Welcome to Lion Country!

I just finished Lion Country, the first of Frederick Buechner's quartet of books about the not-so-right Reverend Leo Bebb. The first thing I have to say is that this is a funny, funny book that I could not put down. The book is written from the perspective of Antonio Parr, a sometime writer from New York City, who buys a mail order ordination from Bebb's diploma mill in Florida. Antonio infiltrates the seedy operation to gather information for a juicy expose to bring down Bebb and jump-start his writing career.

That goal isn't quite as easy for Antonio to achieve once he reaches the Sunshine State, as he finds himself sucked into world of the Church of Holy Love, Inc. and gets entangled with its inhabitants:

Lucille Bebb: The reverend's scary wife, who numbs herself with special "Tropicanas" to forget the wounds of the past.

Sharon: Lucille and Leo's promiscuous adopted daughter.

Brownie: The forever put-upon and theologically unsound chancellor of Bebb's "Bible College," who was raised from the dead by Bebb under dubious circumstances.

And finally --

The Reverend Leo Bebb: The ringleader of the whole circus. Is he a snake living off "the Lord's payroll" or a dangerous crank? Or is he being used of God to accomplish some strange work?

Buechner, a Presbyterian minister, is a master of language who makes each paragraph a joy to read. In lesser hands, this setup could be one more example of religious fiction populated by cardboard characters, but Buechner accomplishes the impossible: Antonio—and the reader—begin to actually care about this cast of misfits.

Authenticity in the church means a lot to me, and I got some big laughs out of Bebb, who is the epitome of every pastor who's message only makes sense on Sunday mornings. I've worked in a few religious organizations—which can be great, but also has exposed me to the seedy underside of things and the questionable crap those goes on behind the scenes. Too often authenticity is punished while "playin' church" is celebrated. I'll be honest—there are times when I want to leave this whole church thing behind. But it's just as true in my situation as in Lion Country: the church may drive you nuts and be guilty of a hundred other sins and dysfunctions, but it's still God's method for conveying his message to the world. And somewhere in the midst of all that dirt and muck, some diamonds can be found.