Category Archives: Book Review

Hard Hitting Bible Graphic Novels Hit the Shelves

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On September 9th, Word for Word Bible Comic launched.

What’s that? You don’t know what Word for Word Bible Comic is?

Stop for a moment and imagine the stories contained in the Scriptures being presented in a graphic novel format in a way that is “historically accurate, unabridged, and untamed”.
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The key here is that these novels are unabridged. You are reading the words of Scripture and only the words of Scripture. There is no commentary or added text.

But what you do get is an amazing way to experience these stories.

Simon Amadeus Pillario illustrator of the Word for Word Bible Comic (link), has managed to bring out the intensity and vividness of the stories of the Bible with his incredible story boarding and full color images. Choosing the exciting era of the Judges (reviewed last year) and using KickStarter to fund its creation, Pillario has just launched the series making the Judges novel widely available (Amazon).

True to the text, Pillario also worked hard to be true to history. He chronicles the process of studying the historical time periods of his blog grappling with everything from clothes to architecture. When you read the story of Judges in the graphic novel format you are seeing things as accurately drawn as possible.

Of course some things are left to the imagination. We don’t know what the characters in the stories looked like. One of the things to figure out in the book of Judges was how to draw the hero Sampson. He is known for his strength. But should he be drawn with bulging muscles like the Hulk or perhaps more ordinary. You can read through the thought process on his blog (link).

You may be asking, doesn’t a series imply more than one novel? It does. The prequel to Judges – Joshua is also part of the series. Funded on KickStarter, it is still in progress.

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However, you don’t have to wait, once you have read Judges you can grab the second novel available in the series. It captures the  story of Ruth. Before there was Katniss of the Hunger Games, the Divergent Tris, and Force Awakens’ Rey, we find a strong female hero who leads with her loyalty and humility .

To celebrate the launch the Book of Ruth is available for free on the Kindle (link). But only until Sunday.

 

The Hard Hitting Word for Word Bible Graphic Novel (Review)

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When you discover that you are about to read about a Bible comic, you may be tempted to skip this post. After all aren’t comic books just for kids. Some might be, but be warned graphic novels are not your typical comic. And this is not for young kids. It is actually rated for readers 15 and up.

Graphic novels as a medium are intense and visual ways to experience a story. And the stories they tell have been the basis for popular movies and shows. Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, Frank Miller’s Spartan adventure 300, and Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta are among some of the most notable.

The Bible is filled with stories that are powerful and vivid. But in an age that is dominated by YouTube, blockbuster films, and special effects, the vibrancy of these stories can be lost on the modern reader. That is something Simon Amadeus Pillario is looking to change. He is the creator of the Word for Word Bible Comic (link), which hopes to present the stories of the Bible, using the actual words of Scripture, as a set of graphic novels that are “historically accurate, unabridged, and untamed”. One of Pillario’s goals is to invite graphic novel fans, many of whom may not otherwise read a Bible, to pick up the Scriptures. But, it is also for Christians who want to visually experience these familiar stories.

When I firsKickStarter_Judges_originalt heard of the Word for Word Comic, it was through Kickstarter. And I thought, what am amazing idea to create a graphic novel version of the Bible. I quickly backed the project.

The first Kickstarter, was back in May 2014, for the book of Judges. And while the project is not finished yet, the digital editions that have been sent to backers are incredible. If you are a fan of graphic novels and want to experience the Scriptures in a “hard-hitting” new way, then you are going to love the Word for Word Bible Comic. Continue reading →

Book Review: Arminian and Baptist by J. Matthew Pinson

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When you hear the words Baptist and Arminian, what do you think of? Quite possibly it is the debate within the Southern Baptist convention (link) over whether it will promote Arminian (an interview with Roger Olson) or Calvinist (link from Desiring God) views on how one is saved (aka soteriology).

J. Matthew Pinson, President of Welch College, (blog) is not coming from the SBC but rather the General Baptist and Free Will Baptist tradition, which is more strongly rooted in ArminianBaptistBookthe Arminian tradition. In his book Baptist and Arminian (amazon), he explores the theological views held by the founders and prominent theologians of the early General Baptist movement and argues that both they and Arminius are very Reformed in their theological outlook. This view point is often called Reformed or Classical Arminianism. Continue reading →