Hear No Evil

Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost is hilarious. I related to it because of all the 80’s culture references and appreciated the good-natured ribbing of Christian culture and biases.

I wondered what approach he would take, if he would be sarcastic and belittling or play the “inside joke” card. I think that’s what he went with, which made it good-natured as opposed to malicious or judgmental. That’s the key. There are “inside jokes” that if you didn’t grow up in the Bible belt, or aren’t familiar with that rules-based Christian culture, you might not get it or think that he is poking fun.

It’s kind of like our families — we might not want someone else to point out their quirks or idiosyncrasies, but if it comes from within the family, it’s really funny — because it’s true!

If you grew up in the 80’s or followed Contemporary Christian music from the early years — Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, Micheal W. Smith — you’ll definitely enjoy laughing and nodding in recognition at Matthew Paul Turner’s experiences. Although he has left the super-strict denomination that he grew up in, he describes his experiences growing up in a funny and completely accurate way as it affected him. And I think that’s the key in reading it and not taking it too seriously. This is one man’s story and experience about how music has intertwined with his life from high school through a career as an editor for CCM magazine. It’s not a biting satire or a shocking expose. It’s a really fun and humorous book.

Jennifer Donovan is not as funny as she wishes she was, but she does enjoy a good laugh, even at her own expense. She blogs at Snapshot.