The Cotton Patch Gospel recasts the stories of Jesus and the letters of Paul and Peter into the language of the mid-20th century South. Born out of the Civil Rights struggle, these now classic translations of much of the New Testament bring the far-away places of Scipture closer to home: Gainesville, Selma, Birmingham, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. As Jordan once wrote, "While there have been many excellent translations of the Scriptures into modern English, they still have left us stranded in the long-distant past. We need to have the good news come to us not only in our own tongue but in our own time. We want to be participants in the faith, not merely spectators."

The Cotton Patch Gospel recasts the stories of Jesus and the letters of Paul and Peter into the language of the mid-20th century South. Born out of the Civil Rights struggle, these now classic translations of much of the New Testament bring the far-away places of Scipture closer to home: Gainesville, Selma, Birmingham, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. As Jordan once wrote, "While there have been many excellent translations of the Scriptures into modern English, they still have left us stranded in the long-distant past. We need to have the good news come to us not only in our own tongue but in our own time. We want to be participants in the faith, not merely spectators."

In this modern day translation of Paul' message, his letters are taken out of the study and stained-glass sanctuary and placed under God's skies where people toil, laugh, cry and wonder. The Cotton Patch Version is a very colloquial, southern translation.

The Cotton Patch Gospel, by Koinonia Farm founder Clarence Jordan, recasts the stories of Jesus and the letters of Paul and Peter into the language and culture of the mid-20th century South. Born out of the Civil Rights struggle, these now classic translations of much of the New Testament bring the far-away places of Scripture closer to home: Gainesville, Selma, Birmingham, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. As Jordan once wrote, "While there have been many excellent translations of the Scriptures into modern English, they still have left us stranded in some faraway land in the long-distant past. We need to have the good news come to us not only in our own tongue but in our own time. We want to be participants in the faith, not merely -spectators." More than a translation, The Cotton Patch Gospel continues to make clear the startling relevance of Scripture for today. These editions come complete with new Forewords and a new Introduction by Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller. Smyth & Helwys Publishing is proud to help reintroduce these seminal works of Clarence Jordan to a new generation of believers.

This "Greatest Story Ever Retold" is based on the book "The Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John" in which the Gospel is presented in a setting of rural Georgia with country music songs, the final and perhaps best work of Harry Chapin.