{"product_id":"9780826223265-there-is-no-humor-in-heaven","title":"There is No Humor in Heaven","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMark Twain and Religious Liberalism\u003cbr\u003eMore than a century after his death in 1910, Mark Twain remains a lightning rod for controversy. Especially in matters of race, class, and gender, the volatile views this iconic American author expressed in classics like \u003ci\u003eAdventures of Huckleberry Finn\u003c\/i\u003e continue to provoke heated debate among antagonistic culture-war factions. However, when citing his withering attacks on religion, believers and atheists alike are often united in concluding that Twain was either a mocking skeptic or a hostile atheist.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThere is No Humor in Heaven, \u003c\/i\u003eDwayne Eutsey challenges the persistent view of Twain as a hostile critic of religion by placing him within the prevailing liberal religious ethos of his time. From Hannibal to the western frontier and from Hartford to the wider world, Eutsey contends Twain’s vocation as a humorist was rooted in his frustrated youthful ambition to become a preacher of the Gospel. Throughout his life, his friendships with several influential liberal ministers, each of them espousing various forms of the era’s diverse progressive theology, informed not only Twain’s evolving religious worldview but his lecture performances and literary output.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere is No Humor in Heaven \u003c\/i\u003etraces unconventional theological influences on Twain ranging from African-American spirituality, Freemasonry, and frontier Unitarianism to devout Liberal Christianity, radical Free Religion, and esoteric Hinduism. Drawing from Twain’s writings, documents, personal notes, and more, \u003ci\u003eThere is No Humor in Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e offers readers a radical re-examination of the spiritually creative vitality of a controversial literary giant.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55701169701238,"sku":"9780826223265","price":53.36,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_34668200_ccbf995f-0e0c-48d6-9e09-034cc4184bbd.jpg?v=1749072835","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780826223265-there-is-no-humor-in-heaven","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}