Coffee with Jesus

One of Library Journal's Best Books Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist Midwest Publishing Association Honorable MentionThousands of people start each day with a shot of Coffee with Jesus, the enormously popular online comic strip. Irreverent at times, yet always insightful, this volume features classic entries and all new, exclusive material that was born out of artist David Wilkie's frustration with the polarized political climate in America."Originally created as a one-off, single-panel comic on my blog, utilizing old advertising clip art for the main characters and Sunday school clip art for the person of Jesus, I simply enjoyed the notion of Jesus appearing at table with these people (dressed as they were and sharing coffee with them) to refute their claims of how he might vote on any particular issue, to convince them that they cannot confuse their flag with their God—to set them straight, as it were," explains Wilkie.But it didn?t stop here. Soon the Jesus of Coffee with Jesus could be seen offering counsel to a recurring cast of characters on their personal and work lives. The characters—Carl, Lisa, Ann, Kevin and Joe—all honestly engage with Jesus about their successes and failures and wants and needs, effectively showing what conversation with God—or prayer—might look like.Poignant, pointed, and rife with good theology, Coffee with Jesus is organized around six themes: getting to know Jesus, spiritual disciplines, relationships, culture, church, and the challenges of life. With exclusive material like twelve-panel mega-strips and "behind the strip" reflections on life, faith and art, Wilkie inventively poses answers to the perpetual Christian speculation, "What would Jesus do?"

"The cheeky, online comic strip that has gained a cult audience of 40,000-plus followers in less than three years is now ready to burst upon the world as a giftable, brightly hued coffee-table book. . . . The wit is barbed, theology surprisingly relevant, and the overall effect highly addictive.", "We have much to be thankful for in Wilkie's creative work here, and the ways in which it ever so gently prods us toward a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow him in our times.", "David Wilkie accomplishes in a four-panel comic strip what preachers try to achieve in a 45-minute sermon—making one solid point that delivers a spiritual truth. Wilkie's popular Coffee with Jesus strip invites the reader to eavesdrop on conversations between Jesus and a diverse cast of characters as they discuss everyday topics including relationships, culture, and church. Worship leaders will gain insight into the types of questions and issues real-life people struggle with daily.", "Irreverent yet insightful.", "This collection of strip cartoons, originally seen online, uses the simplest means—clip art—to the richest ends: disarmingly funny reflections on human failings and faith, featuring stock characters in conversation with an amusing and amused Jesus. Revelatory."

David J. Wilkie is the cofounder of Radio Free Babylon, a consortium of artists, writers and other cultural creatives.