Dad always reads the comics. Every morning growing up we boys would witness Dad at the breakfast bar reading the comics in the The Oklahoma. My grandmother regularly clipped a comic strip and would include it in a letter. If we were over for a visit, she would show us one or two she had saved.
I never read them like my Dad but I enjoyed The Wizard of Id, Blondie, Marmaduke, and The Family Circus. As I got older I always looked for the political cartoons created by the late Jim Lange in The Oklahoman. Then I discovered Coffee with Jesus.
I first saw these cartoon strips on Facebook. I think it was my brother, Paul, who shared one on his timeline. Witty. Ironic. Biting. True. Funny.
Saturday I went to the mailbox to find a couple of books from IVP for review. One of them was a must get to, Radio Free Babylon Presents . . . Coffee with Jesus. It is hard to offer a lengthy review of cartoon strips compiled into book form. Every page is filled with those poignant moments when about the time you side with a character, Jesus offers a zinger. It is not unlike reading the Gospels and finding those moments when Jesus turns the tables on his critics, adversaries, even allies.
One could argue this is cultural Christianity meets Jesus. If you don’t find yourself in the strips, you have shared the same conversation with someone who fits the brief storyline.
A couple of the endorsements hit the mark,
If you don’t buy this book, you will be cursed. Everything will begin to go horribly wrong. You will gain weight. You will lose your job. Your car wioth break down and you’ll learn you need a new one. Your mutual fund will lose over 50 percent of its value. Please buy this book – for the sake of your children. Dan Kimball
It’ a comic strip, so its funny right? Yes, of course. But it’s also poignant and pointed. And rife with good theology. So read it for a laugh, but be prepared to be challenged as well. Jesus probably has something to say to you too. Tony Jones
* In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received a free copy of this book for review from IVP.
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