The Theology of Sarcasm

Most Christians have been warned not to joke about holy things. Scripture doesn't share that anxiety. From Elijah taunting idol worshipers, to Jesus side-eying religious performers, to Paul roasting "super-apostles," the Bible is unembarrassed by sharp edges, cutting questions, and punchlines that land like prophecy. The Theology of Sarcasm is a fast-moving, theologically serious, and ruthlessly honest exploration of how God uses wit to reveal truth. With the voice of a Protestant layman and the rigor of a careful reader, D. Michael Gross walks through the Old Testament prophets, the parables of Jesus, the apostles, the saints, the Reformers, and modern writers to show that holy sarcasm is not cruelty dressed up in piety—it is grace sharpened for people who stopped listening to soft words. This book does not cheapen sin, excuse abuse, or turn Jesus into a comedian. It draws a hard line between mockery that crushes and irony that convicts. Along the way, it exposes humorless religion, sentimental faith, and weaponized snark, and calls readers back to something older and stranger: a God who never laughs at suffering, never laughs at repentance, but absolutely laughs at pride, pretense, idols, and death itself. For pastors, skeptics, burned-out believers, and anyone caught between reverence and eye-roll, The Theology of Sarcasm offers biblical clarity, historical insight, and a bracing reminder: the gospel is deadly serious—but it is not fragile.