Humor From The Pulpit

Humor From The Pulpit
Author: Robert Machurek
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 115
Release: 2005-02-20
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 1411630165

Recent Letter: Dear Pastor Robert. As a Religious leader and broadcaster, I am always sent material that is funny, but may be overly disrespectful to God, my TV audience, or other denominations. I can honestly say that More Humor From The Pulpit is one of the most enjoyable collection of religious humor I have read in a long time. While 12 of the jokes and stories I am told are from your own writings, the rest have been passed on from minister to minister and told to congregations throughout the years. Surprisingly I found many in your book that I have not heard before. I highly recommend that all ministers and anyone else who enjoys a good laugh, to pick up their own copy.

Humor in Contemporary Native North American Literature

Humor in Contemporary Native North American Literature
Author: Eva Gruber
Publisher: Camden House
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2008
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9781571132574

Encompassing view of humor in recent Native North American literature, with particular focus on Native self-image and identity. In contrast to the popular cliché of the "stoic Indian," humor has always been important in Native North American cultures. Recent Native literature testifies to the centrality of this tradition. Yet literary criticism has so farlargely neglected these humorous aspects, instead frequently choosing to concentrate on representations of trauma and cultural disruption, at the risk of reducing Native characters and Native cultures to the position of the tragicvictim. This first comprehensive study explores the use of humor in today's Native writing, focusing on a wide variety of texts spanning all genres. It combines concepts from cultural studies and humor studies with approaches byNative thinkers and critics, analyzing the possible effects of humorous forms of representation on the self-image and identity formation of Native individuals and Native cultures. Humor emerges as an indispensable tool for engaging with existing stereotypes: Native writers subvert degrading clichés of "the Indian" from within, reimagining Nativeness in a celebration of laughing survivors, "decolonizing" the minds of both Native and non-native readers, andcontributing to a renewal of Native cultural identity. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Native Studies both literary and cultural. Due to its encompassing approach, it will also provide a point of entry for the wider readership interested in contemporary Native writing. Eva Gruber is Assistant Professor in the American Studies section of the Department of Literature at the University of Konstanz, Germany.

Between Heaven and Mirth

Between Heaven and Mirth
Author: James Martin
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2011-10-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0062098624

“Between Heaven and Mirth will make any reader smile. . . . Father Martin reminds us that happiness is the good God’s own goal for us.” —Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York From The Colbert Report’s “official chaplain” James Martin, SJ, author of the New York Times bestselling The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, comes a revolutionary look at how joy, humor, and laughter can change our lives and save our spirits. A Jesuit priest with a busy media ministry, Martin understands the intersections between spirituality and daily life. In Between Heaven and Mirth, he uses scriptural passages, the lives of the saints, the spiritual teachings of other traditions, and his own personal reflections to show us why joy is the inevitable result of faith, because a healthy spirituality and a healthy sense of humor go hand-in-hand with God's great plan for humankind.

Humor and Satire on Contemporary Television

Humor and Satire on Contemporary Television
Author: Silas Kaine Ezell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2016-05-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 131711941X

This book examines contemporary American animated humor, focusing on popular animated television shows in order to explore the ways in which they engage with American culture and history, employing a peculiarly American way of using humor to discuss important cultural issues. With attention to the work of American humorists, such as the Southwest humorists, Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, and Kurt Vonnegut, and the question of the extent to which modern animated satire shares the qualities of earlier humor, particularly the use of setting, the carnivalesque, collective memory, racial humor, and irony, Humor and Satire on Contemporary Television concentrates on a particular strand of American humor: the use of satire to expose the gap between the American ideal and the American experience. Taking up the notion of ’The Great American Joke’, the author examines the discursive humor of programmes such as The Simpsons, South Park , Family Guy , King of the Hill, Daria, American Dad!, The Boondocks, The PJs and Futurama . A study of how animated television programmes offer a new discourse on a very traditional strain of American humor, this book will appeal to scholars and students of popular culture, television and media studies, American literature and visual studies, and contemporary humor and satire.

The Humour of America

The Humour of America
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2023-11-20
Genre: Humor
ISBN:

The Humour of America serves as a vibrant anthology capturing the essence of American wit and satire through a spectrum of literary forms, from essays to short stories and playful poems. This collection, showcasing the diverse traditions of American humor, spans over two centuries of literary history, featuring seminal pieces from a broad array of authors who have deftly employed humor to critique society, reflect on national identity, or simply entertain. The anthology's curation highlights the evolution of American humor, demonstrating its role in shaping and challenging perspectives on culture, politics, and daily life. The contributing authors, including Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Benjamin Franklin, among others, are titans of American literature, each bringing a unique voice and vision to the anthology. Their backgrounds reflect a mosaic of American society, with works that emerged amidst pivotal movements such as the transcendentalist era, the abolitionist movement, and the early phases of modern American literature. These writers collectively underscore the complexity and richness of America's literary heritage, offering insights into the nation's evolving sense of humor and its cultural fabric. The Humour of America is an essential anthology for readers seeking to explore the depth and diversity of American humor. It offers a unique opportunity to engage with the works of renowned authors side by side, providing an educational journey through the landscape of American satire and wit. This collection not only invites readers to appreciate the literary genius of its contributors but also fosters a dialogue on the enduring power of humor to connect, critique, and celebrate the human experience.

Stand-Up Preaching

Stand-Up Preaching
Author: Jacob D. Myers
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2022-10-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 166670282X

Few vocations share more in common with preaching than stand-up comedy. Each profession demands attention to the speaker's bodily and facial gestures, tone and inflection, timing, and thoughtful engagement with contemporary contexts. Furthermore, both preaching and stand-up arise out of creative tension with homiletic or comedic traditions, respectively. Every time the preacher steps into the pulpit or the comedian steps onto the stage, they must measure their words and gestures against their audience's expectations and assumptions. They participate in a kind of dance that is at once choreographed and open to improvisation. It is these and similar commonalities between preaching and stand-up comedy that this book engages. Stand-Up Preaching does not aim to help preachers tell better jokes. The focus of this book is far more expansive. Given the recent popularity of comedy specials, preachers have greater access to a broad array of emerging comics who showcase fresh comedic styles and variations on comedic traditions. Coupled with the perennial Def Comedy Jams on HBO, preachers also have ready access to the work of classic comics who have exhibited great storytelling and stage presence. This book will offer readers tools to discern what is homiletically significant in historical and contemporary stand-up routines, equipping them with fresh ways to riff off of their respective preaching traditions, and nuanced ways to engage issues of contemporary sociopolitical importance.