I recently read an article from the Barna
Research Group which makes reference to the outstanding success that the
History Channel miniseries, The Bible, has had during the weeks of Lent,
leading to Easter Sunday. The first episode, which premiered on March 3, had
13.1 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Rating, making it the highest
entertainment, non-sport broadcast of 2013.
I don’t know what the ratings were for
subsequent episodes or on Easter Sunday but I can tell you I watched with
interest each of the weekly episodes. I kept telling myself not to watch it
with a critical mind as I found sufficient material in it to be critical, but
more on this below.
I am glad that the series was made and
that it attracted many viewers. I found the film making of the series very good
and can only imagine how very creative the directors, producers, and editors
were. I believe that the project was done in love and for the love of God. I
hear constantly from many people and sources that the series was created with
“seekers” in mind. If this is indeed true, there is much to be commended and we
need more of these kinds of television programs.
However, I also found that in an attempt
to please many different groups and not offend any of them, it seriously
compromised God’s holy revelation of His Word. First, the biblical story was
choppy, cutting very important portions of the truth as it is told in the
Bible. This may be understandable since it would make for a very long story and
would take much longer to tell than five episodes. Areas that I found seriously
compromising include, but are not limited to, “Sodom and Gomorrah” where no
mention was made of the fact that God’s wrath against the inhabitants of those
cities had much to do with their homosexual practices. They certainly took
serious liberties in the way they portrayed women, both Sarah (who shows hatred
and anger toward Abraham for even considering being obedient to God when He
asked him to sacrifice Isaac. It is understandable but not true to Holy
Scriptures) and Mary Magdalene (who appears to be one of the Twelve Disciples
(also not true to Holy Scriptures). At the Last Supper, where Jesus tells His
Disciples that He is leaving and speaks of the way to the Father, Jesus’ words
(not to offend non-Christians) “I am the Way, the Truth, and
the Life” was left incomplete (they cut off “and no one comes to the Father,
except through Me”). There may be other areas that were troubling to you (the
resurrection of Lazarus for example). Please share them with me.
I did appreciate how they represented
Jesus’ sacrifice, from the betrayal at the Garden of Gethsemane all the way to
the cross, death, and His burial. I also enjoyed the representation of the Day
of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit falls upon the Disciples (no flames of fire
though).
All in all, I pray that God uses this
series to His glory and that many become familiar with His story and are led to
read the true Bible with the true revelation of God’s holy Word. I also pray
that they are not disappointed when they read the truth.
What do you think? Let’s Blog!
