It’s been over ten years since we held our breath at the premiere of Mel Gibson’s Passion of Christ. We’ve learned a few lessons since then–both about Mel Gibson and the inability of a movie to spark a dramatic revival or 3rd Great Awakening. And so this time around, the Evangelical world has hung infinitely less hope on, and barely raised a whisper over, Sunday’s History Channel debut of The Bible.
Yet there is value in far more than mere proselytizing. There is value in simply experiencing the Story anew. Surprisingly, TV Jesus isn’t always a bad thing.
The History Channel’s 10-hour miniseries will tell the Bible Story from Genesis to Revelation. When I mentioned this to my wife earlier this morning she barely even noticed, replying, “Hmm… is it a documentary or a drama? Because dramatic interpretations of the Bible are usually pretty cheesy.”
Four minutes later, after watching this clip, she simply said, “Wow.”
These are not your Sunday School flannel-graph Bible stories! From all appearances, it will breathe new life into old stories for those of us familiar with the facts, or captivate a new audience for those who are more fresh to the Story. And while I haven’t seen it yet, many of my friends (who are at various levels of ‘Big Time’, either as professors or authors) have attended sneak peaks. They’ve all come back raving about its biblical accuracy and dramatic power.
(For my friends who live outside the US, or like me who don’t have cable, looks like you can buy the entire series here. Seems odd to sell it on DVD before airs on TV, but seems like you can.)
Looks like an incredible show. In the immortal words of Terrell ‘TO’ Owens, “Get your popcorn ready!”
The life of Jesus set to CeeLo Green’s rendition of Mary Did You Know?:
Rahab:
Bathsheeba:
Abraham:
Joshua:
Angels:
Delilah:
Wow! Can’t wait!