Full Description
Laughter is important because we cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh, and this is true of our relationship with God. Having a sense of humor is essential for maturity in faith and holiness. Unfortunately, humor and the role that laughter plays in life and spirituality have often been neglected and the aim of Laughter and the Grace of God is to restore laughter to its central place in Christian spirituality and theology. It examines the role of laughter in Scripture and finds it in unexpected places including the story of Abraham and the formation of the covenant and the tragedy of Job. There is laughter in the incarnation, the resurrection, and even the crucifixion. Jesus is the great Laugh-maker. Thomas Aquinas spoke of the sin of having too little laughter as well as the danger of having too much, while Martin Luther said, "If you're not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there." Laughter is nothing less than a participation in the life and love of God.
Contents
Preface | ix
1. Humor and the Christian Vision | 1
2. Mapping the Theo-Comical Territory | 7
3. Jesus the Laugh-Maker | 22
4. Parables, Comic Characters, and the Gospel | 33
5. Laughter as the Language of Faith | 48
6. Covenant Laughter and the Comic Vision | 57
7. God, Heaven, and Humor | 69
8. Grace and Truth through Laughter | 89
9. Laughter at the Cross | 103
10. The Comic Christian Life | 123
Bibliography | 137
Subject Index | 145
Name Index | 149
Scripture Index | 153
