The Prostitute in the Family Tree

Discovering Humor and Irony in the Bible

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by Douglas Adams

Westminster John Knox Press

Due/Published September 1997, 115 pages, paper

ISBN 0664256937

The Bible is funny! Very funny, according to this new book from Douglas Adams. But in order to discover this humor, Adams says, readers must take Bible passages in their entirety - not just as selected lines. When looking at the Bible as a whole, readers see not just selected, moralistic passages. Instead they see biblical stories with all their rough edges - the unethical and ambiguous characters, the unsolved problems, and the surprising endings. Adams's book shows how seeing these faults in biblical figures and events strengthens modern Christians' faith. In addition to pointing out cleverness in the Bible. Adams offers readers various practical methods and examples of how storytelling and some simple dramatic techniques can recover the biblical humor for today's education, worship, and preaching.