The Christian Science Institute (CSI) shocked the world Tuesday when they announced that they have successfully cloned human beings, and have also perfected a way to pass on knowledge, experience and personality to the clones.

“The loss of some of our greatest pastors and Christian leaders concerned us,” said Ron Boldbee, head scientist at CSI.  “We looked around and realized that the young Christians who remained showed no evidence of stepping up and filling the gap.  Then we thought, ‘If the secular world can clone sheep, why can’t we clone some shepherds?’”

Boldbee points out that CSI has already introduced cloned pastors into several locations with little or no complaints.  Congregants at Bayside Baptist say they prefer their new, cloned pastor to their previous “natural” pastor.  “For once I don’t have to do any work,” said one congregant, on the condition of anonymity.  “Laypeople can finally let the clergy do everything without feeling guilty.  If our pastor burns out we can grow another one.”

Some have said that modern satire--comedy's brainy older brother--is peaking these days.  Sarcasm has colored our language and shaped our thinking, and as a Christian, I must ask myself where humor fits into God’s worldview. In my biblical concordance there are no categories for comedy, humor, satire, or irony, but let's not assume God has nothing to say about such things. I can't find topics like blogging, blind dates, or broom hockey in the Bible either, but God's principles, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, have a way of illuminating the non-essentials.

Somewhere in the middle of Jon Stewart’s faux civics textbook entitled America is reprinted the daily schedule of a fictional political convention. It includes, among other things, the 7:25 a.m. “Adulterer Walk of Shame” followed by the juxtaposition of an 8:00 a.m. prayer breakfast.