Just a little background on the series to date.
The first two DVD's in the series cover some foundations (What IS the Bible?" , "Who WROTE the Bible?" and some Basic Biblical vocabulary, as well as giving kids the "Big picture" of, well... What's in the Bible! (Genesis and Exodus, to be precise) The Volume that I was sent to actually review was volume 3, which continues on through Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy~ to finish out the Pentateuch. The plan is to have 13 DVDs in the series that will walk the younger generation through every book of the Bible, to give them a general overview of the entire Bible. (Each DVD retails for $14.99)
I am both impressed but also vaguely dissatisfied:
- Great concept ~giving kids that big picture~ What each book is really about, not just a snippet about each character.
- There is an EXCELLENT bonus feature that explores our miraculous universe against a scientific background~
- Some "characters" are more fun to watch than others. I found the introductions with "Michael" to be annoying, not something I want my kids to mimic. The rest of the muppet-like characters provide an interesting cast, & I enjoy the way that Phil Vischer interacts with them.
- Each episode is split into 5 "chapters", enabling you to use just a portion of the episode at a time.The music is catchy, as would be expected from Phil Vischer. One Caveat ~ I wish the theme song didn't introduce the questions of "Is it true? Is it reliable?" to young children. At early ages I don't feel they need to wrestle with those questions. (Same reason we study myths later)
- One section troubled me~ "Tricky Questions with Phil". In and of themselves, I think the "Tricky Questions" are good, and the answers were typically well thought out and presented. However, given that I do subscribe lightly to the Classical Education idea that the early years should be spent learning and memorizing facts, I felt that the raising of these questions is more suitable for the middle years (12-14 years) where this sort of thinking and analyzing are more appropriate.
- The Good: The message~ I feel that "What's in the Bible" could be an excellent vehicle for beginning apologetics, viewed chapter by chapter for Jr High aged students(in Sunday school or during home-school) who are "walking through the Bible" to gel certain concepts and facts about each book.
- The Bad: ~ The dichotomy between some of the message and the presentation for the ages it is appropriate for~ I may yet change my opinion on this, but this is my gut reaction.(I received a free copy for review from Tyndale)
If your family and/or church has a different set of "filters", you may be able to tell from what I've said that this is just what you are looking for. Please visit the What's in the Bible website for more information about this video, as well as others in the series. You can watch a few video clips that will give you a feel for "What's in the Bible". The "Store" also offers individual episodes and video shorts for purchase and download.
Blessings~
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this/these item(s)/service for free from Tyndale House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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