A rich seam of humour in religion

A satirical cabaret about evangelical Christianity, featuring singalong hymns and extracts of real sermons, has become one of the most controversial shows on the Edinburgh Fringe.

Ca$h in Christ has been attacked by Christians from Australia to the United States and is a hot topic in Muslim and Jewish internet chat rooms. It uses humour to explore the growth of religious fundamentalism.

The 50-minute show is modelled on services held by modern "mega-church" movements. Van Badham and Jonny Berliner, who wrote and performed it, spent three months attending services at London churches, including the Hillsong Church and Holy Trinity Brompton.

Badham is an award-winning playwright who has written for the Royal Court Theatre and the BBC, and is a practising Roman Catholic. She said yesterday: "I don't think people really understand that the growth of these churches over here threatens our way of life because their values are antithetical to a secular society. They give other Christians a bad name.

"These people are organised, rich, growing very fast and dangerous. I'm trying to understand why this isn't more alarming to more people."