What You Didn't Learn from Your Parents About: Christianity

There is a fine line between being witty and being a smart elek, and Matthew Paul Turner has made an art of carefully walking that line. His newest tightrope act, “What You Didn’t Learn from Your Parents About: Chrisitanity” is an enlightening, yet playful exploration of the world of the Christian sub-culture.

This is not uncharted territory for Turner, who authored, “The Christian Culture Survival Guide,” but it is new scenary in a familiar land. This examination could be veiwed controversial considering some of the targets at which Turner fires his flaming arrows of observation. No one is safe: Binney Hinn, the Baptists, Christian music, even your grandmother are put under the microscope.

One aspect of the book that can repel some readers and at the same time attract others is the format. This book reads as if it were written by someone with ADHD for someone with ADHD. There is the main narrative, of course, but this is often interrupted by side-bars, other stories, thoughts by the publishers and even charts.

If you, like myself, have difficulty focusing on one topic for an extended period of time, this hyperactivity may break up the monotony. Not that the book ever becomes monotonous; there isn’t any opportunity for it. The chapters are relatively short and easily read. The added information can be read after finishing the chapter or as you come to them.

Overall, the book is an intellectual, yet critical examination of the state of American Christianity: the good, the bad, and the really bad. According to Turner’s web site, there are three other books in the “What You Didn't Learn from Your Parents About…” series. The topics include sex, politics, and money: all of the things your parents taught you to never bring up in public. “What You Didn't Learn from Your Parents About: Christianity” is a great book for anyone who has ever scanned the landscape of American Christianity only to be left confused, cynical, or jaded.

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