The Bible Series

I am reflecting on the History Channel series, “The Bible“, produced by Roma Downey and her husband, Mark Burnett. From what I understand, it was the most watched miniseries on U.S. television so far this year, and one of the most watched ever for History. Worldwide, the impact was great as well, I read. Glad to hear, proving that no matter how the “modern” world has tried to diminish and marginalize Christianity, there is still much interest in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ.
The series highlighted main stories from Genesis through the Book of Acts, and had to cover much ground in just ten short hours. The series garnered ridicule from secularists, which I will not address here, but I was troubled by the criticism the series, and the producers, received from Christians. Sure, they had to pass over a lot, and there were key stories I wish they had not left out. They over-dramatized some stories, embellishing them a little with “Hollywood” overacting. They reworded statements spoken by Bible characters several times, which I felt was unnecessary. So yes, the series was less than perfect in presentation and content.
But I was pleased that Roma and Mark (both devoted Christ-followers) had such a passion for God and His Word, that they brought this labor of love to the world. Their stated purpose all along was to “get people interested in the Bible, in the hope that many will open it for themselves and read it, maybe for the first time.” I know for certain that they achieved their goal. I’ve had conversations with several people in the past couple of days, ones who do not yet identify themselves as Christ followers. In each discussion, they brought up that they were watching the series, were fascinated by it, and were now reading the Bible for themselves. One friend purchased a Bible app for his phone, listening to Scripture reading every day to/from work, and excitedly told me, “What they showed last night, was what my Bible app read to me today! And it was just like in the movie!” The series has awakened a new hunger for the Bible in many, and has created three conversations for me in the past few days. In these dialogues I have been able to share my personal beliefs and salvation story, and answer some really great questions these people had. I hope to continue each of these discussions, in the prayer that these precious folks will come to know Christ personally as I have.
So for absolute Biblical accuracy, I give Mark and Roma a B-.
For accomplishing their intent of creating a renewed interest in the Bible and hence, Jesus Christ, I give them an A+.
God bless Mark and Roma for their worthy effort.