When Sarah overhears God tell Abraham that she will give birth
to a son, she laughs. She laughs to herself at the impossibility of
her, in her old age, bearing a child (Gen 18:12). But God's ways
are not Sarah's ways; God is far more wonderful than Sarah
imagines. Of course, Sarah does give birth to a son and names him
Isaac, whose name means to laugh: God has brought laughter for me;
everyone who hears will laugh with me (Gen 21:6). Surely, the
ancient audience 'aware of the many incongruities in this story
'did laugh. But can we in modern times recover the divine humor,
the paradox and promise, in this and other biblical accounts? Can
we use that sacred laughter as a means to evangelize a world that
longs for God every bit as much as the ancients did? In "Laughing
with God: Humor, Culture, and Transformation, Catholic priest and
cultural anthropologist" Gerald Arbuckle helps us do just that.
With Arbuckle, readers will enter many rich biblical stories and
come away laughing, not laughter as in response to a joke or
comedy, but a profound laughter of the heart. Readers will laugh at
Sarah as she laughs at God, and they will laugh together with Sarah
and God. Readers will discover divine humor in the parables of
Jesus and even in his suffering and death, the ultimate paradox for
Christians. In addition to uncovering and recovering humor in
Scripture, Arbuckle's work is a treasure trove of modern examples
of humor 'from literature, movies, and television 'that
surprisingly can be a means of transforming cultures to better
reflect the kingdom of God. In the end, readers will want to turn
the phrase, He who laughs last, laughs best, into, They who laugh
with God, evangelize best.
"Gerald A. Arbuckle, SM, PhD, is co-director of Refounding and
Pastoral Development, a research ministry, in Sydney, Australia. He
is internationally known for his expertise in helping church
leaders minister effectively in a postmodern world. Arbuckle's most
recent books include: "Confronting the Demon: A Gospel Response to
Adult Bullying; Violence, Society, and the Church: A Cultural
Approach; and Healthcare Ministry: Refounding the Mission in
Tumultuous Times" (2001 Catholic Press Association Award), al
published by Liturgical Press.
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