Matthew Paul Turner’s latest offering, Hear No Evil, may actually be the funniest book I’ve ever read. Before you accuse me of exaggeration, realize that I primarily read books on ministry and theology, and humor isn’t typically a big part of those texts. But in Hear No Evil, Matthew Paul Turner, also known as @jesusneedsnewpr on twitter, offers a humorous look back on his journey from being raised in an fundamentalist Independent Baptist church, to acting as the editor at CCM during the height of the Christian Music Industry in the mid 1990s.
While I was raised Southern Baptist, his stories of his legalistic upbringing brought many memories to mind and I realized that a baptist by any other name was still a baptist. The point when he struggles with the realization that he wasn’t raised to be Arminian or Calvinist really brought laughter. It seems that both he and I were raised to be Baptist-y, instead. I found his experiences in being educated about the false teachings of other denominations to be especially funny, because I can remember trying to save my methodist and pentecostal friends.
His experience at a Christian University (Belmont) brought up similar situations and circumstances that I could relate to having attended a similar school at East Texas Baptist University. I think anyone with ties to Christian schools will remember the students who were trying to break out from the shelter that had been situated around them since birth, protecting them from their world and culture.
This book is worth your time. In a world when everyone tries to make everything so incredibly serious and reverent, a little irreverence is needed. Matthew Paul Turner‘s way of drawing in the reader with humor is remarkable, but the lessons learned in the end are what truly matters. Read this book.
In fact, for one lucky reader, you get to read it for free. You get to win your own copy of Hear No Evil right here on davidnormanblog.com. Since the author was the editor at CCM for sometime, just leave a comment with the name of your favorite musician or singer to be entered. Monday (2/22) I’ll randomly select the winner and we’ll get the book headed to you.
If you don’t win, you can always purchase the book here.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
