Churched

"Churchedis funny, poignant, and surprisingly moving. In this deft story of his fundamentalist upbringing Matthew Paul Turner proclaims the good news: that even church can't drown out the message of Jesus." Sara Miles, author ofTake This Bread "Turner'schurchedlives in that elusive space between whimsical memories of an innocent youth and cringe-inducing flashbacks of life growing up in the church. Like a visit with long-lost relatives,churchedreintroduced me to characters anyone who grew up in the church will find familiar, and I was surprised to find that I was glad to see them. Sweet-hearted, funny, and honest,churchedhad me reminiscing about the little boy searching for God that I once was and gently reminded me I still have some miles to travel." Dan Merchant, writer/director ofLord, Save Us From Your Followers "Thanks tochurched, Matthew Paul Turner's vivid, often hilarious account of his childhood, I realized that not having grown up in evangelical culture is less of a handicap than I previously thought!" Andrew Beaujon, author ofBody Piercing Saved My Lifeand writer for theWashington Post "Turner crafts an amusing field guide to fundamentalism that's both a gentle lampoon of hypocrisy and misplaced fervor, and a model of how to survive being 'churched' without cynically rejecting the good with the bad, the Founder with his followers." Anna Broadway, author ofSexless in the City "Matthew Paul Turner's memoir has the insight of Anne Lamott and the comic honesty of David Sedaris. His stories force us to wonder which of our Christian beliefs and practices come from scripture and which spring up out of our own preferences and fears." Rob Stennett, author ofThe Almost True Story Of Ryan Fisher "Finally! A bona-fide humorist in the North American church! I might be tempted to say Matthew Paul Turner is Christendom's answer to David Sedaris, but Matthew stands on his own without the comparison. A memoirist who doesn't take himself or the world too seriously, but still manages to write profoundly and beautifully, Turner gave me a belly-laugh on almost every page. If you grew up believing 'being conformed not to this world' meant being the weirdest kid on the block,churchedwill be the funniest book you've read in years!" Lisa Samson, award-winning author ofQuaker Summer,Embrace MeandJustice in the Burbs "With his homespun humor and eye for living detail, Matthew Paul Turner'schurchedinvites readers to rethink the quirks of Christian culture for the sake of uncovering that which is lastingly good and worth holding dear. Turner's work is a refreshingly gentle discussion of faith and culture with the potential to spark meaningful conversations." Pete Gall, author ofMy Beautiful Idol "If you didn't think Jesus-loving fundamentalist kids were very funny, Matthew Paul Turner proves you wrong." --Jason Boyett, author ofPocket Guide to the BibleandPocket Guide to the Apocalypse. "How can a book be so stinkin' funny and yet so poignant at the same time? Matthew Paul Turner found his voice! After readingchurchedI wanted to hug him and then toss out all of my son's clip-on ties." Jennifer Schuchmann, author ofSix Prayers God Always Answers "Who knew that a journey through faith and