←Recommendations of Faith

Beautiful and gut-wrenchingly human. Powerful adaption of one of most troubling biblical stories we know. Excellent.

First, I'm a big fan of biblical adaptation, so right away I was totally down for this. Second the title is perfect. As a Jew I am aware that I can be a good Jew and still question G-d. (That's my superstitious way of not writing out the word...) And people don't always know this. People think that faith is blind, but it doesn't have to be. Faith is the strength to question, the words of this monologue, the argument itself. May it live on many stages!

This monologue is honest, human, and heart-breaking. Barbot captures natural human speech and makes it poetic. It's a beautiful piece, and you should read it.

What a terrific monologue. I was raised in the church and this story was always one that seemed as horrifying as any could be and then when I had a son I thought it did become nothing more than a horror story. Barbot's Abraham is as real a character as any next door neighbor and I admire his questioning God because in the end for me questioning is what make us stronger and wiser and bring us to a more enlightened belief system than we had ever imagined possible.

Highly recommended for faith-themed festivals as well as places of worship and colleges affliated with Christianity, Judaism or Islam. Barbot makes the character of Abraham accessible through contemporary speech and an emotional depth -- an exceptional monologue that may inspire audience members to ask and question God. I look forward to reading more monologues from Barbot! Definitely on my top ten list of fav monologues on NPX!

Matt Barbot is brilliant at taking felt-board Sunday School stories and finding the humanity of it. This play feels like it was ripped from my brain when I find myself questioning the goodness of God. Some may call this blasphemy but I feel it is how the Bible should be approached. We should be able to take this ancient text with its problematic stories and imagine the humanity that filled these characters we have come to know through songs and picture books. Barbot reveals a true skill for giving those that wrestle with the Bible a place to feel heard.