Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Do any of you remember the Keep on Truckin t-shirts from the seventies? Well the artist who drew that and other bizarre cartoons has just released a new book that might shock some of you. Robert Crumb’s new book is called The Book of Genesis Illustrated and is exactly what it sounds like. Crumb says that he used a King James version of the Bible along with a 2004 translation called The Five Books of Moses by scholar Robert Alter. It is 224 pages that graphically depict the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah and The Flood, Abraham and Sarah, as well as Joseph and his brothers. Biblical scholars say they are pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Apparently Crumb merely drew what he read and did not add a comical slant or infuse his work with comments or opinion. I am anxious to take a closer look at this work (disclaimer: I have not read it and am not making a recommendation yet). You can find more information about the book in a story by USA Today. If it is as true to the original text as the scholars quoted in the story are saying, I think this has good potential. There are a number of people who are better at learning using visual stimulus and this might be the book that brings them to God. Crumb describes himself as agnostic and admits he just does not understand God but that he is a spiritual person. I would suggest he find a spiritual adviser and quick. He might also read The Shack as it would seem to appeal to someone that is creative. What the reporter failed to ask Crumb was how reading the Bible impacted him. It is very seldom that someone picks up the Bible and begins to read it and does not feel a connection with God. That He speaks to us through this book is undeniable. Here is hoping that Crumb’s book brings many folks to the wonder and glory of our Lord and Savior. God has used stranger people to accomplish His goals before and will do so again.