I thought that I would like to share a website that I’ve found super valuable to watch with my children as we read through the Bible together. I’m always surprised to find someone who hasn’t seen it yet, so I’d like to share it with you.
The Bible Project is a marriage of Bible study with art. Long-time readers may know how much I love beautiful things. A beautiful leaf will stop me in a moment. I avoid picture books with ugly illustrations. It has even become a family joke that an ugly dinner can put me in a bad mood. A casserole may taste good, but if it looks like slop, there’s little you can do to make it look good. Better to keep meat, veggies, and sauce artfully separate.
Like a well-designed meal, the Bible Project is quite attractive, creative, and satisfying. It shows relationships and themes visually as the narrators explain their topic. The website has a video for each book of the Bible, with more videos for particular themes and word studies. They’ve got an ongoing series on how to read the Bible that is excellent.
These will be quite valuable as you read the Bible with your children. Watch them before you start a new book of the Bible. That way you’ll be looking for the themes as you read. They’ll answer some questions before you get there, and you’ll be able to refer back to the video when you get to that point in your reading.
The Bible Project Leviticus videos, for example, remind the audience that being unclean isn’t the same thing as sinning. That’s helpful. Also helpful is the emphasis on God making a way for humans to have fellowship with him. These ideas anchored my children as we slogged through a book of the Bible that can at times be difficult and boring.
In the podcasts, Jon and Tim emphasize the need to learn from the Bible directly, rather than making assumptions about what is in the Bible. I love this focus on biblical literacy, especially important for those of us who grew up hearing Bible stories in church and home. Children growing up in godly homes don’t always understand clearly the Bible lessons they are given when they are young, and perhaps we must acknowledge that we do not always teach our children accurate Bible knowledge (either as parents or Bible teachers). Helping our children learn to use the text as a primary source and reference point is vital, and will carry them forward long after our imperfect Bible instruction has ceased.
I love that Jon and Tim seem less concerned with following the views of popular celebrity Christians than being faithful to the Word of God. I also enjoy the camaraderie of this collaborative duo; they model what it looks like for friends to talk about the Bible together. If you learn by listening, subscribe to the podcast!
We’re now reading Hebrews. It’s not next in our chronological Bible study, but all that reading about sacrifices made me want to show them Jesus Christ through the lens of Leviticus.Then we’ll go back to Numbers. What are you reading with your children?
Thanks for sharing. We are in Habakkuk at the moment. I liked learning about some of your likes and dislikes
My FIL shared Habakkuk 3:17-19 with me when Lee was deployed and shared how God took care of him when he was in Vietnam after he was newly married. Reminds me of how God provides encouragement even in difficult times. Thanks for sharing. It’s encouraging to know others are faithfully teaching God’s Word, too.