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Newspaper
columnist and author, Michael Hinkle, will join us on January 20th at 1pm to
conduct a writer's workshop, "Riding the Writer's Wave." If you've
ever wanted to pen a column or blog, write a book, or create a solid,
productive writing life, you will want to attend. Mike will offer tips and
how-to's for establishing your writing routine, honing your craft, and getting
your work into print. Whether you write full time or squeeze it into your spare
time, make 2010 a banner writing year. Mike Hinkle (www.thinkhink.org) is a columnist for the
Edmond Sun. His novel, The Butane Gospel, will be released in March. 

Author and retired lawyer, Michael W. Hinkle, has gone where few
Biblical scholars dare to tread. His newly released novel, The Butane Gospel, takes readers on a wild, investigative journey aimed
at identifying the men crucified on either side of Jesus Christ. Were they
simple “thieves” or “robbers,” as described in the King James Version of The Bible? Or were they revolutionaries,
as described in The New American Bible?
If the latter, did Jesus know them well? And if he did, could they have been
arrested, tried, and crucified with him? What about buried and resurrected with
him?

            Rather
than creating a protagonist who is an erudite academic, Hinkle chooses a
semi-literate, Vietnam vet truck driver from Oklahoma named Leon Butane to lead
the way. One of Butane’s identifying characteristics is his colorful vernacular,
which cannot help but elicit as many laughs as the novel’s conclusions elicit
gasps. Assisting Butane is his life-long pal and fellow vet, Woodrow
Mulholland, a reclusive, dope smoking friend-to-the end type of guy, and
Kathleen Wister, a renown religious blogger, who yearns to expose the illegal
shenanigans of TV evangelist, Ernest Bidding. Indeed, The Butane Gospel is where The
Big Lebowski meets The Da Vinci Code.

            Leon Butane narrates his story
in first person. As he explains, he never anticipated receiving a spiritual
assignment. He was content driving his semi-trailer, lovingly nicknamed Nadine,
but then he crashed. While in surgery, Butane has a near-death experience.
Instead of encountering a glowing light and divine beings, he meets another
mismatched trio: Pinocchio, Jack Benny and Ho Chi Minh. Pinocchio tells Butane that
if he wants to live, he must agree to learn the names of the men who were crucified
with Jesus and do so within fourteen days. When Butane awakens from a forty-day
coma, he instantly recalls Pinocchio’s words and though skeptical at first,
begins to take his assignment seriously. 
He enlists Woodrow’s help and the adventure begins, but not without
Butane inadvertently performing miracles on strangers. Ernest Bidding, whose
mega-church is located in Mustang, OK, gets wind of Butane’s accomplishments
and declares to his mega-congregation that Butane is possessed by the devil.
Not only does the non-religious Leon Butane have a spiritual mission, he now
has national fame, which does not bode well for his personal safety.

 Fortunately, Kathleen Wister is familiar with
some of the most respected Biblical scholars in the country. As readers meet
librarians, pastors, priests and professors, they also are introduced to many
versions of the Bible, as well as scholarly works that offer different
interpretations of the New Testament Gospels. As Butane and his buddies criss-cross
Oklahoma and Kansas, and make many long-distance phone calls, a cogent argument
begins to emerge as to the identities of the two mystery men sentenced to die with
Christ.  

Within its
unconventional framework, The Butane
Gospel sheds light on Biblical inconsistencies that have been downplayed
for centuries. It underscores the fact that the translators of the New
Testament shied away from including some important facts surrounding the most
important execution in the history of mankind. With wit and intelligence,
Michael W. Hinkle weaves a story that makes readers take pause and consider what
is fact and fiction, what is illusion and reality.

#     #    
#

Michael Hinkle graduated from Oklahoma University Law School
and practiced corporate law for 25 years before retiring to write, research and
travel the US and Canada. Before entering the field of law, he wore the hats of
preacher, street corner musician, janitor, truck driver, zookeeper, bartender, and
petty criminal. He and his wife currently reside in Edmond, OK. For more information,
visit his website at www.thinkhink.org.