Trespasser will be Baptized

Recollections by Preacher’s Kids (PKs) tend to be either angry or mushy, but Elizabeth Emerson Hancock has put together a coming-of-age memoir that is funny without being sugary, perceptive without being bitter.

Trespassers will be Baptized: The Unordained Memoirs of a Preacher’s Daughter recounts her memories of life in a southern church in the 1980’s.

What is unique is that Hancock brings insights to the traditions and expectations of church people who meant well. The book starts out with some hilarious tales of Sunday school mishaps and even a misguided lifting of some jeans from the missions box.

But Hancock is not content with a string of funny stories. Pearls of perception are threaded through the accounts. When her story closes, we feel encouraged in our faith without being submerged by tradition.

Hancock carves out the meaningful, leaving the fluff of church culture behind. It'd make a good Christmas gift or a fun read over Christmas break.

Today, Hancock practices law in Kentucky.

You can get more information on her book here.

And you can read her homepage and blog here.

What others are saying:

"This is as close as you can get to Southern church life without eating your weight in Velveeta. Trespassing through this book, you don't have to be Southern, Baptist, or even a Kentucky Wildcats fan to find your sense of humor and faith more than a little revived." --- David C. Barnette, author of The Official Guide to Christmas in the South

"As one who has done time in the fishbowl known as a parsonage, I can confirm that Elizabeth's voice is authentic. Poetic and passionate writing combined with honest and unvarnished storytelling makes this story of one girl's struggle to understand life in the stained-glass house a must-read." --- Brad Whittington, author of Welcome to Fred