The Sacred Art of Joking is a book by James Cary about how jokes can go horribly wrong, especially in the realm of religion.
The devil may have all the best tunes. But does he have all the best jokes?
Was Jesus funny? Why does religion have to be so serious? Maybe it doesn’t.
Award-winning BBC Comedy writer and stand-up theologian James Cary explains why Christians should be able to take a joke and how the Bible is way funnier than it first appears. Seriously.
James has contributed to BBC shows like Miranda, Another Case of Milton Jones and Newsnight. In The Sacred Art of Joking, he delves into the Bible and finds that ultimately, the joke’s on us.
James explains more about the book over here on YouTube.
How can I buy the book?
You can buy a signed copy of the book directly from the author here here. (UK Only) Please consider doing this as it makes the author considerable more money than your purchase via Amazon.
While you’re there why not grab an audio CD of his romantic comedy, The God Particle and an audio CD of his comedy about Martin Luther and the 95 Theses, A Monk’s Tale. These could make excellent unexpected presents.
If you’re in US, you could use Amazon here.
If you would like the audio book, read by James Cary, you can get that here.
So Who Is James Cary?
James Cary has twenty years’ experience writing all kinds of comedy for BBC, ranging from mainstream hits like Miranda and My Family, and BBC Radio 4 shows like Hut 33 and Another Case of Milton Jones to CBeebies shows like Something Special and Gigglebiz. No stranger to controversy, James c0-created Bluestone 42, a sitcom set in bomb disposal unit in Afghanistan.
James hosts a podcast about comedy called Sitcom Geeks and has performed comedy at Spring Harvest, Greenbelt and The Brighton Fringe. He has also appeared on Newsnight (BBC2), the Today programme (BBC Radio 4) and various BBC news programmes, often talking about comedy and offence.
James is also a Christian, has a degree in Theology and is a member of the General Synod of the Church of England for Bath & Wells. Having written a column for Third Way magazine for over a decade, as well as stage shows The God Particle and A Monk’s Tale, he now co-hosts a podcast about the Church, the Bible and culture with Barry Cooper (Cooper & Cary Have Words).
James also has a one-man show based on all of the above, also called The Sacred Art of Joking, which can be booked for your church. Please contact him via this website for more details.
You can hear a small slice of the show below:
Here’s James on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme on 18th December 2018.
And here, James (pre-low carb diet) talking to Glen Scrivener about why Easter is funnier than it might first appear: