Can We Trust the Gospels?

"Irish Calvinist", Erik Raymond reported yesterday:

"Mark Roberts is the senior pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church and he blogs at http://www.markdroberts.com/. This book is a ‘blook’ that is, it is a series of articles that appeared on his blog and were of such a quality that Crossway approached him about publishing the series as a book."

The blook is titled Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This blook, like so many others, was NOT a publishing fluke. Kristen Jeffrey interviewed the author for Next-Wave Ezine and asked two questions that I would have asked :-)

Jeffrey: Can you explain how you came to write this book?

Roberts: This book began as a part of my blog (www.markdroberts.com). I had written a series debunking the Jesus Seminar. Given all the peculiarities of this group, showing their weaknesses wasn't too hard. But it occurred to me that I should do more than debunk the critics of the Gospels. I needed to make a positive case for believing in their reliability. So I wrote an extended blog series, "Are the New Testament Gospels Reliable?." Someone at Crossway Books saw this series and thought it would make a good book. Eventually I edited what I had put up on my blog, added some new material, and voilà, a book (or as they say, a "blook," a book from a blog).

Jeffrey: How is your book’s origins as a blog reflected in the final product?

Roberts: When I blog, I am writing, not for academicians, but for a popular audience. Can We Trust the Gospels? continues to have this audience in mind. Moreover, I've constructed the book as a F.A.Q., a list of "frequently asked questions." This way a person can use the book to find answers to a specific question, such as "What sources did the Gospel writers use?" without reading through the whole book. Finally, because I began this book by publishing it online, I was able to get lots of feedback from readers, which enabled me to clarify or correct things I had original written.

Blogginess

A review at the Christian Book Reviews blog gives a sense of the blogginess that survived the transition from internet to paper and at the same time highlights what makes for a successful blog:

"Another successful aspect of Robert’s book is the way that Internet culture is integral to its style. It is written in a useful FAQ format in intimation of a website. Each chapter title is a different question he then addresses, such as: Can we know what the original manuscripts really said? … Are there contradictions in the gospels? … and … Do miracles undermine the reliability of the gospels? Most of these questions have come up through his blog, from which the book was born. He fittingly dubs his work a blook, and it really is one. The tone is conversational like much like a blog: straightforward, and easy to read. If you’re looking for an in-depth treatise, however, you should check out some more scholarly works. This book is perfect for the doubting or seeking lay reader. Plus, if you have questions, you can actually join in on a conversation in the discussion section of the website. So it is not merely conversational in tone, the book is connected to an actual dialogue."

Related post: "Ramblings on a Religious blook," RealLivePreacher.com by Gordon Atkinson.

Dating, Mating, and Marriage

While I'm on my soapbox [by the way, if you don't remember soapboxes or where the expression came from, I'd like to recommend the movie Mrs. Santa Claus with Angela Lansbury. Sadie makes good use of her box!], I thought I'd mention a blog which does a good job of mixing old material with new technology, "Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage." The owner, Abigail Grotke, turned it into a blook (from Thunder's Mouth Press) which competed for Lulu's Blooker Prize.

Here's the hype from the site:

"Since 1998, Miss Abigail’s Time Warp Advice has provided classic advice for contemporary dilemmas to readers of all ages, from all walks of life on the Web. Author Abigail Grotke offers readers a chance to step back in time as she pulls out relevant quotes, tidbits, and words of wisdom from her collection of 1,000 classic advice books in a quest to solve modern-day problems.

"Combining the best of Miss Abigail’s question and answer columns, each chapter features sidebars containing freestanding tips or selections related to chapter topics. Retro book covers, advertisements, historical photographs, and other amusing, related ephemera serve to illustrate the book."

In the How I got here portion, Grotke writes:

"The Web site was started in 1998, as my contribution to a Webzine that was started up with some colleagues when I was working at the Smithsonian Institution. We were burned out on an intense CD-ROM project (remember CD-ROMs?) and felt a need to do something creative with our growing Web skills. (For a laugh check out an early version on Miss Abigail on Chew-The-Parasite.com, courtesy of the Internet Archive.) After Chew ceased its brief publication run, I moved Miss Abigail to my own site and later to this domain. My big "break" was in September of 1998, when Yahoo picked me as a Pick of the Week. From there the site grew in popularity and rave reviews continued for the next few years (but of course). I even had a weekly column in the London Times magazine for about a year and a half (September 2001 - February 2003). And now, this journey has led to a book!"

Now get this, the project's content "germ" came from a Salvation Army Thrift Store! Grotke and her roommate found a book on the art of dating in 1985 and twenty years later... well, you know the rest.

Journals, almanacs, and blogs! Oh my!

I love the idea of blending old and new which is why I was so excited when I read Prairie Mary's post about transcribing her grandmother's journal. Mary does not intend to post snippets on a blog -- I was hoping for a contemporary blog with "old" content -- you know, create a blog for her grandmother and share the good stuff as if her gran was blogging. Sort of like what Jim Buie did with his mother's writings.

I've mentioned that possibility before here at Blooking Central. I'm not really sure why the idea intrigues me so ... . When I asked Mary about it she said: "It's VERY boring, the same thing over and over. But I might post an edited version. She's really worrying about the beginning of Social Security. We forget how desperate people were."

Boring? Maybe, depending on what you're looking for. I can recall reading a fascinating book, Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book, which is essentially his journal. Take a peek at the original. The first entry for March 30 reads "Purple hyacinth begins to bloom." Almost a week later he recorded "Narcissus and puckoon open." Not earth-shattering I know. But there's something about being connected across a thousand miles and two centuries by the simple mention of hyacinths and narcissus! [I have no idea what puckoon are but it might make for an interesting search :-) ]

Maybe you have something like that tucked away. I wrote to Going Like Sixty and here's his response: "I had an uncle that used to keep a almanac written on the wall where he worked. Sunrise, weather, crops, etc. (he worked at a milling company.) The walls were all wood and he wrote in pencil, but there was at least a decade of daily jottings."

You'll forgive me if the mention of an almanac reminded me of Elizabeth Bishop's poem, Sestina. We took a look at it in graduate school and I have it stuck in my head :-) thanks to Professor Eric Selinger.