Book Review: How to Be the Perfect Christian

I don’t know the last time a book made me snort-laugh, but How to Be a Perfect Christian by Babylon Bee sure did. Seriously. I really did LOL. And took pictures and sent them to my friends. It is that funny. And, I have a pretty advanced sense of humor (haha).

For background: The Babylon Bee is a satirical Christian website similar to the Onion. They post fake news stories based on Christianity that sometimes can seem eerily truthful. With satire, the key is poking fun at the stupid things we do. We as in Christians.

I’m in my thirties, but I am just now realizing that not everyone has the same understanding of church culture and Christianese as I do. I’ve lived in a bubble for so long that I thought some of the “church stuff” that I know so well, everyone knew. I now know that is far from the truth. However, for those of us who have been thoroughly “churched,” this type of satire is hilarious.

First, you MUST be able to laugh at yourself because they poke fun at everyone. They hit on all the weird parts of Christian culture that anyone remotely involved in a church will recognize. Really – they make fun of everyone.

• Mega Churches 
• Homeschoolers
• Baptists
• Methodists
• Democrats
• Republicans
• Mom Bloggers (Haha)

Second, you MUST understand that it is satire. The whole idea of a book that tells you “how to be a perfect Christian” should be the first clue. There is no such thing. The book, instead, points to all the ways you can “look” like the perfect Christian according to church culture and American culture.

Third, you MUST be familiar with Christian culture to truly appreciate it. They drop joke after joke about Christian culture – the music, the bumper stickers, the movies, etc. They also scored big laughs from me about certifiable sins like listening to secular music.

Fourth, you MUST recognize that they do end the book by pointing the reader to the true message of Christianity – “Instead of faking smiles and completing checklists, the Christian life [should] be about beholding the unspeakable glory of the Creator and living to please Him and make Him known in a dying world.”

If you are already a fan of Babylon Bee, you will love the book. If you are a fan of comedian John Crist who also pokes fun at all the “weird stuff” we do, then you will enjoy this book. If you take yourself and your church a little too serious, this is NOT the book for you.

Thank you, Blogging for Books, for sending me this winner!

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