Product Description

How big is a talent? What is the Adulterer’s Bible? What are the classes of angels? Who is the patron saint of the ugly?

The answers to these questions and dozens of others, both amusing and serious, can be found in Summon’s Christian Miscellany. Parminder Summon, a practicing Christian and an avid collector of trivia and curiosities, takes a lighthearted journey through Christian history and culture and discloses the funny, obscure, and sometimes bizarre things they never teach in Sunday school, including:

• Unusual patron saints, including guardians of serial killers and those accused of cannibalism
• The origin of Christian snake handlers
• The vision of the Christian Surfers of Australia
• Mini-biographies of Christian Nobel Prize winners
• A list of biblical weights and measurements and their modern-day conversions
• The Catholic prayer of exorcism
• The Lord’s Prayer in sixteen different languages
• The origins of popular Christmas carols
• The mission statement of the Christian Vegetarian Association
• Quotations from Woody Allen and other unlikely commentators on Christianity
• Summon’s own hilarious fifty-word summary of the Bible

Summon’s Christian Miscellany, this collection of “things you didn’t know you didn’t know,” is at once an addictive diversion and a fascinating compilation of intriguing, little-known facts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1388645 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-28
• Released on: 2006-02-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

About the Author

Parminder Summon was born in India and has lived in the United Kingdom for most of his life. He works for Cancer Research U.K. and is an area leader with the Nene Family Church in Peterborough, England. He also assists the Gideons International. Parminder has worked as a government policy adviser on economic development and has written articles on the economic impact of small- and medium-sized enterprises. He is married with two children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
John 3:16 in Various Languages      

English  
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Afrikaans  
Want so lief het God die wereld gehad, dat Hy sy eniggebore Seun gegee het, sodat elkeen wat in Hom glo, nie verlore mag gaan nie, maar die ewige lewe kan he.

Danish  
Thi saledes elskede Gud verden, at han gav sin Son den enbarne, for at enhver, som tror pa ham, ikke skal fortabes, men have evigt liv.

Finnish
Silla niin on Jumala maailmaa rakastanut, etta han antoi ainokaisen Poikansa, ettei yksikaan, joka haneen uskoo, hukkuisi, vaan hanella olisi iankaikkinen elama.

French
Car Dieu a tant aime le monde qu'il a donne son Fils unique, afin que quiconque croit en lui ne perisse point, mais qu'il ait la vie eternelle.

German
Denn also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, da§ er seinen eingebornen Sohn gab, auf da§ alle, die an ihn glauben, nicht verloren werden, sondern das ewige Leben haben.

Italian
Dio infatti ha tanto amato il mondo da dare il suo Figlio unigenito, perche chiunque crede in lui non muoia, ma abbia la vita eterna.

Portuguese
Porque Deus amou o mundo de tal maneira, que deu o seu Filho unigenito, para que todo aquele que nele cre n‹o pereca, mas tenha a vida eterna.

Spanish
Porque de tal manera amo Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigenito, para que todo aquel que en el cree no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna.

Swedish
Ty sa alskade Gud varlden, att han utgav sin enfodde Son, pa det att var och en som tror pa honom skall icke forgas, utan hava evigt liv.

Welsh
Canys felly y carodd Duw y byd, fel y rhoddodd efe ei unig-anedig Fab, fel na choller pwy bynnag a gredo ynddo ef, ond caffael ohono fywyd tragwyddol.


Ten Commandments For The Road From The Christian Road Safety Association:

1. Begin with a prayer.  
2. If you start late, arrive late.  
3. Alcohol is for the radiator, not the operator.  
4. If entry into the flow of traffic is facilitated by the courtesy of another driver, wave in appreciation.  
5. If you have inadvertently endangered the safe passage of another vehicle, wave as an apology.  
6. Make it easy for aggressive opportunity snatchers to get ahead of you - far ahead.  
7. Drive so that the sudden appearance of a police patrol car is a pleasant sight.  
8. Give plenty of space to cars marked with dents.  
9. Never accelerate, and decelerate if advisable, when another car wishes to enter your lane.  
10. End every trip with a prayer of thanksgiving.


Sir Cliff Richard      
Born: October 14, 1940, in Lucknow, India  
First performance: July 14, 1956, with the Quintones  
Name change: April 1958 from Harry Webb to Cliff Richard  
First recording session: July 1958 - Cliff Richard and the Drifters (who later renamed themselves the Shadows)  
First number-one single: July 1959 - "Move It"/"Living Doll"  
First number-one album: October 1961 - 21 Today  
Conversion to Christianity: June 26, 1966      

Summary of recording career:      
Chart Weeks on chart  
Singles chart 1,157  
Album chart 808  
Video chart 515  
EP chart 432  

Cliff's total worldwide sales now exceed 260 million.      

The Bible and Shakespeare      

Philippians 2:15
That ye may be blameless, and
pure, & the sonnes of God
without rebuke in the middes
of a naughtie and crooked
nation, among whome ye shine
as lights in the world.
Geneva Bible

The Merchant of Venice
Act 5, Scene 1 (61-62)
How far that little candle
throws his beam!
So shines a good deed in a
naughty world.

Romans 7:20
Now if I do what I do not want
to do, it is no longer I who do
it, but it is sin living in me that
does it.

Hamlet
Act 5, Scene 2 (245-50)
Hamlet: If Hamlet from
himself be ta'en away,
And when he's not himself  
does wrong Laertes,  
Then Hamlet does it not,  
Hamlet denies it.  
Who does it, then? His  
madness: if't be so,  
Hamlet is of the faction that  
is wrong'd;  
His madness is poor Hamlet's  
enemy.  

Ezekiel 34:15-16
I myself will tend my sheep and
make them lie down
declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search
for the lost and bring back the
strays. I will bind up the injured
and strengthen the weak, but
the sleek and the strong I will
destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

Two Gentlemen of Verona
Act 1, Scene 1 (73-81)
Proteus: Indeed, a sheep doth
very often stray,
An if the shepherd be a while
away.
Speed: You conclude that my
master is a shepherd, then,
and I a sheep?
Proteus: I do.  
Speed: Why then, my horns  
are his horns, whether I  
wake or sleep.  
Proteus: A silly answer and  
fitting well a sheep.  

Luke 18:25
Indeed, it is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God.

Richard II
Act 5, Scene 5 (17-18)
It is as hard to come as for a
camel
To thread the postern of a  
small needle's eye.      

Shoppers For Christ      

Christians are not immune to consumerism and many products have been developed to appeal especially to the "Christian market." The following products are genuinely available:

Bible-themed organic nutrition bars - all-natural whole-food bars that contain the seven foods of Deuteronomy 8:8. There are five "themes": Seeds of Samson, Sweet Shalom, Abraham's Bosom, Bar of Judah, and Jacob's Ladder. They are produced by Logia.

T-shirts to tie in with the Lord of the Rings movies. The legend says: One King to Rule Them All, One Son to Find Them, One Love to Bring Them All, One Spirit to Bind Them.

Christian T-shirts and sweatshirts produced by the Yahwear Clothing Company (established 1989).  

Sacred Nectar - a concoction of royal jelly, pollen, and honey whose logo reads "Mine eyes have been enlightened because I tasted a little bit of this honey" (1 Samuel 14:29).

Thoroughly Cleansed - biblically based detoxifier.  

Twelve apostles beer mug - from Tyro International.  

Wash Away Your Sins Bubble Bath - from Blue Q.  

Jacob's stones from the Jordan River - from the Holy Land Shop.  

The Jesus Ashtray - from the Exit 9 Gift Emporium.  

Gospel Frisbee - available from Slip Disc Ministries.  

Almighty Mints - from Hospitality Mints.      

Customer Reviews

Astounding book!
Reviewed by Lynn Downs for Reader Views (6/06)

Parminder Summon offers up an amusing collection of little known facts about the Christian religion. One is sure to find something in his book "Summon's Christian Miscellany" that will amuse, intrigue or just plain astound them.

Filled with Biblical quotes, Mr. Summon researches things others may have never thought of. The book offers everything from foreign language translations of popular Bible passages to names and purposes of lesser known Saints. It includes things like "Ten Commandments For The Road From The Christian Road Safety Association," how to interpret the meaning of the vestments worn by your clergyman and an article explaining the Stations of the Cross.

One of the articles in the book I found most interesting concerned The Jefferson Bible. Though Thomas Jefferson was a believer in Jesus Christ, he did not believe in the miracles performed in the Bible. So he set about constructing a "Bible" that maintained Jesus' talent as a teacher but totally ignored any mention of the supernatural acts of Christ. He focused only on the moral and teaching aspects of the life of Jesus Christ.

Another interesting article involves Bibles that have been given nicknames based on errors in their type. Some of these are The Breeches Bible, which included the passage "and they sowed figge-tree leaves together and made themselves breeches." Also included is The Wicked Bible ("Thou shall commit adultery") and The Pay for Peace Bible ("pay for peace" instead of "pray for peace").

This book is a must for anyone who is intrigued by religion. I finished the book feeling that I had learned something new and interesting about the Bible, which is something not common in today's society.

fun facts & info
Summon's book for Christian Miscellany is a great tool. I have enjoyed sharing it with my kids and extended family. It is a good conversation started for all ages and backgrounds.

Delightful!
Forgive me......but I love esoteric little reference books like this one. A truly fantastic reading experience....I'm nearly 90% through it right now and I just bought it 2 days ago. Some quirky little poems and bits of info on Christianity found here.