Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture | 
| Author: Daniel Radosh
Publisher: Scribner
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 33654
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1
ISBN: 0743297709
Dewey Decimal Number: 261.0973
EAN: 9780743297707
ASIN: 0743297709
Publication Date: April 8, 2008
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Product Description
What does it mean when a band is judged by how hard they pray rather than how hard they rock? Would Jesus buy "Jesus junk" or wear "witness wear"? What do Christian skate parks, raves, and romance novels say about evangelicalism -- and America? Daniel Radosh went searching for the answers and reached some surprising conclusions. Written with the perfect blend of amusement and respect, Rapture Ready! is an insightful, entertaining, and deeply weird journey through the often hidden world of Christian pop culture. This vast and influential subculture -- a $7 billion industry and growing -- can no longer be ignored by those who want to understand the social, spiritual, and political aspirations of evangelical Christians. In eighteen cities and towns throughout thirteen states -- from the Bible Belt to the outskirts of Hollywood -- Radosh encounters a fascinating cast of characters, including Bibleman, the Caped Christian; Rob Adonis, the founder and star of Ultimate Christian Wrestling; Ken Ham, the nation's leading prophet of creationism; and Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and pastor of his own liberal, punk rock church. From Christian music festivals and theme parks to Passion plays and comedy nights, Radosh combines gonzo reporting with a keen eye for detail and just the right touch of wit. Rapture Ready! is a revealing survey of a parallel universe and a unique perspective on one of America's most important social movements.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 Very insightful look at the good, the bad, and the funny of Christian Pop Culture. July 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I enjoyed this book a lot. Having been raised in a very strict religious household, this book made me shutter as it brought up painful memories that are obviously still in practice today. However, it also showed me that things could have been much wackier. The book is a wonderful mirror being held up to many of the current practices in much of Christian world today that seem to have forgotten the golden rule to love thy neighbor as thyself. But the book holds hope in that their are those who still follow this thesis and are pushing back at the current trend of hatefulness. Mr. Radosh is a great observer and can paint his observations on the page so vividly that I felt myself at each event he attended. I read this book on the New York subway to and from work each day and several times began laughing out loud to the annoyance and curiosity of those around me. I learn a lot of new things and had many gaps in my knowledge filled in. I highly recommend Rapture Ready!
Funny and Refreshing July 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Radosh is an outsider to this world of Christian pop culture, and his encounters are both humorous, well-informed and reflective. Without too much eye-rolling, he sincerely connects with the people behind such diverse entertainments as Bible Man and pro-wrestlers for Christ. Below the surface absurdities, Radosh uncovers the humanity of it all, and the often misunderstood and sometimes sinister implications.
Well done and relevant June 16, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great read, written with the perfect combination of humor, wonder and respect. It definitely opened my eyes to the wide, diverse world of Christian pop culture, and the Christian religion in the United States, and made me think more seriously about what Christian pop culture means for the future of mainstream culture--as well as politics, education, civic life, etc. Since reading this, it seems I can't open the newspaper without noticing an article about something Christian--Christian...more This is a great read, written with the perfect combination of humor, wonder and respect. It definitely opened my eyes to the wide, diverse world of Christian pop culture, and the Christian religion in the United States, and made me think more seriously about what Christian pop culture means for the future of mainstream culture--as well as politics, education, civic life, etc. Since reading this, it seems I can't open the newspaper without noticing an article about something Christian--Christian license plates, Christian gyms. Well done and relevant!
Quick and enlightening read June 1, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
As a former believer who engages in what some call "recreational Christianity" much of what is presented in this book is already familiar to me. However, there were more than a few pearls and bits of trivia that made this book a worthwhile purchase and charming read.
 A multi-faceted read May 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It Shouldn't work. A liberal Jewish journalist/humorist dives in to the alternative universe of Christian pop culture and returns with a book that is simultaneously smart, informative, jaw-dropping, funny, and fair. That doesn't seem possible, does it? Well, Daniel Radosh has proved that it is with Rapture Ready. Clearly writing for the coastal, lefty crowd he's part of (and I am part of), it's an introduction to all the Christian versions of the various pop stuff we're all assaulted with every day. This is all very familiar, except much more Christ-y. And if learning about such a universe doesn't interest you, give the book a try just for the humor. He's got a great way of injecting a funny observation at just the right moment, just at the point where something has to be said. And there's one full-out parody, a fake interview with Stephen Baldwin, which is both a classic and serves as a much needed breather for those of us who, um, get really creeped out by evangelicals.
But that brings up one of the most important things about the book. It is not a Christian bashing. Through it (and through the multimedia appendix on its website), you learn about all the non-crazy evangelicals too, the ones who don't make the news. And you learn that there is good Christian rock music (my fave: mewithoutYou), and there are funny Christian comedians, and, perhaps most importantly, there are liberal voices in evangelical communities. (Some.) By combining several different approaches to the subject, Rapture Ready comes out a unified whole: part scholarly examination, part adventure, part funny-book, part cure for the all-too-persistent feeling that there is nothing but conflict in the future between evangelicals and secularists.
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