Good and Evil
From SPARK
One-sentence summary
This book gives an overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in a comic book style format.
Description
Good and Evil by Michael Pearl is a 312-page soft cover book 7” x 10¼”. It contains comic book style pictures with bubble captions of Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation. (The artist, Danny Bulanadi, formerly worked for Marvel Comics.) It is not Scripture except in some quotations. At present the pictures are in black and white, but color pictures are planned for the future. The text has been translated into 11 other languages with many more translations planned for the future. The books can be printed overseas for less than one US dollar. No Greater Joy Ministries (NGJ) claims that the book can be translated (by professional translators), formatted, and printed in three months. It is designed to appeal to children and all who like comic books.
Considerations
Comic books are popular around the world where people have access to them. For this reason many missions working in cities may want to promote the use of this book as it becomes available in national languages. Before promoting this book in rural areas in non-western societies, it would be good to test the comic book format to be sure the words and pictures are understood without any or with only minimal instruction. The pictures are well done and interesting. Some sample pictures should be tested before attempting the project in a rural non-western society.
Limitations
Because the text in the bubbles is not a translation of Scripture, the Bible story narrations and quotations are subject to human interpretation. Most pages do have one or more biblical references listed at the bottom of each page, which is helpful for checking the accuracy of the Bible story. There are some direct quotes from Scripture in which the King James Version is used. A translator would want to read the text very thoroughly, looking for any discrepancies with Scripture before deciding whether or not to take on the project. It is not known if NGJ would accept changes in the text. The pictures/images are also subject to interpretation. On the first page in the Creation story God is represented as a three-part star of light. The words “a perfect trinity of love” are written beside it. On the third page, where Adam is being formed from the dust, three pairs of eyes watch from the black background. There is no explanation as to who the eyes represent. On the next page a pair of eyes in the dark has the caption “Satan, the evil one watched.” The next picture contains a quote from God and a flaming hand pointing to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. These pictures should be tested with some people from the intended audience to see how they are understood. From the translator’s point of view there may be many pictures that are questionable in that regard.
Guidelines for Use
Where to Obtain
Link to Producer or Source Organization
Cost
Good and Evil - single book, $12.95 plus shipping
Producer/Owners
Author/Artist/Producer
Michael Pearl
Current copyright owner
No Greater Joy Ministries
Other Information
Reviewed by
VMS Staff: Helen M.
Date
August 2007
