Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture

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Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 709 ratings · 184 reviews

What does it mean when a band is judged by how hard they pray rather than how hard they rock? Would Jesus buy "Jesus junk" or wear "witness wear"? What do Christian skate parks, raves, and romance novels say about evangelicalism -- and America? Daniel Radosh went searching for the answers and reached some surprising conclusions. Written with the perfect blend of amusement...more

Hardcover, 310 pages

Published April 8th 2008 by Scribner

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Mar 04, 2009 Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, spirituality-religion

Radosh is a self-described non-religious Jewish liberal, who decides he wants to explore the $7 billion industry that is Christan pop (sub)culture. He travels to 18 cities and towns in 13 states, interviewing a fascinating group of people, ranging from Bibleman, the Caped Christian; Rob Adonis, the founder and star of Ultimate Christian Wrestling; Ken Ham, the country's leading creationism prophet; and Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and the pastor of a liberal, punk rock church...more Radosh is a self-described non-religious Jewish liberal, who decides he wants to explore the $7 billion industry that is Christan pop (sub)culture. He travels to 18 cities and towns in 13 states, interviewing a fascinating group of people, ranging from Bibleman, the Caped Christian; Rob Adonis, the founder and star of Ultimate Christian Wrestling; Ken Ham, the country's leading creationism prophet; and Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and the pastor of a liberal, punk rock church.

Here are some excerpts from the pages that I dog-eared (much to my husband's dismay, as he hates it when I dog-ear books!):

--At a contemporary Christian music festival (which was relatively liberal in evangelical circles), Radosh meets author and professor Dan Howard, who talks about his fondness for "transformative" contemporary Christian music and rails against his own "counterculture's" rejection of key dominant values. He says "The only values that we're worried about are abortion and gay rights. That's it. Because those are sins we don't commit; those are sins other people commit. The Bible has more than 2,000 verses about poverty and maybe 5 or 10 that you can interpret as being about abortion, but we're all about aabortion. Those 2,000 verses about Christians' responsibility to widows and orphans and aliens and strangers and the poor? We manage to be blind to al; of that, but we can find those 5 verses about abortion." Amen, brother.

--Apparently "self-cutting" is a major issue among young Christians. "The creator of one self-injury support group told Christianity Today that the most important message to give a cutter is that "Jesus loves her as she is, and that his atonement is sufficient for her sins." However, how is that reconciled with the evangelical emphasis on sin and evil? Perhaps these teens are feeling awful about themselves, and that they are not worthy, and resort to cutting? It causes me to wonder...

--A liberal evangelical told Kadosh that he believes that the way for the fundamentalist churches to be transformed from within and to be more inclusive to those on the outside is for them to be grown, like bread rises, gradually and organically. "The problem is that mainstream liberal and moderate churches stagnated and lost their cultural relevance. The Lutherans, Anglicans, and Methodists, they were never the driving force behind the growth of the Christian music industry...the moderate voices never expressed themselves in a commercial way, so their voices are muted today. You don't hear them unless you're part of their flock." This is true--I have heard some wonderful, progressive Christian musical groups, but only within the Lutheran (or other mainstream) churches. The mainstream churches have not appealed to the masses, so most people think of Christian music in only one way.

--The most poignant part of the book for me was when Radosh discovered a pro-life group at a music festival with pamphlets damning not only abortion, but also assisted reproductive technologies. Because he and his wife had to resort to IVF to have their own twins, he understandably became angered by this group's assertions that they viewed his children as "objects" or "commodities"...or that "assisted reproduction violates marital integrity." This is one thing that angers me about the Catholic church, too: how can the church fight to keep people alive on life support, yet claim that assisted reproductive technology is evil? How is it any different? 100 years ago, there were no ventilators or IV fluids to keep people alive. If you're going to reject scientific methods of creating life, why not also reject scientific methods of sustaining life?

--Another liberalish recording artist talked to Radosh about his discomfort with the way evangelicals treat the issues of abortion and homosexuality. He talked about how bizarre it is to spend so much time focusing on abortion, while sanctioning killing in war or the death penalty. He also said "Jesus never mentioned homosexuality once. How has it become such an issue? Strange how all the things that Jesus actually did talk about fail to become issues...."

--Radosh devotes a chapter to the abstinence movement, and discusses how it casts "women as objects to be managed by men: first by fathers and then by husbands," and casts men as lustful creatures who women have the responsibility to protect against lust (by not wearing revealing clothing, etc.). Some in the abstinence movement even suggest refraining from kissing until marriage! Abstinence educators in the past talked about how difficult it is to use condoms, because they have to be inspected for leaks, and then after using them, the genital area have to be cleaned with rubbing alcohol or Lysol! And "premarital sex depletes a chemical necessary for forming permanent a bond with one's spouse (the doctor who came up with this theory was later appointed to run the Bush administration's women's health program!)."

--In one of the last chapters, Radosh talks about visiting a "hell house" with Jay Bakker (the liberal son of Jim and Tammy Faye), which is a Christian version of a haunted house, with depictions of evil in the world and the sinners here. Baker is suitably horrified at what his fellow Christians are implying about "nonbelievers" or "sinners," and says when he saw "Jesus" at the end of the hell house, he felt like saying "If you really love us, why is this the option--to serve you or torture us for eternity?" That describes how I feel when I read about or experience this perspective of Christianity. I believe in a loving God, not want who will damn us to hell if we don't behave in a certain way. I believe in grace and forgiveness.

Radosh actually forms a lot of positive bonds during his journey and finds much to appreciate in the evangelical movement, once he was able to find his way to the outskirts. There is much out there that is disappointing, horrifying, and just not very smart...but Radosh found some hope for the future.
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May 05, 2009 Annie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

If you're looking for this book to reinforce your belief that all Christians are mindless cattle, indiscriminately consuming whatever cultural drivel is set before them, you're going to be disappointed. Likewise, if you're hoping this book will be a post you can hitch your pro-Christian culture argument to, you'll also be disappointed. That's because this book is surprisingly even-handed, even when dealing with situations that would seem absurd to many people. (Humans riding saddled dinosaurs le...more

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Sep 11, 2008 Alicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was a really entertaining, well-written, insightful book about the bizarre alternate universe of Christian pop culture. It was also a timely read, considering the RNC's recent efforts to reignite the culture wars and demonize the "liberal media" (yawn...that old chestnut). I got the sense that book was animated by a desire to understand what forces really fuel the Christian market and why the right wing has been so successful in politicizing religious faith. Ultimately, the author...more I thought this was a really entertaining, well-written, insightful book about the bizarre alternate universe of Christian pop culture. It was also a timely read, considering the RNC's recent efforts to reignite the culture wars and demonize the "liberal media" (yawn...that old chestnut). I got the sense that book was animated by a desire to understand what forces really fuel the Christian market and why the right wing has been so successful in politicizing religious faith. Ultimately, the author determines that (in the course of writing this book) he met a lot more moderate, reasonable people than he did intolerant-lunatic-fringe-fundamentalist types, and he stresses the importance of finding a common ground with the reasonable set, seeing as nontheistic rationalists are grossly outnumbered AND (more importantly) secularism as a sociopolitical model is not the exclusive property of the nonreligious. Basically, in addition to being a humorous examination of this weird cultural bubble, the book also calls for eliminating that bubble for a variety of reasons, such as: "When their only audience is other Christians, the feedback loop amplifies narrow-mindedness and inhibits self-examination."

The author is a Jewish guy from New York who's been published in the New Yorker, The NY Times, and a host of other publications. I expected the book to be pretty snarky, given that Christian culture is a really easy target (example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7myO3...), but I thought he was actually incredibly fair and kind in his assessment of things like Christian comedy, Christian theme parks, Christian wrestling, the Creation Museum in Kentucky, and other such cringe-worthy subjects. Kinder and more fair and kind than I could be, I think. Of course, there were moments when snark was more than deserved, like in laughing at the terrible writing of Tim LaHaye, author of Left Behind. Apparently, one of the heroes of that book is a prize-winning journalist, and this is an example LaHaye's idea of Pulitzer-winning prose: "To say the Israelis were caught off guard was like saying the Great Wall of China was long."

Another snark-deserving individual: Stephen Baldwin. Whoa.

Also entertaining was a list the author acquired from a friend who works for Harlequin regarding taboos to be avoided in the company's "inspirational" romance novels. Taboo words included the following: dang, dagnabbit, breast (except for breast cancer if necessary), Halloween, heat (when used to describe kisses), undergarments of any kind, whore.
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May 06, 2008 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am, without a doubt, a person who lives a life far apart from Christian (or any religion, for that matter) pop culture. Noone in my family attends church regularly and I can count on one hand the number of I've actually been inside a church myself.

However, I'm incredibly intrigued by religion. Its something so pervasive yet so alien to my way of thinking. As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it--lickity split.

The author, a Jewish man with fairly liberal tendancies, immerses...more

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May 11, 2008 Jesse rated it 5 of 5 stars

The best book yet on Christian pop culture. Smart about lefty condescension, and about the ways that some Christians actually want to live their faith through their music (mostly, though he does semi-pitch a sitcom idea featuring a Christian, gay neighbors, and intolerant fundamentalist neighbors), but also about all the ignorance and intolerance (and just plain crap) out there. Introduced me to Krystal Meyers (the Christian Avril Lavigne), KJ the 52 (the C. Eminem--even has a two-part song wher...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Levon rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interrested in sub-cultures, religion, or just america.

There's not many nonfiction books that make me say, Holy CRAP! This is a great book! But this one did.

I found this book after reading an excerpt that ended up not being included in the book. http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/dr...

Now, because of that excerpt I sort of went into the book expecting the usual "Fundies are nuts!" kind of book. I was COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY BLOODY WRONG. And I'm rather happy about that.

It's an honest well written book about a 30 year old New York Jew going around the...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Doug rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rapture Ready!, an outsider's tour of many facets of evangelical Christian culture was entertaining and informative, lucidly and sometimes even beautifully written. I already knew about the existence of the near-oxymoronic music genre Christian black metal and Left Behind novels, but I had no clue about Christian wrestling or superheroes like Bibleman. Depending on how outside your own perspective is, you may find it in places laugh-out-loud funny, enraging, or even horrifying. My highest praise...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rapture Ready / 9781416593751

I expected "Rapture Ready!" to be a fun, snarky joyride through modern Christian evangelical pop culture - something that made cutesy fun of all the kitsch you see at the Mardel store, and a largely fluffy throw-away book. What I found, however, was a far deeper, more mature consideration of such - wrapped tightly in the best book I've read all year.

Daniel Radosh is a plainly a skilled writer, and as a good writer he can't help but feel deeply connected to the 'cha...more Rapture Ready / 9781416593751

I expected "Rapture Ready!" to be a fun, snarky joyride through modern Christian evangelical pop culture - something that made cutesy fun of all the kitsch you see at the Mardel store, and a largely fluffy throw-away book. What I found, however, was a far deeper, more mature consideration of such - wrapped tightly in the best book I've read all year.

Daniel Radosh is a plainly a skilled writer, and as a good writer he can't help but feel deeply connected to the 'characters' he writes about - even when they're real people. I'm amazed to find the tenderness and kindness that Radosh employs as he visits 'Holy Land' amusement parks (er, sorry, that should be tax-free 'thematic experiences'), participates in passion plays (as That Nice Jewish Guy who thinks maybe Jesus doesn't need to be crucified after all), tours creationism museums (and watches Adam and Eve saddle and ride dinosaurs) and gently interviews everyone from Frank Peretti to the head of a geocentrist community.

As Radosh navigates the confusing and sometimes contradictory landscape of Christian pop culture, he does so gently and sympathetically - indeed, the reader will likely come away with a much deeper and more sympathetic viewpoint of the Christian community than they probably arrived with. Far from being a homogeneous group, the Christian community is composed of many and varied ideas - from the very conservative to the extremely liberal. Many (if not most) of the people he interviews are simply good people trying to live and enjoy a good life. Even many of the traditionally 'extreme' examples of Christian pop culture - for instance, Frank Peretti, whose books of evil, demon-possessed 'liberals' have been a divided point in the community for years - come away as nuanced individuals.

The quote on the cover jacket is from A.J. Jacobs, another writer interested in the intricacies of a 'Christian life', and states, simply, "Everyone should read this book," a not uncommon sentiment for a book-jacket endorsement. On reflection, though, I think that this quote is accurate. Christian culture is a very powerful subculture within America, and it is important to understand it in a nuanced, meaningful way - rather than in a one-dimensional "love it or leave it" manner. Regardless of your outlook on life, Christian or not, there are people in Radosh's book whom you will disagree with - and who it is important to see as people, not as caricatures. Radosh's book provides nuance, depth, and meaning to a culture that many of us have only marginally been exposed to.

Plus, the wit in "Rapture Ready!" is completely hilarious and will leave your sides splitting for days. It's rare for a book to be "good for you" and just plain good in the way that Radosh's book is.

~ Ana Mardoll (less)

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May 15, 2011 Jared rated it 4 of 5 stars

I almost want to give this book 5 stars, but by principle can not give a book that is written for an 8th grade reading level a 5 star review. Call me a snob. I don't care. There are other reasons I won't give this book 5 stars. Maybe it was because of his own liberal tolerant intolerance, or the buried postmodern assumptions and his desire for Christians to become postmodern. Or the fact that it is not masterful language or masterful storytelling. Or because this book will not matter in 20 years...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Deb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christianity

Daniel Radosh, an outsider to the world of the American Christian subculture embarks upon a journey that takes him to Christian music festivals, Bible themed amusement parks, and interviews with Christian authors. Radosh, who is of Jewish background, shares his frank reactions to the products, places, and people he encounters. His viewpoint exposes much that is regrettable about the consumerism that drives many of these ventures. But Radosh is also surprised by the genuine efforts of Christians...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Johnny Brooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you have Christian art hanging in your house, own Christian music CDs, go to Passion plays, believe Creation science is actually science, and think that plastic crosses are cool, then this book is for you.

"Adventures in the parallel universe of Christian pop culture" When I read that from the front of the book, I was hooked. I knew this book would be a cool read.

Daniel Radosh, author, is a humanist Jew, or something like that, who immerses himself in various aspects of Christian pop culture o...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.

This book is an interesting sociological tome on what it means to be a conservative, evangelical, and -- dare I say it -- fundamentalist Christian.

As a Christian by way of the Lutheran Church and, now Episcopal Church, I found myself nodding my head in agreement at a lot of the statements made by this 'outsider' and his view of fundamentalist Christianity as I, myself, grew up in the evangelical tradition. Save for the evangelical version of the WWE (who even *knew* that there was thi...more 3.5 stars.

This book is an interesting sociological tome on what it means to be a conservative, evangelical, and -- dare I say it -- fundamentalist Christian.

As a Christian by way of the Lutheran Church and, now Episcopal Church, I found myself nodding my head in agreement at a lot of the statements made by this 'outsider' and his view of fundamentalist Christianity as I, myself, grew up in the evangelical tradition. Save for the evangelical version of the WWE (who even *knew* that there was this alternate branding of fake wrestling?!), everything this book touched on, from CCM to Christian fiction to Christian Comedians to Holy Land Experience to Creation Museums to the various music festivals to the 'Hell Houses' that spring up in October, this was nothing new to me, but very illuminating to read from a non-Christian's POV. Likewise, the attitudes and feelings towards abortion and homosexuality were there as well and Mr. Radosh did a good job of balancing the far right's stance on these topics with the more progressive stance held by folks such as Jay Bakker (of Jim and Tammy Faye [in]famy) and the emerging Emergent Church -- which I wish he would have explored a bit more. But...This is a book about evangelical culture, not emergent.

Save for one instance at a music festival in Illinois, Mr. Radosh had a very level head and hand in the writing of this book. Now, maybe, if I still identified myself with the flavor of Christianity that I grew up with, I might be slightly put off. However, I never once felt insulted. Even Mr. Radosh was quick to point out that he met some great people as he wrote this book and came to respect them.

You can almost pick and choose which chapters you read and you can read them out of sequence and still not miss anything. I found the chapters towards the end, primarily those of the Creation museums and the Hell Houses to be some of the most illuminating and interesting.

There was one aspect of true fundamentalist culture that Mr. Radosh barely even touched on -- homeschooling and the rise of James Dobson's Focus on the Family. Perhaps, as Mr. Radosh explained, that is one facet of the fundamentalist culture that he really couldn't delve too deeply in as it would have warrented a book the size of 'War and Peace' (or the Bible itself).

All in all, this is fascinating reading for anyone who has ever driven by a Family Christian/LifeWay store and wondered what it is exactly establishments like those is the purveyor of. It is also fascinating reading for those, like myself, who grew up in this culture and have since gone on to find their way to a church and relationship with God that enables them to have an authentic relationship with their Creator, themselves, and those around them, without the stigma and branding that comes with extremity.(less)

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Nov 09, 2011 Kayt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

A secular Jew journeys through the parallel universe of mostly-evangelical pop culture.

What's nice is that Radosh says up-front in the preface that this is just his experience, not a definitive look at Christian pop culture. For the most part, he does a good job in his writing of keeping things fair and letting readers know that it's his opinion, not an objective look (there was, throughout about 2/3 of the books, still a faint undercurrent of "these people are wacky").

On the other hand, about h...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Nancy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had such high hopes for this book. Fundamentalist Christianity fascinates me, and I am especially intrigued with Rapture-focused beliefs. When I hear about young fundamentalist children who go home to an unexpectedly empty house and immediately assume that everyone but them has been "raptured," I have a peculiar impulse to weep with compassion and laugh hysterically, both at the same time. (Note: that impulse is not a happy one - it's actually quite uncomfortable - but it IS intriguing.)

So poo...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Cory Howell rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book reminded me a lot of Kevin Roose's book The Unlikely Disciple, in that it was another excellent example of a non-fundamentalist, non-evangelical person delving into a culture that was largely foreign to him, and learning about both the good and bad aspects of that culture. Radosh's book was a broader foray into evangelical pop culture, wherein he experienced firsthand such evangelical experiences as Christian rock, Christian professional wrestling, creation museums, just to name a few....more

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Aug 14, 2009 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Daniel Radosh is NOT an evangelical - in fact, he's a Humanistic Jew (his own description) - which for the purposes of this book is a very good thing. One of the pieces of advice you're often given when getting ready to sell your house is to have someone who's never been there come to walk through & look for all the things that need fixing or repainting. There's a reason - you've lived there for so long that you've become used to the imperfections, blemishes & outright broken stuff. Mr....more

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Aug 18, 2010 Jacqueline rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, nonfiction

I have mixed feelings about this book. I saw it listed on my daily "Book Lover's" calendar, and I was intrigued by the premise. A liberal, New York Jew explores the "parallel universe of Christian pop culture." As someone who has both worked in a Christian bookstore and grown up in conservative churches, I was interested in an outsider's take on the subculture. On the one hand, there is much to agree with in this book. Christian pop culture is often a cheesy, in-your-face derivative of secular p...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a pretty awesome book, especially for anyone who might be curious about Christian pop-culture but not know much of what it's like. The highlight for me was the author's interview with Frank Peretti (a popular Christian author), which paints Peretti as significantly more sane (if I may say so from a liberal point of view) than Peretti's own books.

Two negatives stood out to me. First, the chapter on abstience (only) education was misplaced; although he attempted to focus on the admittedly...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-completed, owned

I cannot recommend the book Rapture Ready! Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture enough. Fascinating. The author is a 31 year old secular Jew and he got a peek into the culture and wanted to see more. It's written in, what I feel, is a very fair manner. It's a little distant, a little bemused, but even with stuff he might not agree with, he just writes it down, without (too many) remarks. He let's people condemn or redeem themselves by their own words.

The only time he get...more

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Feb 07, 2010 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, religion

Loved this enjoyable look at various aspects of Christian pop culture. Radosh is incredibly witty and if you've ever seen all those "WWJD" bracelets, "Saved" t-shirts and the like, you'll be fascinated by this look at the money and the business of tchotkes and junk directed toward fundamentalist Christians (and how it differs, and doesn't, from other segments of the market). Not at all judgmental, just interesting and well-written. I will definitely look for more books from this author.

***Edite...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

One of the most random books I have ever picked up at the library but I was hooked by the picture. Yes, I have a very sophisticated system of picking books.
Actually, I have a few good friends who are evangelical Christian. And I have seen enough WWJD signs to be curious about the culture behind it.
This book explains the who, what, why, and expense of Christian pop-culture. Unfortunalty, I'm not a pop-culutre person, so a lot of the references were lost on me. (The author, a secular Jew, is a pop...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Jessica Snell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Here's another one to which I don't have time to do justice. This was fascinating and a great read (it reminded me a lot of "The Year of Living Biblically" and indeed had an endorsement from A. J. Jacobs on the back cover).

I was very impressed by how kind Radosh was; you could look at the fringes of Christian pop culture and easily write something scathing and well-received. Instead, Radosh really looked not just for the worst of Christian pop culture but also for the best, and was willing to h...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Sarah Turner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Daniel Radosh draws you into a parallel universe in which pop culture, on the surface looks relatively similar to what you would find in the pop culture you are familiar with. On second glance, everything has a Jesus twist. Everything from Jesus Dance Dance Revolution to WWJD erasers, this book explores it all.
The chapters I found particularly interesting were about Christian rock, Christian dating/ marriage/ sex advice, and Christian theme parks.
Everything in this book was presented in an hon...more

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Sep 06, 2009 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

It is a traverse into the broad burgeoning Christian pop-culture market, replete with characters, money makers and the timeless sway of what to do about people you can't pinpoint or label let alone understand or find truce with. I thought it was even-handed and fair. Radoosh goes out of his way to view every experience with an open mind (with the exception of his brilliant Stephen Baldwin interview) and despite all the negativity and walls he meets, finds room for optimism and a closing call for...more

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May 20, 2013 Unwisely rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, kept-me-up-too-late, non-fiction

I can't remember why this book was on my list, but it was, and I'm so glad it was. It was interesting, while still being almost gentle in its treatment of evangelical religion, and so funny that I had to explain what I was laughing at in the lunch room at work and on the airplane.

After reading The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, I was pretty creeped out by evangelicals. This book was kind of a palate cleanser, reminding me that every group has its whackdoodles,...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Frederick Bingham rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating view inside the alternative world of evangelical Christian culture. As someone who knows nothing about the subject it was eye opening to say the least. Within the world of Christian culture there is pretty much everything that there is in the world of secular culture. The book talks about Christian book publishing, rock music, theme parks, TV shows, movies, festivals, children's books, comedians, professional wrestling (!), sex advice (!!) and museums. The book includes interviews...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

I appreciated the information about modern day Christianity and found many of the writer's experiences quite profound. However, I would have appreciated less of his personal commentary. He came off as quite preachy at times and it bothered me to a point that I started liking him less. With the message he was carrying, I think it's important for him to be farther from judgment so that the reader can create an opinion for him/herself. Otherwise, he marginalizes his consumers. This message is impor...more

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Apr 14, 2010 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

This author of this book calls himself a humanistic Jew, so he's pretty far from where I consider myself to be on the theological spectrum. I expected to be a little defensive about some things in this book, and I was. But, there was a lot of humor and good insight that I still thought it was worth a read. It felt a little like when I moved from small town Texas to Chicago and I had the chance to hear what non-Texans thought about my home state. Some of it was so right it was painful to hear, an...more

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Dec 02, 2008 Elena rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a super good one. Written by secular author Dan Radosh, it details a lot of the things we evangelicals do to desperately keep up with society including making our own "Christian" versions of literature, art, music, superheroes (BIBLEMAN!), wrestling and sex. The book is hilarious and Radosh is pretty respectful, giving a balanced perspective while laughing in his sleeve. He also figured out pretty early on that Falwell's Xtianity is NOT normative and does not account for what the typica...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

As someone who belongs to a mainline denomination and part of the 20% that doesn't have audiovisual screens in our sanctuary this book was a real eye-opener. I think I know what it is like to be a moderate Muslim accused of not speaking out against extremists. The extreme right wing evangelical nut jobs that are always getting media coverage by burning Qurans, picketing funerals and Planned Parenthood clinics are apparently more normal than I ever thought. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration, bu...more

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About Daniel Radosh

Daniel Radosh is an American journalist and blogger. Radosh is presently a Staff Writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was previously a contributing editor at The Week. He writes occasionally for The New Yorker. His writing has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, GQ, Mademoiselle, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Might, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Playboy, Radar, Salo...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2336862.Rapture_Ready_?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348727344l/2336862.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2336862.Rapture_Ready_?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture by Daniel Radosh[/url]

Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture

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