Acknowledgments List of Figures Introduction: The Way, the Truth, and the Laugh Part I: Ideological and Theological Coordinates of Humor; 1 Ideology and Laughter: Against the Liberal Paradigm of Humor 2 Theology and Laughter: Against the Confessional Paradigm of Humor Part II: Religious Comedy and Christianity: Historical Developments and the Contemporary Scene 3 A Chronicle of Triumph: Religious Comedy from Dante to Javerbaum 4 Varieties of Religious Irreverence: Contemporary Religious Comedy from Mark Lowry to South Park Conclusion Epilogue: Humor in Non-Christian Traditions Key Terms and Definitions Bibliography Appendix;
