Looking Good Being Bad: The (Not So) Subtle Art of Churchmanship

by Adrian Plass

Adrian Plass is back to humorously yet gently challenge the Churchman or woman in all of us as we treat the church as if it should be made in our own image.

In Looking Good Being Bad, Adrian Plass asks why the body of Christ constantly trips over itself to derail it's mission and ward off the world? He ponders how those much less spiritual than ourselves can often be in positions of leadership and asks have you ever had the sense that some other force was at work in that committee meeting?

Looking Good Being Bad reveals the answers. This annual report from the headquarters of Churchmanship, Great Malvern reveals a training ground for those who wish to carry on the noble tradition of thwarting the work of the gospel.

In Looking Good Being Bad, Adrian Plass once again applies his unique and satirical perspective on the subject, pinpointing the more eccentric aspects of the Christian church. Yet within the book lies a deeper message about the state of modern Churchmanship.

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Spirituality

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Adrian Plass is a writer and speaker who has produced over thirty books in the last twenty years. The best known of these is probably The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, a gentle satire on the modern church, which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide. This and other books have travelled to other countries and are translated into a number of foreign languages. Other books include biography, novels, short stories, a fictionalised account of the author's experiences as a residential child care worker, and collections of poems and sketches. A bemused Anglican, Adrian lives with his wife and daughter in a small market town near the Sussex South Downs.

Adrian has been in demand as a speaker in venues as varied as prisons, schools, churches, festivals, literary dinners and theatrical settings. His work also includes contribution to national and local radio and television. Live presentations combine humour, poetry, and story telling, largely revolving around his own inadequacies and struggles as a Christian and a human being.

In recent years Adrian has been joined by his wife Bridget in presenting a more varied and dramatic style of performance. Adrian and Bridget met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and have found particular satisfaction in being allowed to ‘do a bit of acting’. They have also been privileged to work alongside World Vision on several occasions, visiting Bangladesh and Zambia, writing two books and touring both in the UK and abroad with the aim of encouraging people to take up child sponsorship

Their work now takes them as far away as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Africa, while trips to Europe have introduced the added dimension of speaking through interpreters. Not easy when you're trying to be funny!

Adrian's latest books include ‘Jesus Safe Tender and Extreme‘, published by Zondervan, ‘Blind Spots in the Bible’, published by BRF, and most recent of all ‘Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation’ published by Authentic Media. He and Bridget have also collaborated with friends in Canada to produce a CD of his favourite sketches from the last 20 years called ‘Preaching to the Converted’ while ‘A Touch of Plass’, CTA’s documentary video, is now out on DVD.

2008 began with a visit to Bolivia for Bridget and Adrian in collaboration with the charity Toybox to look at projects involving street children. Later on there will be a DVD, a book and a number of presentations promoting their work.

Adrian's central motivation continues to be his love for Jesus, although some may feel he expresses it rather eccentrically. His passion is to communicate the need for reality in faith, and a truth that he learned during a difficult stage in his life: "God is nice and he likes me..." Some have described his work as being ‘one long confessional’. They may well be right!

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual Adrian Plass satire. He supposedly comes across a document outlining the annual report from the 'College of Churchmanship'. The book goes, chapter by chapter, into such topics as Prayermanship, Distractmanship, Weekend Awaymanship, and much more. Advice on how to be a comfortable, even popular 'churchman' (or woman) without any of the discomfort of the Christian faith.

I found it amusing in places, thought-provoking, and slightly disturbing in others since - as the author intended - I recognised some of the negative traits not just in other people, but also myself. It reminded me, very slightly, of CS Lewis's Screwtape Letters in the way it made many important points in satirical light humour.

Definitely recommended to anyone who has anything to do with the church.

Latest longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

[LL B · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at some of the activities of the church, religious purveyers, and general stirrers, not to mention church goers own behaviour well meaning or otherwise. Written from the perspective of those who are trying to subtly send the church into a state of dissarray, keeping it from being its most effective, mocking the peculiar practices and generally undermining everything and anything from the valuable to the outrageous...

Definately a thought provoking book. However, i found that in order to keep up the style that the repetative "available from churchmanship headquarters for ... pounds and pence..." throughout the whole book proved somewhat annoying. Also, i found that some of the language was either a little pretentious or innaccessible, however, i guess this was also a stylistic choice. Would have liked the epilogue to be a little longer than a page and a half, however, it did make it's point.

A tricky read, long in the middle, full of good points and with a smattering of humour that made the read worth it.

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite Adrian Plass book, but it passed the time while my mind was occupied with various thick and heavy other books! I think his main point is: could Christians do a worse job of making a mess of church if they were actually in an organised movement with that as it's aim?! Compared to the Adrian Plass diaries Looking Good, Being Bad suffers from seeming to have too much of a serious point to make. Plass' strength is his ability to sneak up on you and make a serious point when you think he's just joking around, but he hasn't quite nailed this one.

[Jason Blean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable healthy self-examination of the church and so many of its foibles. The illustrations add to the humour and appropriately set in a context of ridicule some of the more outlandish "ploys" suggested by Prof Peter Caws. This book had me laughing from start to finish. Though some of the ploys might seem a little laboured, the point is made, 21st Century style, in a manner that I'm sure Lewis would have appreciated. Another very fine piece of Plass in action.

[Naturegirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sp, I thought this was going to be a serious read, but then discovered that it's another one of Adrian Plass's little comic masterpieces. It's pretty much the British version of "A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat." Plass outlines in painful, intellectually comic detail how to look good in church while behaving quite badly. Lovely!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started slowly but by the end was really enjoying it. Plass can really sustain the satire, something which is difficult to do, I'm sure. Some of the situations were funnier than others but the one about getting out of doing the actions to choruses was hilarious. You do need to be familiar with church life though - Often Partisan didn't seem to get the joke!

[Robin Fox]

This grew on me. Granted, I was tired when I started, but I still think that Adrian Plass is getting a bit same-ish with this book. Worth a read, though, and there are some laughs to be had

[Rob Laycock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant, Adrian Plass at his satirical best but oh what an accurate description of characters and behaviours in the church!