Cain was the first person to experience belly button fluff. Pharaoh was the original Alan Sugar.
These hidden gems from Genesis, and many more besides, are revealed in Paul Kerensa’s upbeat, tongue-in-cheek interpretation of the Bible’s curtain-raiser. Kerensa uses sketches, parodies and poems to entertain and educate readers about God’s first relationships with humankind.
Kerensa is clearly a talented comedian; he has performed solo at the Edinburgh Festival and written scripts for Miranda and Not Going Out. The style of these popular BBC comedies is replicated here with quick-fire gags, puns and plenty of dad jokes. As much as I find myself grinning and groaning at Kerensa’s humour, there are almost too many jokes shoehorned into each page at times.
The idea of Genesis’ characters appearing on different television programmes is clever but a little hit-and-miss in effectiveness. Prior knowledge of several shows is needed for these parodies to really work. However, the Adam and Eve sketch, including the apple crumble recipe, and the Jeremiah Kyle show script, complete with a paternity test for Abraham, are brilliantly executed.
Genesis: the Bibluffer’s Guide is a fantastic entry point to the Bible, somehow managing to be irreverent and relevant at the same time. The sketches could be adapted for youth groups and all-age services and, while not a theological masterpiece, it packs in some useful learning.
ANDREW DUBOCK – communications manager, Viva
