Gerald A. Arbuckle, SM, is codirector of Refounding and Pastoral Development, a research ministry, in Sydney, Australia. He is internationally known for his expertise in helping church leaders minister effectively in a postmodern world. In 2011 he presented the Martin D'Arcy, SJ, Lectures at Oxford University. He is the author of many books, including Violence, Society, and the Church; Laughing with God; and Culture, Inculturation, and Theologians, all from Liturgical Press.
[O]ne comes away from this work with a light heart.Catholic Books Review This is a comprehensive, fascinating study which Church leaders and preachers would do well to read and appreciate. The author rightly states that understanding the 'laughter of the heart' is the time-honored way to reach the souls of the faithful, and to evangelize the unchurched... This is a recommended purchase for college, university, and particularly for seminary libraries.Catholic Library World We have here the essentials of a first world liberating theology: the power of the incongruous to break open the intractable and bring scrutiny to the inscrutable. The author, well known for his writings on religious life, inculturation and more recently Catholic health care, refocuses and invites us into the sacrament of laughter, the subversive sacrament of an incongruous God. With cultural awareness and biblical insight he cajoles a reluctant church to retrieve the divine humor, to delight in the incongruity of grace, and rejoice because of it.Associate Professor Gerard Moore, Director of Research, Sydney College of Divinity God's surprising love and forgiveness is expressed in Divine Humor, but Arbuckle's analysis takes us on a journey across cultures, through the Bible, and into the mind itself. A remarkably creative work, full of apercus and illustrations, this is yet another example of the creative interplay between theology and anthropology.Anthony J. Gittins, CSSp, PhD; Professor of Theology and Culture, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago Don't be fooled by the slim size of this book and the levity of its title. With his characteristic theological depth and 'shaking-the-status-quo' insights, Arbuckle, internationally known for his work on inculturation and church reform, offers us a genuine 'tract for the times' when we are tempted by world and church affairs to sink into despair. And if you are angry or despondent at what has been happening in the church, read Chapter Seven. You will be able to laugh with God, hear God's chuckle and even roar, and recover our common humanity. We owe Arbuckle a great debt for showing us the human face of God.Peter C. Phan, Ignacio Ellacuria Chair of Catholic Social Thought, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
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