Easter

Item: Easter
Author: WhichBook

Michael Arditti

Wow! I did enjoy this book. It bravely explores the role of the Christian Church in our very modern times. As sharp as Anthony Trollope, Arditti debunks the administrative politics of the Church of England whilst exploring the nature of God and the problems of suffering. It is all neatly held together by the Order of Services for Easter week in a North London parish. Something for everyone here including redemption! It's also wildly funny.

Extract

Let us pray ... Jeffrye always finds problems with one-to-one communication, let alone three-in-one. He prefers to send memos: a method which, clearly, has no place with God. The ancient Greeks had the right idea: post a request to the Oracle, burn a goat, and wait for a reply. Quid pro quo: that is a system he understands. There's a lot of sense in a sacrifice. He has never been able to understand why Luther raised such objections to Indulgences. Of course, they were open to abuse and no-one could be an arbiter of the afterlife, but at least they promoted charity, while providing funds for the Church.

Parallels