Rob Stennett's debut novel is a hilarious yet poignant tongue-in-cheek look at the megachurch phenomenon and one man's skyrocketing ascent to pastor stardom.
[He] knows how to craft a good scene, and the pacing never falters as the story pushes to its inevitable conclusion. This sparkling addition to Christian fiction will provide plenty of thoughtful introspection about churches, worship services and pastors today even while it succeeds as pure entertainment.
Rob gets so many things right about contemporary American consumer Christianity that I kept checking to make sure he was a novelist and not a journalist. It's satire, sure enough, but like the best satire, the story of Ryan Fisher's startup church has the ring of truth.
I'm tempted to say that American Christians _need_ books like this, and that you have a moral duty to buy it and tell your friends about it. But that might be overdoing it a tad. So I'll just say it's a page-turning good time. And pee-yer-pants-funny. And totally depressing. But in the best way.
Rob Stennett is equal parts Tom Perotta and Rob Bell. His book is a sharp - but also loving - satire of religion in America. In the words of his main character, it's funny as H-E double hockey sticks.
Rob Stennett doesn't simply have his finger on the pulse of the modern church in America...he's using both hands...and their clenched like a blood pressure cuff. Using large doses of humor, insight, and pathos, Stennett manages to spin delightful (yet unrelenting) satire without resorting to cheap shots or stereotypes. This is a big-hearted story, sometimes sad, almost true, and luring readers to keep turning pages toward a superb and satisfying end.
A consummate salesman, Ryan Fisher sees an opportunity to succeed and sell big, so he places an ad in the Christian business pages even though he is not a believer by any means. His plans get even grander when he decides to build his very own megachurch. This first novel is both a biting satire and a bittersweet account of a man whose machinations just may catch up with him as he juggles a failing marriage and tries to keep up the deceit that he is a man of faith.
Screenwriter Stennett offers a satirical look at a non-Christian's ascent to pastor of a megachurch in this engaging, highly readable novel. Ryan Fisher is a 28-year-old real estate agent who doesn't believe in God, but lists himself in the Christian Business Directory (along with a Jesus fish symbol) to beef up sales. He and his wife, Katherine, attend church to validate his new religious image, where he sees the possibilities of utilizing business principles to create his own megachurch. They move to Bartlesville, Okla., and create “The People's Church” where Ryan preaches a feel-good, do-good gospel (“I'm not encumbered by things like the Bible and Jesus”). As church numbers swell, Oprah calls, local pastors are on the warpath, a religious fanatic plots Ryan's assassination, and Katherine is smitten with Cowboy Jack, a karaoke singer-turned-worship leader who pens Christian lyrics to popular radio tunes. Is Ryan in over his head? Interesting narration and Dave Barryesque footnotes make this humorous entertainment with a faith-based message.
I loved the characters, and I got the satire...and in a way the book broke my heart.
Even though this is a fictional account, just the thought that a man with a desire to succeed can watch all the televangelists and read all the books (not the Book), know a few Bible stories and be relational...and build a church that people long to attend...
Well, what does that say about us? What does that say about the American church, and believers as a whole? Are we so busy playing church that someone who doesn't have all the "trappings" can reach people better than we can?
"The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher" releases from Zondervan, and I encourage you to pick up a copy. Mr. Rob's story has humor, heart, and you might learn a few things about yourself, your church, and just how God really wants us to minister (rather than "do" ministry).