Becky Garrison profile picture

Becky Garrison

Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church

About Me

Currently I serve as Senior Contributing Writer for The Wittenburg Door, the nation's oldest, largest and only religious satire magazine and author of the following books: The New Atheist Crusaders and Their Unholy Grail: The Misguided Quest to Destroy Your Faith, Rising from the Ashes: Rethinking Church , and Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church: Eyewitness Accounts of How American Churches are Hijacking Jesus, Bagging the Beatitudes, and Worshipping the Almighty Dollar . Also, I penned these Amazon shorts: Contemplating Coulter Christianity, Swamp Water: A Memoir, and My Memorial.
Just as there have always been those who misuse and misinterpret religion for their own personal and financial gain, there have a few of us crazy enough to take on the ungodly giants. As a religious satirist (aka court jester), I seek to deconstruct everything and anyone that tries to keep people away from the love of God. Whenever men try to create God in their own image or eradicate God from the face of the earth, I'm right behind them kicking down their prized creations. (Yes, sometimes I can kick a bit too hard, and for that I apologize.) But right after I've slaughtered the sacred cow, for a few brief moments, a calm comes over me. I can see very tiny bits of God shining through the cracks.
For more information, check out my website - wwww (dot) beckygarrison (dot) com.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FROM THE FORWARD FOR NEW ATHEIST CRUASDERS AND THEIR UNHOLY GRAIL by Phyllis Tickle, author of The Words of Jesus: A Gospel of the Sayings of Our Lord with Reflections by Phyllis Tickle
Becky Garrison has all the characteristics that mark and inform her strange profession. Most particularly, she has the brilliance and the passionate love. There are always implications and “effects” that sting in what she writes. There are witticisms that sting also, but there are far more that slice cleanly and with surgical precision through the illogics and pretentions and vapid thinking of sleight-of-hand pretenders to wisdom. Yet never, in all her previous work, has she ever used those skills and her gifts more efficaciously and successfully than here. When a female journalist takes on a coterie of academically-credentialed atheists, the jousting field looks a lot like David and Goliath. It looks that way, because it is that way. It also ends in the same way: David wins.

ADDITIONAL PRAISE FOR THE NEW ATHEIST CRUSADERS
Garrison scores what could be devastating points against the New Atheists.—Publishers Weekly
Even though Becky Garrison has earned a reputation as a gutsy religious satirist, and even though she puts the full force of her sharp skills to use in this exposé on the “new atheist crusaders,” there is more going on here than you might imagine. Yes, she pokes good clean fun at their bloomers and fruit-of-the-loomers, but there are surprising confessional moments too, passages in which her vulnerability and humanity (can I say sincerity?) puncture the pretensions of her targets better than any direct confrontation. You’ll get more than you bargained for in this book. A lesson in style and strategy as well as substance and content—I highly recommended it.—Brian D. McLaren, author of The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything and Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope
Sassy, smart, and hysterically uncompromising, Garrison calls atheists and evangelicals to a deeper dialogue that moves beyond the aggressive self-righteousness of crusaders in all their guises.—Shane Claiborne, activist, new monastic, and author of The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical and Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radical
A snappy, yet serious tale of what intelligent faith means and how to keep it in your heart during these polarized times.—Joan Roughgarden, Professor of Biological Science and of Geophysics at Stanford University and author of Evolution and Christian Faith: Reflections of an Evolutionary Biologist
I just finished reading The New Atheist Crusaders by Becky Garrison, and I don’t know which is more genius, her substance or style. It is an enlightening read as it unpacks and exposes the flaws of today’s pop-atheists with a brilliant, honest, and often hilarious writing voice. I have not enjoyed reading a book more than The New Atheist Crusaders in a very long time. Becky Garrison answers the atheists’ objections to the shortcomings of religion by offering a hopeful vision of ordinary and imperfect people seeking to live in the way of Jesus. Trust me, this is going to be a book everyone is talking about, and for good reason!—Jim Palmer, author of Divine Nobodies: Shedding Religion to Find God (and the unlikely people who help you)nd Wide Open Spaces: Beyond Paint-by-Number Christianity
Finally we have an answer to moaning atheists—a credible, intelligent, and dynamic rebuttal to the woes of our society. Well written, reasonably argued, and full of insight. A book well worth reading for a modern age, and a must for anyone wanting to have a better understanding of the zeitgeist of life. Watch out Dawkins, Becky Garrison kicks butt! —G. P. Taylor, New York Times best-selling author of the Shadowmancer Series

My Interests



travel,fly-fishing, kayaking, crewing on historic schooners, hiking, photography, cooking, improv, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity-NYC Chapter, and the Salvation Army-Greater New York Division Emergency Disaster Services.

I'd like to meet:



As you can see from my eclectic list of friends, I welcome dialogue with people of all faiths and even those who profess to be atheists. In particular, I enjoy meeting fellow Christians who are distressed over the current state of the institutional church. Rather than fall into despair, I have found hope through fellowship with like minded souls. I welcome others to join me in the journey as explore what it means to "be the church" in a post 9-11 world.

Excerpt from Becky Garrison Interview-"The Ordinary Radicals"

Music:

Top 10 Moments in the Race for "Pastor-in-Chief"

Movies:

"History of the World, Part 1-The Spanish Inquisition"

Television:

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

Books:


Also, I list books I'm reading or some new music I just found whenever I do a blog posting.


Heroes:



I am indebted to those singular individuals who have shown me throughout the years what it means to follow Christ especially my relatives Roger Williams, William Lloyd Garrison (rumor has it we're related though this has never been confirmed), my late father Rev. Dr. Karl Claudius Garrison, Jr. (and my late mom of course), and my late grandparents Ruby and Roy Clogston. Heroes that aren't in the family tree (except in the global sense -- you know that "we're all children of God thingee)include Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Jr, my late spiritual director the Rev. Judith T. Baumer, the 343 FDNY firefighters, and all the other brave souls lost on 9-11 and other acts of violence throughout history. May we pray for the day when the lion can lie down with the lamb without the lion having lamb chops for dinner.

My Blog

’Milosevic On Trial’ (interview by Becky Garrison)

http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/06/milosevic-on- trial-an-intervie.html
Posted by Becky Garrison on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:58:00 PST

Hope, in Perspective (by Becky Garrison)

The latest on the 2008 Presidential election http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/06/hope-in-persp ective-by-becky-g.html
Posted by Becky Garrison on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:35:00 PST

’Footprints’ Marches into Court

http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/06/footprints-ma rches-into-court.html
Posted by Becky Garrison on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:25:00 PST

Prayer for Blowhards: Interview with Becky Garrison

http://prayersforblowouts.com/2008/05/27/the-pfb-sports-surv ey-becky-garrison/
Posted by Becky Garrison on Tue, 27 May 2008 06:51:00 PST

Hope and Healing Through Work

http://thehighcalling.org/Library/ViewLibrary.asp?LibraryID= 4595
Posted by Becky Garrison on Thu, 22 May 2008 12:58:00 PST

What If Jesus Told You to Have More Sex?

Review of the movie "Forgiving the Franklins" http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/what-if-jesus-told-you-to-have -more-sex
Posted by Becky Garrison on Tue, 20 May 2008 08:14:00 PST

Drink Emergent-C! (But Drink the Kool-Aid First)

The latest emergent church parody ... http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/drink-emergent-c%21-%28-drink- kool-aid-first%29
Posted by Becky Garrison on Mon, 19 May 2008 07:49:00 PST

New Atheist Crusaders Review (In a Mirror Dimly)

http://inamirrordimly.com/2008/05/09/the-new-atheist-crusade rs-and-their-unholy-grail-a-review/
Posted by Becky Garrison on Fri, 09 May 2008 06:19:00 PST

Which Jesus? The Horror (and Hope) of Religion and Politics (by Becky Garrison)

The latest on the God's Politics blog http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/05/which-jesus-t he-horror-and-hop.htmlI also interviewed the producer for "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" http://blog.be...
Posted by Becky Garrison on Tue, 06 May 2008 02:21:00 PST

One Nation Under God

My reflections on the 2008 Election http://www.theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?id=2035
Posted by Becky Garrison on Sun, 04 May 2008 07:36:00 PST