Matthew Paul Turner - 'The Christian Culture Survival Guide'

Jocularity and blunt candor combine to make The Christian Culture Survival Guide one of the most entertaining, yet thought-provoking books I've read all year. The only thing that Matthew Paul Turner seems to hold sacred is Jesus himself; the culture that modern day American religion has fine-tuned to show everyone how "good Christians act," however, is fair game. From the cliches found in many church worship services to volunteering to commercializing Christ - Turner covers it all.

The first time I heard about The Christian Culture Survival Guide was at GMA week. Bryan Duncan was sitting in front of the Renaissance Hotel, reading aloud and I was laughing so hard that my makeup was threatening to run! Upon my return home ordering a copy of the book took priority over unpacking.

The first time I read it, the humor is what came through the most. The second time, when I read it with my husband, the irony of just how silly and superficial some of our Christian cultural "rules" are took the forefront. The third time, when I shared it with some friends, the honesty of Turner's relationship with Christ hit me the hardest. This was truly one of those books that spoke to me differently, no matter how many times I read it.

Growing up in an "ultra-conservative Baptist church," attending a "liberal Christian university" and serving as the editor of CCM Magazine means that there isn't much that Turner hasn't seen. And if he's seen it in the "Christian culture bubble," you can believe he poked fun at it!

Some people have asked how Turner can "call himself a Christian" while making fun of the church-inspired culture. The irony there is that when things like sub-standard entertainment (which is lauded as great simply because Jesus' name gets mentioned - and yes, we have it too!), WWJD bracelets and an image of perfection that people hide behind as Christians is all that non-believers see when they look at us, how can call ourselves Christians if we WON'T examine it?