false 28881 20 While the Bible may be the word of God, transcribed by divinely inspired men, it does not provide a full (or even partial) account of the life of Jesus Christ. Lucky for us that Christopher Moore presents a funny, lighthearted satire of the life of Christ--from his childhood days up to his crucifixion--in <I>Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal</I>. This clever novel is surely blasphemy to some, but to others it's a coming-of-age story of the highest order.<p> Joshua (a.k.a. Jesus) knows he is unique and quite alone in his calling, but what exactly does his Father want of him? Taking liberties with ancient history, Moore works up an adventure tale as Biff and Joshua seek out the three wise men so that Joshua can better understand what he is supposed to do as Messiah. Biff, a capable sinner, tags along and gives Joshua ample opportunities to know the failings and weaknesses of being truly human. With a wit similar to Douglas Adams, Moore pulls no punches: a young Biff has the hots for Joshua's mom, Mary, which doesn't amuse Josh much: "Don't let anyone ever tell you that the Prince of Peace never struck anyone." And the origin of the Easter Bunny is explained as a drunken Jesus gushes his affection for bunnies, declaring, "Henceforth and from now on, I decree that whenever something bad happens to me, there shall be bunnies around."<p> One small problem with the narrative is that Biff and Joshua often do not have distinct voices. A larger difficulty is that as the tone becomes more somber with Joshua's life drawing to its inevitable close, the one-liners, though not as numerous, seem forced. True to form, <I>Lamb</I> keeps the story of Joshua light, even after its darkest moments. <I>--Michael Ferch</I> 3346728 2002 Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal total:16074|5:8283|4:5079|3:2013|2:491|1:208| 16074 68960 21755 3407 5 21 false false Thu Oct 26 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Thu Jan 31 06:44:08 -0800 2008 Wed Jul 29 21:50:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 26 false false Sat Oct 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 29 05:00:42 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 18:46:43 -0700 2009 What I remember from CCD:

• It was Tuesday nights and that meant that I missed Who’s the Boss
• All the really obnoxious cheerleaders went to my church (Our Lady of Perpetual Help-OLPH!)
• I had to go to CCD so I could get confirmed or I couldn’t get married in...more...]]> 5 13 false false Sun Mar 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 02 07:41:48 -0700 2007 Sun Mar 09 16:27:24 -0700 2008
Lamb starts with one of my favourite quotes, which sets the scene very aptly: "God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh" (Voltaire). A deceptively slim-looking book (but one that is absolutely heavenly to hold - no pun intended - with i...more...]]> 5 11 false false Thu Aug 30 07:33:44 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 30 12:19:11 -0700 2007
I found a copy of this wonderfully hilarious novel at the Champaign Public Library Book Sale and decided that I ought to own a copy. It holds up well on a second read and served to fill a nostalgia for Kurt Vonnegut, w...more...]]> 3 6 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 16 16:28:33 -0800 2008 Tue Apr 01 19:23:22 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 6 false false Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Fri Feb 23 20:54:14 -0800 2007 Sat Feb 24 09:54:13 -0800 2007 some of my favorite lines were
"Revelations 2; Just When you thought it was safe to sin."
and "Actually , I thought I'd stay Josh. Your mother needs someone to look afte...more...]]> 4 7 false false Thu Apr 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 15:20:01 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 15:23:29 -0700 2009 1
Raziel, an angel who missed the Virgin Mary annunciation by ten years (he got distracted), has been sent dirt-side two thousand years later to resurrect Jesus’ best friend Levy...more...]]> 5 4 false false Tue Nov 11 12:12:39 -0800 2008 Mon Sep 17 17:32:58 -0700 2007 Tue Nov 11 12:12:39 -0800 2008
I was raised in a Christian household and knew the story of Jesus forwards and backwards. Or at least I thought I did. Now, I try not to take myself to seriously and I try to maintain a cert...more...]]> 5 5 false false Sun Sep 02 16:25:57 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 02 16:27:05 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 3 false false Mon Dec 22 20:36:31 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 19:31:33 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 20:36:31 -0800 2008 A Dirty Job; Lamb, in my opinion, is the better book. Moore takes on the life of Christ, a sensitive topic to be sure. The manner in which he approaches his subject matter is of irreverent fascination. The result is an achingly funny account of Joshua...more...]]> 5 3 false false Sun Jan 06 22:28:42 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 06 22:30:26 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 4 false false Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Wed Jun 27 08:19:50 -0700 2007 Tue Jan 08 17:54:23 -0800 2008
I believe that is the word that appears in every published review. It's fitting; this novel is hand-crafted to earn that adjective. And in that way, it is almost unfair to call it "irreverent" because your credibility as reader is called into question. Did you eve...more...]]> 5 3 false true Wed Aug 13 05:24:29 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 13 05:24:29 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false true Sun Dec 28 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jun 17 17:52:18 -0700 2008 Wed Dec 31 09:00:01 -0800 2008 The angel takes him to a modern hotel, ...more...]]> 4 3 true false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 27 17:30:07 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 03 10:17:49 -0800 2009

Review from Amazon.com

"Finding some real theology in a bawdy sarcastic laff-riot parody of a gospel is like finding e...more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 12:59:07 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 12:59:07 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 12 03:33:22 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 15 21:09:00 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 2 false false Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Jun 29 21:31:41 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 29 21:39:53 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Thu Jun 07 20:16:46 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 07 20:27:08 -0700 2007 Yeshua), and the book is told from the point of view of Biff, Joshua's best friend, which has the distinction of making this novel read a lot like a buddy film. Biff loves Joshua and would do...more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu May 24 17:31:53 -0700 2007 Tue Jun 12 10:16:22 -0700 2007
Lamb gives me context where I hadn’t completely understood before.

Christopher tells the story of Christ from birth. While he talks about his life after he comes out and begins preaching op...more...]]>