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How The Bible Changed Our Lives
A born-again and an atheist walk into a bar... From the creative minds behind the internationally-renowned comedy troupe, the Reduced Shakespeare Company, comes this irreverent celebration of the greatest story ever sold!
A comic exploration of both the Old and New Testaments, "How The Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly For The Better)" is also a journey of discovery and transformation for two longtime friends who find their friendship tested, their beliefs challenged, their bodies slightly broken, and their souls (more or less) saved.
Throughout this whimsical and outrageous examination of every book in the Bible, authors Martin and Tichenor also experience epiphanies both personal and religious as they examine the "really good parts" of the Bible, revealing the hidden treasures of scripture you may have missed while reading the parts you were forced to read.
Treasures like:
* Creation, or the origin of the six-day work week
* the brighter side of Job and Lamentations
* Observing the Sabbath, and what that means for professional and college football
* The intersection of Holy Writ and entertainment: Hollywood and Divine
* The steamy adult sections of the Bible they don't teach you about in Sunday school
* Yes, Jesus's mother was a Virgin, but go back a few generations and it gets kinda complicated
* HWJV - How Would Jesus Vote?
* Newly discovered responses to Paul's letters
* The Holy Trinity, and why Three is a magic number
"How The Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly For The Better)" is an affectionate comic memoir, sure to delight the most devout as well as the most skeptical reader.
(WARNING: Contains sects and violence. May cause unease among the humor-impaired.)
A comic exploration of both the Old and New Testaments, "How The Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly For The Better)" is also a journey of discovery and transformation for two longtime friends who find their friendship tested, their beliefs challenged, their bodies slightly broken, and their souls (more or less) saved.
Throughout this whimsical and outrageous examination of every book in the Bible, authors Martin and Tichenor also experience epiphanies both personal and religious as they examine the "really good parts" of the Bible, revealing the hidden treasures of scripture you may have missed while reading the parts you were forced to read.
Treasures like:
* Creation, or the origin of the six-day work week
* the brighter side of Job and Lamentations
* Observing the Sabbath, and what that means for professional and college football
* The intersection of Holy Writ and entertainment: Hollywood and Divine
* The steamy adult sections of the Bible they don't teach you about in Sunday school
* Yes, Jesus's mother was a Virgin, but go back a few generations and it gets kinda complicated
* HWJV - How Would Jesus Vote?
* Newly discovered responses to Paul's letters
* The Holy Trinity, and why Three is a magic number
"How The Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly For The Better)" is an affectionate comic memoir, sure to delight the most devout as well as the most skeptical reader.
(WARNING: Contains sects and violence. May cause unease among the humor-impaired.)
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2001
About the author
Reed Martin
35 books4 followersReed Martin co-created and performed in the original productions of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged), The Complete History of America (abridged), Western Civilization: The Complete Musical (abridged), All The Great Books (abridged), and Completely Hollywood (abridged). He contributed additional material to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).
Martin is a managing partner of The Reduced Shakespeare Company and has performed at Lincoln Center Theater, London's West End, Kennedy Center, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theater, California Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The White House and Madison Square Garden, as well as in 11 foreign countries. He toured for two years as a clown/assistant ringmaster with Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus. His voice was heard in the animated feature film Balto and just about every other part of him was seen in the British film Carry On Columbus.
Martin has written for the BBC, NPR, Britain's Channel Four, RTE Ireland, Public Radio International, The Washington Post and Vogue magazine. With Austin Tichenor he co-authored the book The Greatest Story Ever Sold, published by John Knox/Westminster Press. His work has been nominated for an Olivier Award in London and a Helen Hayes Award in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and has a BA in Political Science/Theatre from UC Berkeley, an MFA in Acting from UC San Diego and is a graduate of Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Clown College. He is a former professional minor league baseball umpire. Martin lives in Northern California with his wife and sons.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Jenn
Martin is a managing partner of The Reduced Shakespeare Company and has performed at Lincoln Center Theater, London's West End, Kennedy Center, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theater, California Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The White House and Madison Square Garden, as well as in 11 foreign countries. He toured for two years as a clown/assistant ringmaster with Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus. His voice was heard in the animated feature film Balto and just about every other part of him was seen in the British film Carry On Columbus.
Martin has written for the BBC, NPR, Britain's Channel Four, RTE Ireland, Public Radio International, The Washington Post and Vogue magazine. With Austin Tichenor he co-authored the book The Greatest Story Ever Sold, published by John Knox/Westminster Press. His work has been nominated for an Olivier Award in London and a Helen Hayes Award in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and has a BA in Political Science/Theatre from UC Berkeley, an MFA in Acting from UC San Diego and is a graduate of Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Clown College. He is a former professional minor league baseball umpire. Martin lives in Northern California with his wife and sons.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Jenn
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 4, 2014
A surprisingly well crafted and fun exploration into the wide wide world of competitive murder, sodomy, heresy, adultery, and worshiping false idols, How The Bible Changed Our Lives (formerly The Greatest Story Ever Sold) is a well-crafted mix of Dave Barryesque satire and playful parody of the greatest bestselling book of all time. Tichenor and Martin are just as funny on the page as they are on the stage, and these writers and performers of The Reduced Shakespeare Company execute the same raucous one-liners and reduced sensibilities that are incredibly effective in their delivery. Written humor is an art, and while their writing has been primarily been intended for performance in their professional capacity, they are no less adept at making readers like myself laugh out loud and read sentences aloud to anyone within earshot.
Where I was most surprised in this book was the ability of the authors to weave in a plot amid a nonfiction exploration into the Bible - an incredibly funny plot that is subtle in the beginning, and becomes more pronounced as the text moves on. Furthermore, their ability to weave this plot, commentary, and well-written devices into such a short book is a testament (pun intended) to their and adept collaboration skills.
Definitely a book well worth the price of admission, easily persuading even the staunchest believer to consider ‘Austianity.’
Where I was most surprised in this book was the ability of the authors to weave in a plot amid a nonfiction exploration into the Bible - an incredibly funny plot that is subtle in the beginning, and becomes more pronounced as the text moves on. Furthermore, their ability to weave this plot, commentary, and well-written devices into such a short book is a testament (pun intended) to their and adept collaboration skills.
Definitely a book well worth the price of admission, easily persuading even the staunchest believer to consider ‘Austianity.’
Displaying 1 of 1 review