The Bible, a 10-hour television mini-series, began on March 3rd and is set to run through March 31st. Attracting over 10 million viewers, this series was designed to reenact the stories of the Bible in order to proclaim the word of the God through film. Producers and husband and wife, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, were inspired to create this project after watching The Ten Commandments. Even though their motives were grounded in their spirituality, their timing was right on the money as Mel Gibson was with the Passion of the Christ. The premiere episode of the mini-series alone ranked in 13.1 million viewers, making it the number one television audience of the year. Who says God can’t be a blockbuster?
Who’s Watching?
It seems like everyone is tuning in for this mini-series. From Christina Aguilera to Adam Levine to Kate Goselin, all kind of celebrities are tweeting about The Bible. Originally, the purpose of the series was to share biblical stories that many people take for granted with the world. Since the world does not only include devout Christians, the series is meant to be shared with people of all different backgrounds, faiths and beliefs. If the series does not reaffirm one’s faith, perhaps it can start a conversation.
Why Watch
If you are planning on showing The Bible to the youth group or bible study group at church, you should find out what works best for you on CableTVAdvisor.com. Whether you’re watching it as it airs, recording it for later or sharing it with a large audience, it is imperative that you figure out your plan ahead of time so you don’t miss any episodes. If you are Christian, this mini-series is a great opportunity to revisit the stories of the Bible from the Old Testament through the New Testament, especially during this time of Lent. Watching this series is a perfect opportunity for a family to bond and further understand the journey of man and Christ.
What to Expect
When watching The Bible, you can expect to see the scriptures come alive on the screen. You will see stories in chronological order from the books of Genesis, Exodus and so on. This series did not use one source of the Bible as research. While the producers tended to refer back to the King James version of the Bible, they utilized many different versions of the Bible in forming the script so people could better relate to the text.
As a parent or teacher, it may be boring or repetitive when you attempt to read a scripture with a teen. Even though the Bible is full of interesting, enlightening stories, written word may not be the best medium for everyone to experience faith. Because of the magnitude of the project, the series included the best cast, director, crew, set, etc. as an action flick would. You can easily grab a bucket of popcorn and watch this show with your family as you could a comedy or a crime drama.
Idania is a writer who keeps busy by writing on various news and entertainment topics. Her articles appear mainly on family and parenting websites.