The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer

by James Cary

Publisher:

SPCK Publishing

, 2021

Overview

Maybe Jesus was joking, the disciples didn’t know what they were doing and the New Testament is a lot funnier than you might think.

You would think it weird if someone suddenly ascended into heaven, right? Reading between the lines, do we detect a touch of rivalry between Peter and John? And surely the lack of parables in the latter’s mystical tome is simply crying out to be redressed...

In this sparklingly witty book, BBC sitcom writer James Cary gives us a new and liberating way of looking at the gospel as he entertainingly relates it to a modern context, with references ranging from Charles Dickens to The Vicar of Dibley. Cheerfully playing around with the text, he takes the Bible seriously but allows us to laugh at our own petty vanities and foibles - and be enlightened in the process.

The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer is ideal for anyone wanting to liven up their Bible reading and looking for new ways to be thrilled by this sacred text. It’s also perfect for priests, pastors, youth leaders and all those involved in ministry and giving sermons, as James Cary shows using comedy and humour is a brilliant way to communicate the gospel.

Warm, funny and full of brilliant insight and Christian humour, The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer will make you laugh out loud and shake your head in awe. You’ll never read the Bible the same way again.

Contents

Introduction 1
The Ascension 7
The first joke in John’s Gospel 11
The wedding thank-you note 14
Wot, no parables? 17
That escalated quickly 22
The great I AM 26
Pilgrim’s Progress 33
The truth about the Good Samaritan 37
Walking on the water 45
Interval 49
Losing your religion 50
For it is written, right? 64
Evangelistic strategies 69
Philip, the angel and the eunuch 75
The truth will set you free 80
Another previously deleted parable 84
Pilgrim’s Progress Part 2 89
Peter and the Sadducees 92
Rude interruptions 96
Christians according to sitcom writers 100
Raising Lazarus 110
Peter and John are definitely not racing to the
tomb. Honest 115
Paul, Silas and the jailer 118
An angel in A Christmas Carol 121
Ascension 2 - not quite The Return 127
The final chapter 132
Epilogue - Pilgrim’s Progress Part 3 139

Praise for The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer

The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer is an unmitigated delight, blending sketches with Scripture, theology with laugh out loud jokes. Funny and moving in equal measure, it dances with Paschal joy.

An elegant treatise on how [the Church] could lighten up its image.

Having worked for many years at the coalface of comedy, sorting the dross from the combustible, James Cary is uniquely qualified to write this book.

Marvellous potential . . . for opening up conversations and avenues of thoughtful debate.

A truly brilliant debut book.

A wonderful cascade of sage snippets . . . fit to grace bedside tables and smallest rooms in the greatest houses.

Product Details

• Title: The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer
• Author: James Cary
• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Logos Release Date: 2022
• Pages: 160
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9780281085996, 9780281085637, 0281085633, 0281085994
• Resource ID: LLS:9780281085996
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T22:46:57Z

About the Author

James Cary is a sitcom writer for the BBC, with a hand in Miranda, Bluestone 42, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones and Hut 33. He's also a Member of the General Synod and The Archbishops' Council. He blogs on religion and comedy at jamescary.co.uk and sitcomgeek.blogspot.com, and co-presents podcasts Sitcom Geeks, and Cooper and Cary Have Words. He is the author of The Sacred Art of Joking, a look at how religion and comedy intersect (SPCK 2018).