I am currently going through the process of becoming confirmed in the Episcopal Church, so I’m reading a lot about it. This won’t be the only “Introduction to the Episcopal Church” I’ll be reading over the next year and a half, but it may be the funniest, the most entertaining, and, quite frankly, the easiest to read and find things in. Part of that, of course, is because I identify as both a geek and a nerd, so I got most of the author’s jokes and asides.

I’m about forty years older than the core audience for this book, but I’ll be keeping it just for the vocabulary. What’s the white thing that goes over the robes? What do they call the censor thingie? When am I supposed to cross myself? (That’s the one I probably have the most trouble with; since I’m not a cradle Episcopalian, I have no idea.) I enjoyed thinking of the vestments as cosplay and the General Convention as ComicCon. I went to the Diocesan Annual Convention for the first time this year. I think it’s easier to find your way around there than I’ve ever had any luck with at a sci-fi convention, and I went with old-timers who could show me around. Yay!!

From what I can tell, and I’ll be mentioning it to my priest at our next confirmation class, the doctrine it teaches is sound. Overall, this is a gentle introduction and welcome to a church that is ready to welcome you.

Ware, Jordan Haynie. The Ultimate Quest: A Geek’s Guide to (The Episcopal) Church. New York, New York: Church Publishing, 2017 (February 1). 176 pages. 5 stars.