For several years now I have referred to this growing collection of analogies as my "parables manuscript." While doing a study on the parables of Jesus, I realized how appropriate it was to refer to these as "parables," for there is a distinct similarity of style and purpose with the parables that Jesus told. I found the trilogy of studies by Robert Capon (The Parables of the Kingdom; The Parables of Grace; The Parables of Judgment) to be most instructive in recognizing the contextual setting of Jesus' parabolic teaching. The Jewish religious leaders were always listening in as Jesus told the parables. In most of the parables Jesus is exposing their religionism in contrast to the modus operandi of the Kingdom of grace that He came to establish. The parables in this volume are in the same venue as Jesus' parables, for they are exposés of religious thinking and practice, in contrast to Christ's kingdom operative by grace.

   On most occasions Jesus did not provide any explanation of His parables, leaving them like "dangling modifiers" in His teaching. They served as "pictorial ponderables" which could implode within one's thinking and explode misconceptions. They were puzzling and problematic; veiled with hidden meaning which was concealed in order to reveal. The parables of Jesus had a "back-handed impact" which "upset the apple-cart" of traditional religious thinking. What Jesus was advocating was 180 degrees opposite of the typical religious practice. With a subtle, dry humor, Jesus illustrated that "God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor our ways, His ways" (Isa. 55:8,9). Eventually the Palestinian religionists realized that Jesus was talking about them (Matt. 21:45), often making parodies of their piety, and they sought to silence Him.

   What is a parody? A parody is a comic caricature, a ludicrous likeness, an absurd analogy, a ridiculous representation which exposes a particular reality by comparing it to another of a different order. Parodies can be a very useful verbal or literary tool to expose the "red herrings" of diversions which distract attention from real issues; to expose "hobby horses" whereby men keep reverting back to repetitive over-emphases without critical thought; to expose inane traditions which become familiar ruts wherein we fail to recognize the absence d'esprit. By the use of parody one can be direct yet subtle at the same time.

   I am heartened that some rather respected personages have preceded me in employing satire and parody in caricaturing religious activities which were contemporary to them. Blaise Pascal exposed the Jesuits by showing the absurdity of their thinking and practice in analogical constructs. Soren Kierkegaard utilized parables and allegory to reveal pompous and fallacious activities in the Church of Denmark. Both were criticized for irreverence, but their writings exist to this day as valid examples of courageous men who stood up for veracity, integrity and genuine spirituality. I do not claim that my writings are of the same caliber as Pascal or Kierkegaard, but I am humbly willing to tread as they have trod, which sometimes means "stomping through the tulips."

In his Provincial Letters, Blaise Pascal noted that

"there is a vast difference between laughing at Christianity and laughing at those who profane it by their extravagant opinions. It were impiety to be wanting in respect for the verities which the Spirit of God has revealed; but it were no less impiety of another sort to be wanting in contempt for the falsities which the spirit of man opposes to them."

"There are many things which deserve to be held up to ridicule and mockery, lest, by a serious refutation, we should attach a weight to them which they do not deserve."

"...what is more fitted to raise a laugh than to see a matter so grave as that of Christianity decked out with fancies so grotesque..."

"...it is impossible to refrain from laughing."

   In documentation of his point Pascal quotes from Tertullian.

"...to treat them seriously would be to sanction them."

"Can anything be more justly due to the vanity and weakness of these opinions than laughter?"

"Whether ought we to laugh at their folly, or deplore their blindness?"

   There comes a time when we need to stand before the mirror to engage in some ecclesiastical self-examination. Those who are not willing to do so "deceive themselves," and "their religion is worthless" (James 1:22-26). If we cannot or will not engage in self-criticism, we become very in-grown and unhealthy. The body-religious today seems to be in a state of "denial," unwilling to admit or deal with their "ingrown toenails." Such a situation is an unhealthy situation that hobbles our effectiveness. The ecclesiastical community today is so myopic that it cannot detach itself from the extraneous criteria of self-image in order to be objective about its condition. Perhaps we need to follow Jesus' advice to "take the log out of our own eye, before we seek to take the speck out of another's eye" (Matt. 7:3-5).

   It was the Scottish poet, Robbie Burns, who wrote in his poem, To a Louse,

"O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion."

   Hopefully these parodies will allow us to "see ourselves as others see us," and thus to be freed from some of our "foolish notions" and "blunders."

   I must admit that these parodies are a radical departure from the style of writing in which I often engage. In the past I have been accused of being a "cerebral mechanic" of thought, rather than a "metaphorical artist." I have always been inclined to tighten down the "nuts and bolts" of theology, and disinclined to engage in analogical illustration, even in my preaching. Some have heard me declare that "analogy does not lead to good theology." Why, then, do I now write such parodies? I like to think of these as an example of "reverse theology." What is "reverse theology?" People have long been familiar with "reverse psychology," and its attempts to emphasize what is wrong in a person's behavioral actions in order to provide an incentive to make changes therein. "Reverse theology," likewise attempts to emphasize the problems in ecclesiastical opinion and practice, in order to provide an intensified awareness of the inadequacies and an incentive to overcome the inconsistencies. Just as "reverse psychology" does not seem to work for all personalities, I am sure that "reverse theology" will not serve its intended purpose for a portion of the ecclesiastical population. There will be those who react with alarm, interpreting "reverse theology" as "negative theology" or "destructive theology," but if they will take a moment to glean the kernel of truth in these parodies, they will benefit therefrom. These parodies are loaded with theological import which most readers will understand as they read between the lines and note the resemblances of the analogies.

   These parabolic parodies are purposefully short and pithy, for William Shakespeare explained that "brevity is the soul of wit." It was not my purpose to be "sermonic," or to use them as a "platform" for the promulgation of personal opinions. I have, therefore, elected to conclude each parody with a brief affirmative statement to "drive home" the point of the parody without being "preachy." The purpose is simply to allow the reader to "get the idea," and thus to leave an indelible impression that becomes a "dum-dum bullet" in the brain everytime one considers that subject.

  You will never know how I have struggled to explain my heart-felt objective in writing and publishing these stories. As a pastor, I seek to point people to Jesus Christ and the gospel of grace. I do not seek to bash or destroy any legitimate constructs of Christian faith. Yes, there is caustic criticism within these parodies, but I desire that it should serve as constructive criticism, rather than destructive criticism. I do not seek merely to attack or amuse, but to expose religious fallacies and edify genuine Christian believers.

"Charity may sometimes oblige us to ridicule the errors of men, that they may be induced to laugh at them in their turn, and renounce them."

This statement by Augustine is certainly the spirit in which these parodies are written, and the purpose of their publication.