, is somewhat relative, too. Last night while in the pulpit I told my church that Jesus was much more tactful than I (I really wasn't thinking when I said it), I then turned to one of my references, and read where Jesus looked at a guy and said, "You hypocrite!" I started laughing right then and said, "You see, I told you Jesus was tactful!"
A quick story first–back when my husband and I were first married our church still used real bread for the communion (now they've resorted to the little Chiclet-looking things–terrible). They would pass around chunks and everyone would tear off a little piece. My husband went to take his little piece, and ended up with a strip of bread close to 4" long. But it was the middle of communion and he'd already touched it, what do you do? So he handed off the plate, and the usher-guy (who is a friend of ours) leaned over & asked, "you want some cheese with that?" Luckily we were able to keep our giggling quiet, and luckily it is the kind of church that doesn't kick people out for trying (unsuccessfully) not to giggle during communion.
I despise those Chicklet things. There’s no room for cheese on them at all.
Thurible….had to look it up. Thought maybe "thimble" was close, but, no. Funny!
Tim: It's so funny you noted that. I TOTALLY made The Big Call that even though it was more than likely people might not know what a thurible is, the combination of them knowing it had SOMETHING to do with taking communion, with the sheer funniness of the way the word sounds, would be better than I could get using any other word or, no matter how quickly, stopping to explain. I thought it worked–but you really hit upon a moment where I had to stop and really feel my way to it.
Honestly… I think the funniest thing in your post today is the suggestion that a protestant minister would know what a thurible is… I can think of.. well… maybe 6 in the RCA who might. Fewer who would have one to clock you with!
Grace and Peace,
`tim
I had to look up RCA, but, I’m pretty sure the definition of Reformed is: “To not know what a thurible is (or anything like that)”. I was just surprised to find my spell checker was Reformed. But, now it is Lutheran/Episcopalian. Possibly even Catholic. Like 2/3 of the world’s Christians.
Omg, Brian Regan is so crazy funny!!
I also very much enjoy the humor of Gabriel Iglesias, Jim Gaffigan and even Dane Cook or Lewis Black (i know, how un-christian of me
)
Ok, I saw a bumper sticker that said "In case of rapture this car will swerve until my mother-in-law takes the wheel", now thats funny Christian humor.
Check out Brad Stein or Brian Regan, funny guys.
Oh… see, there it goes again…: I was just reading over my post and found so many spelling mistakes and words i left out… I found it funny because in my head I'm going "that's why I'm not a writer: because I can't spell properly.." -thanks guys for putting up with it
Mike: if you live in san diego and the chance to see brian orme, he's an excellent christian comic…
John: I've been blessed with that gene to find the funny in everything, christian or not. But as a christian myself, humor among others like music and visuals, is a means for me to communicate. But that doesn't mean I have to crack a christian joke so that everyone now knows i'm a christian and I can shove the gospel in they're faces (see Sane Evangelizing 101
I'm just known to be a funny guy.. and I happen to be a christian….. and finding the funny in everything actually helps diffusing tense situations, or puts a smile on someone's face who's having a bad day. I think that right there is when christianity can be lived out effectively and would be lame without humor…
Ric: I like that!
BTW John, this line: "Most attempts by Christians to be professionally funny are usually dismissed as lame. Why do you think that is?" — hysterical. Spit-out-food funny.
I've always wondered if Jesus is being funny whenever he would tell someone, "The kingdom of God is near!" I picture myself looking around everywhere but at him asking, "Where? Where?" And then in my imaginative head we start playing that game "you're get warmer/colder" So he replies with "Well actually, right now you're burning up."
I've noticed that there are those more serious Christians, and they seem to be the ones who cannot (or will not) laugh at *themselves*. If we as a group can't make fun of ourselves, I see that as a problem.
Humor has always been important to me, and in fact was probably the #1 thing on my list in finding a husband. Does he make me laugh? More than I make him laugh? Good. Now, is he a Christian? The man I found not only knew just how to make me laugh — and heartily, I might add — but was very devoted to God. I still tease him, though, about the nerdiness of he and his fellow Bible grads joking in Hebrew. Yikes!
I've always wondered why the most effective religious speakers (to me)have a twinkle in their eye and a smile on their lips. John Ortberg, for one, has a great sense of humor. I find I gain more understanding when someone appeals to my whimsy than when I have someone making me wish I was somewhere, anywhere, else, and not listening to a dry boring lecture.
Christians seem to be way too serious. Is it because they fear they just aren't good enough to get the final prize?
My experience around people who call themselves Christians has not been humorless. I also don't know what the connection of a Christian World View is with the amount of humor someone has.
Our world views may cause something to be funny to us that others may not find funny but that is true of *every* world view. By the way, I define world view as the filter by which we look at the world and make decisions. Our world views supply us context. Within a Christian context, I may not find some types of humor as fulfilling as other people would but that does not diminish my funny bone.
Interesting questions… I will be back tomorrow to check out the next set.