The Gospel According to Griffen is a controversial series of short stories by the Rev. Robert G. Griffen based predominantly on the four Gospel narratives in the Protestant Bible. Griffen also draws on various other traditions, some non-canonical writings, and sometimes just makes stuff up.
His goal is to offer a gospel for a twenty-first century audience. Just as each of the first century Gospel writers worked with a variety of sources and exercised editorial license to present different visions of Jesus and his ministry, so has Griffen applied creative license to present his own vision of Jesus, his teachings, and the legendary events of his life. The stories range from sober to silly: from redeeming the life of an outcast woman to a conversation with God on a red telephone. Some readers will be amused and thankful for new insights. Others... not so much.
"In 2,000 years we have cleaned up, sanitized, sanded smooth and painted over the people and events of the Bible to make them politically correct and palatable for the prim and proper. The net effect has been to soften the impact of things said and done. Their significance has been watered down or lost altogether, making it very difficult for them to resonate with modern people - Christians and non-Christians alike.
"For most of the people about whom I write, I must extrapolate from very little real information and from contradictory traditions which may or may not have any basis in fact. I am free to pick and choose and to interpret... just like the original gospel writers.
"We know how people are and how we find ourselves in the broad variety of situations that make up the human condition. I simply applied my understanding to those people, filled in the gaps and hopefully help Jesus and his teachings make sense to a modern world.
"When they open the canon again, I'll submit it for consideration."