Manga as Biblestory

NPR (national public radio) produced a piece last week about a new version of telling Bible stories. Manga is a Japanese illustration style that has a worldwide following of millions. Many of today's millennial generation are drawn to this art form.

Read more at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19269725

Ajinbayo "Siku" Akinsuku is author and illustrator of The Manga Bible. His training as a theologian gives him some credibility to do this project. Although, I would be interested in pick ing up a copy to see how he treats the Pauline epistles. This is fresh as no graphic novel that I am aware of touches on Paul's letters of the New Testament.

I can remember reading bible comic books as a kid. This form of story telling is nothing new. As a matter of fact, the Protestant Reformation employed similar techniques to educate the uneducated masses about the Doctrine of Grace. Lucas Cranach the Elder and Albrecht Dürer were artists of the early Protestant Reformation and contemporaries of Martin Luther. They created beautiful wood cuts depicting biblical scenes. Although Dürer never met Luther in person, he was greatly influenced by and admired the Reformation Father. Cranach worked closely with Luther and the two were Godparents to their respective children.


In 1521, Lucas Cranach created twenty-six woodcut illustrations to compliment the text of Philip Melanchthon for a pamphlet, Passional Christi und Antichristi. For each pair of woodcuts, Cranach faced a scene of Christ with a scene of the "Antichrist," pictured as the pope. The political implications here were very obvious.

Church history is rife with examples of the use of illustration to tell the gospel story. As the 21st century church continues to grow in it's interest of using the visual arts in worship and evangelical communication, it must be aware of the dangers of using the power of the image for political manipulation. It is obvious that the Reformer's successful use of illustration resulted in strong public opinion against the Catholic Church in Rome. Pastors today, such as John Hagee who use grotesque imagery of the Apocalypse in his preaching of the end times, must be called to account for their obvious distortion of the gospel for selfish political agendas. Likewise, Emerging congregations must also be aware of their use of imagery to draw attention to hot topics of justice, poverty, reconciliation and environmental causes.

Art is powerful. It is why the Protestant Reformation saw such a strong Iconoclasm 500 years ago. Ironically, that same movement embraced the printed image to spread their hatred for Roman Catholicism. Using imagery to point people to Christ is an honorable endeavor and I believe is blessed by God the Father. But imagery used to point people to a particular political agenda that has nothing at all to do with the saving grace of Jesus Christ is another.

The art of Manga is reflective of a 21st century global culture. Siku says the genre, "reads as if it were cinematic." Since film is so much a part of contemporary culture, this medium seems the right tool to spark interest in the Gospel narrative in the current generation. Siku's next Manga project focuses on the life of Jesus. It will be 300 pages in length, all focused on the gospels. The Manga Bible is 167 pages.

Siku's Manga style bible stories do not appear to have any kind of political agenda. A positive use of illustration can definitely inspire a new generation to take a keener interest in the truths found in Scripture. I think new and fresh illustration will always speak to new generations and must be encouraged.