I introduced THE MANGA BIBLE to the pastors at my church and have received some interesting feedback ranging from “I don’t like comics” to “This is interesting” and ending with “We should do something with this.”
Comics are not for everyone and that’s fine, but for those of us who respond to the medium, and there are a lot of us, THE MANGA BIBLE holds a certain fascination. It is an interesting way to engage the Bible. It can bring the stories into a different light giving fodder for those well-versed in all things Bible.
I asked and my church responded by starting a little 8-week class, a discussion group or round table, to explore the graphic adaptation of some of the Bible stories. The group ranges in biblical knowledge, which makes it fun.
We met for the first time last night (Thursday), and the four of us had a good time. For the most part those present look at the Bible, not as the inerrant word of God, but as stories that have been written, edited, redacted, re-edited, translated and printed. That is not to say that God is not present or is absent from the Bible. It’s just that we do not see every single word as the literal word chosen by God himself, although we acknowledge that view is controversial for many. That view does not necessarily represent the view of Siku, the author of THE MANGA BIBLE. It is simply the lens that those present last night use. I think I speak for those who attended last night that we do not expect everyone (even those who might attend the group) to agree with that viewpoint.
I started a wiki for the group, just to help us record the information that we learn. So far, I am the only one who has contributed, but I hope others will add information, thoughts, comments, disagreements, and questions. A lot of educators are using wikis as part of the learning process for students, so it was good practice for me.
Siku is working on other comic adaptations of the Bible, specific parts. So I look forward to those.
The group is open, so if you are interested in exploring the comic adaptation of some of the biblical stories, you can contact me at abikerbard@mac.com. Space is very limited as we wish to keep it intimate. The pastor has two copies of the book on reserve in his office.
My Other MANGA BIBLE blog posts can be viewed here, here and here.
Comics are not for everyone and that’s fine, but for those of us who respond to the medium, and there are a lot of us, THE MANGA BIBLE holds a certain fascination. It is an interesting way to engage the Bible. It can bring the stories into a different light giving fodder for those well-versed in all things Bible.
I asked and my church responded by starting a little 8-week class, a discussion group or round table, to explore the graphic adaptation of some of the Bible stories. The group ranges in biblical knowledge, which makes it fun.
We met for the first time last night (Thursday), and the four of us had a good time. For the most part those present look at the Bible, not as the inerrant word of God, but as stories that have been written, edited, redacted, re-edited, translated and printed. That is not to say that God is not present or is absent from the Bible. It’s just that we do not see every single word as the literal word chosen by God himself, although we acknowledge that view is controversial for many. That view does not necessarily represent the view of Siku, the author of THE MANGA BIBLE. It is simply the lens that those present last night use. I think I speak for those who attended last night that we do not expect everyone (even those who might attend the group) to agree with that viewpoint.
I started a wiki for the group, just to help us record the information that we learn. So far, I am the only one who has contributed, but I hope others will add information, thoughts, comments, disagreements, and questions. A lot of educators are using wikis as part of the learning process for students, so it was good practice for me.
Siku is working on other comic adaptations of the Bible, specific parts. So I look forward to those.
The group is open, so if you are interested in exploring the comic adaptation of some of the biblical stories, you can contact me at abikerbard@mac.com. Space is very limited as we wish to keep it intimate. The pastor has two copies of the book on reserve in his office.
My Other MANGA BIBLE blog posts can be viewed here, here and here.
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1 comment:
That is most amusing.
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