Proverbs 22:6 Media Reviews: What's In the Bible (Television Show)
In this blog, I would like to discuss the show, "What's in the Bible?" First off, I would like to say that I am not sure who will learn more from this, you or your child. While the characters and the artistic expression are clearly designed to engage young children, the content is more than capable of keeping the attention of any parent, regardless of how you feel about silly characters and humor aimed at children. My daughter and I have been watching "What's in the Bible" on our RightNow Media app. We even let mom join in sometimes. We have a free RightNow Media account through our church, and chances are you have one if you are a member at the church you attend. I would definitely check into this if you do not have an account, because RightNow Media has some awesome Bible study videos. But enough about this awesome app, and back to "What's in the Bible." We have watched about 16 episodes to this point, and I have learned so much that I did not know or was not completely clear about before. I would say that my daughter has learned a lot, but she is only 18 months old. We will be running back through this show when she gets a few years older.
So far, each episode has discussed 1-3 books in the Bible, in the order they are placed in the Bible (so everything has been Old Testament so far). Each episode is designed to illustrate 1-2 key lessons that we can take away from each book of the Bible. In the case of the episodes that we have seen so far, these illustrations have been extremely helpful, because it can be easy to get confused on which Old Testament information we need to pay more attention to and which Old Testament information was most intended for those living in Israel during Old Testament times. The simple, yet engaging messages shared in these episodes have taken away that confusion and given me a new appreciation for Old Testament reading, even the parts that it is tougher to keep your focus during (ie: details of building the Ark, generations and generations of names, etc.).
In addition to the extent at which "What's in the Bible" helps simplify the messages that are being communicated throughout scripture and how they all come together to tell about God's one mission, "What's in the Bible" is appealing because of the characters that are featured and how they are presented throughout each episode. For example, each episode starts with a puppet named Michael in the back of a family minivan. He always has some witty comments about the previous episode and some "brotherly" remarks towards his brother, Pierre (who we never see). After Michael tells his mom to "push play" on the DVD player in the van, the episode starts with the show's creator, Phil Vischer, tying the book discussed in the previous episode to the book to be discussed in that particular episode. You may recognize this name, as Mr. Vischer is the creator of VeggieTales. After Mr. Vischer introduces the theme of the episode, the theme song plays and the show becomes a animated newscast, anchored by a puppet named Buck Denver. There is a puppet that we know as Sunday School Lady, who gives further explanation on more difficult Bible themes. Pastor Paul and Brother Louie also chime in on these themes. To help these themes become more memorable, we have musical puppets singing songs - "Chuck Waggin" (country with extra twang) and "Captain Pete (singing pirate)." There is also music from real people, the Bentley Brothers, who offer a comic and folksy interpretation to some themes being discussed. Even with the jumping between characters, each episode is consistent with its theme and continues to be engaging throughout the entire duration. As with any portrayal of Scripture by the media, there is going to be artistic expression and interpretation being added, which makes it important for us to integrate our own deep exploration of the Bible into how we interpret these shows. Please do not let this show be the only thing you use for your child's or your own understanding of God's Word. With that said, this show seems to me to be a great resource to complement your other efforts to better understand God and His Plan, and is quite engaging to children and adults alike.
Proverbs 22:6 Media Reviews are an effort to explore themes from books, television shows, movies, music, and other mass media outlets from the perspective of the Gospel. I encourage each of you to make sure you are diligent in your own journey through scripture and how that journey informs how this blog influences you and your family. I am by no means a Bible expert, but I am a person who is striving to gain a better understanding of God's Word than the day before and am a parent who wants to make sure that my child is able to grow in her faith each time she is exposed to a message distributed on mass media.
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