How to Survive Being a Presbyterian: A Merry Manual Celebrating the Foibles of the Frozen Chosen

Rating:
Summary: THE WIT AND WISDOM OF PERCY T. PRESBY
Review: A broadly satirical but earnest and warm-hearted look at the peculiarities of Presbyterianism, "How To Survive Being a Presbyterian!" is a delightful little book that will amuse and inform everyone who opens its cover. Author Bob Reed covers a wide range of topics, from the beginning of the Reformed tradition to modern worship practices, including deft (albeit exaggerated) illustrations of typical churchmembers' personalities down to what color car Presbyterians should drive. Reed's text is highlighted by clever observations of the fictional Percy T. Presby, a 300-year old parson with a keen eye and a sharp tongue who has something to say about creation, prayers, confession, women, and just about everything else. A clever and informative book that should please any Presbyterian, or anyone who ever wondered what the Reformed Church is all about. Definitely recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Committe Jokes OK
Review: I got this book expecting humerous explanations of Presbyterian philosophy. It has a lot of cute jokes, but has very little food for thought in terms of Christian or philisophical content. I reccomend this for the Presbyterian committee member with a sense of humor. It's also a mildly good joke gift for a church leader. I wouldn't particularly reccomend buying it for your Sunday school class, though.

Rating:
Summary: Committe Jokes OK
Review: I got this book expecting humerous explanations of Presbyterian philosophy. It has a lot of cute jokes, but has very little food for thought in terms of Christian or philisophical content. I reccomend this for the Presbyterian committee member with a sense of humor. It's also a mildly good joke gift for a church leader. I wouldn't particularly reccomend buying it for your Sunday school class, though.

Rating:
Summary: The Joys of Being Presbyterian
Review: If you want a lighthearted look at the joys and idiosyncrasies of being a Presbyterian, this book is for you. Bob Reed takes our "Presbyterian Culture" and talks about it in ways that will have most long time Presbyterians giggling and nodding our heads.

His subtitle of the book is "A Merry Manual Celebrating the Funny Foibles of the Frozen Chosen." If you "take exception" to that nickname, well, so do I; but moving beyond it you will read and reflect upon all sorts of things that make us Presbyterian that do not appear in, say, the Book of Order or the creeds and confessions of our denomination.

The cover has two sidebars that say "Secrets Revealed!" and "Now it can be told!"-All in good fun, Bob Reed tells us the distinctive and sometimes hilarious things that make Presbyterians Presbyterian. From Reed's take on the Presbyterian dress code to "A Presbyterian's Idea of Hell on Earth" there is much that will give you a chance to think about what matters to us, and wonder just why in the world it does!

Author Reed has a vivid imagination and he has invented a little imaginary Presbyterian friend, called Percy T. Presby. Dressed in clothing you might expect to see in Colonial Williamsburg, from the three-corner hat down to the buckles on his shoes, Percy takes us all on a journey of discovery of Presbyterianism. Percy is very much like a Presbyterian version of Ben Franklin's "Poor Richard" (as in Poor Richard's Almanac), with all kinds of short memorable, one-liners.

These pithy quotations would be great discussion starters round the table or in a meeting... Here is an example: "Percy T. Presby's Thoughts About Meetings: `When it is apparent that the vote on an issue will me unanimous, there will usually be one negative vote, because many Presbyterians think unanimity on anything is probably against God's will.'" (page 46).

Whether you are brand new to the wonderful world of the Presbyterian Church or have been a part of it from the cradle roll on, you will find much to ponder and enjoy. Also included is "the Presbyterian National Anthem"-no I will not have our choir sing it for you-but it is also worth a chuckle.

Rating:
Summary: The Joys of Being Presbyterian
Review: If you want a lighthearted look at the joys and idiosyncrasies of being a Presbyterian, this book is for you. Bob Reed takes our "Presbyterian Culture" and talks about it in ways that will have most long time Presbyterians giggling and nodding our heads.

His subtitle of the book is "A Merry Manual Celebrating the Funny Foibles of the Frozen Chosen." If you "take exception" to that nickname, well, so do I; but moving beyond it you will read and reflect upon all sorts of things that make us Presbyterian that do not appear in, say, the Book of Order or the creeds and confessions of our denomination.

The cover has two sidebars that say "Secrets Revealed!" and "Now it can be told!"-All in good fun, Bob Reed tells us the distinctive and sometimes hilarious things that make Presbyterians Presbyterian. From Reed's take on the Presbyterian dress code to "A Presbyterian's Idea of Hell on Earth" there is much that will give you a chance to think about what matters to us, and wonder just why in the world it does!

Author Reed has a vivid imagination and he has invented a little imaginary Presbyterian friend, called Percy T. Presby. Dressed in clothing you might expect to see in Colonial Williamsburg, from the three-corner hat down to the buckles on his shoes, Percy takes us all on a journey of discovery of Presbyterianism. Percy is very much like a Presbyterian version of Ben Franklin's "Poor Richard" (as in Poor Richard's Almanac), with all kinds of short memorable, one-liners.

These pithy quotations would be great discussion starters round the table or in a meeting... Here is an example: "Percy T. Presby's Thoughts About Meetings: 'When it is apparent that the vote on an issue will me unanimous, there will usually be one negative vote, because many Presbyterians think unanimity on anything is probably against God's will.'" (page 46).

Whether you are brand new to the wonderful world of the Presbyterian Church or have been a part of it from the cradle roll on, you will find much to ponder and enjoy. Also included is "the Presbyterian National Anthem"-no I will not have our choir sing it for you-but it is also worth a chuckle.

Rating:
Summary: Bland book on an even blander topic
Review: The history of the mainline Protestant denominations in America over the 20th century is a story of homogenization - United Methodist, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, etc. are all pretty much the same content with a different name on the wrapper. Devoid of any theological or eccleasiastical distinctives, they're left with nothing but cultural idiosyncracies that aren't particularly interesting or distinctive (one of Reed's witty observations is that Presbyterian women drink decaf coffee - amazing, isn't it?). If you're wondering about the reasons of the massive drop-off in membership of mainline churches, this should serve as good evidence.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT PRESBYTERIAN HUMOR!
Review: This is one funny book! The author takes on Presbyterians from an "inside the church" angle. It's a warm and gentle spoof of our denomination that imparts some real information about the founders and basic beliefs of our church.

I discovered it from an article in the Tampa paper that talked about its "insightful witticisms." It has that. This is not a serious tome but rather a good and humorous look at everything Presbyterian.

I have given it to my pastor and some church friends. It makes a good gift. I recommend it to all Presbyterians who want a good laugh.

Kay Gordon, Orlando