What's In The Bible? Volume Twelve - Letters From Paul!

Our family owns all of the What's In the Bible volumes released to date and I am happy to offer up a review of V12 - Letters from Paul. Commonly thought of as a fly over zone of the Bible when it comes to children's curriculum, Phil Vischer and his passel of puppets take on giving children a historical frame of reference without delving too deeply into the details of the several letters. Many children only hear a few bits and pieces of these scriptures out of context at weddings and suchlike, never knowing who wrote the words or why. This program also tackles why these particular letters are included in the canon. No, not that kind of cannon, Captain Pete! As usual, all the "tricky bits" are explained directly by Phil, while the puppets he also voices are there to provide interest and color. It's a wonderful way to communicate important information to our young people about history and the sacred texts.And now a word about using a combination of puppets and live humans for religious purposes: Phil Vischer approaches a difficult subject with reverence and humor in what I like to call the shotgun method of teaching. It's something that really anyone can do and this is the recipe. Phil incorporates all of the vital components of an actual church service, the music and song lyrics, the diverse members of the congregation (older ladies, choir with worship leader, cowboy, pirate, explorers, scientist, a boy, a girl) and their viewpoints, the Sunday School teacher with the flannel/felt board and characters, a host/moderator, and Phil himself to objectively discuss and reinforce key points. Characters anticipate viewer questions and ask those questions for us and we receive answers within the context of the program, even answers to the "tricky bits," like why are letters included in the canon when we were always told it was a group of books in a big book? Each character reinforces the central message, so if a child doesn't respond to one, there's another and another. By including catchy music, children have an easy way to remember key ideas.I recommend this series above any other series of children's religious programming I've seen. I would gladly buy any future programs that Mr. Vischer and the producers at Jellytelly might produce to fill in some of the gaps or flesh out the stories a little bit better about the prophets, the judges, the disciples and the apostles and their work that had to be sped past for the sake of producing a brief overview. My own children have learned quite a bit from this series and the information is presented in such a way that it really sticks in their memories. We often receive compliments from Sunday School teachers about their vast knowledge about the Bible and I can partly credit Phil and his creative characters for presenting the information in a way that is easy to understand and remember. Supplement with a good reference, such as the Action Bible or the Golden Children's Bible for additional information and then easily graduate to a study Bible in the language style of their choice with a reasonable font size, and they will have a firm foundation.

I can not SAY ENOUGH about this series. I was really looking for a curriculum that my 12 yr. old and 8 yr. old could enjoy together, but this is something even my husband and I enjoy too!We have 1-10 now and are ordering the rest. This is something we watch as a family and discuss it as part of our weekly family bible study. It has facts and history that my husband and I (both 'church kids', and I am a PK) haven't even heard before.I am most impressed at how it gives the great overview of covenant, showing what even most adults don't see, the thread that runs through the entire bible from sin to salvation. We just finished the first New Testament DVD #10 and can not wait to get to the others. My only worry is that we are catching up to the series and will have to wait for others to come out. =)~Angel Cope

Our daughter's family doesn't have a regular church, but their three boys, ages 4, 6 & 7 have an astounding knowledge of the Bible, duein large part to watching these videos. I now buy one every time it comes out. We bring one grandchild a week with us to church andthe other week, our 6-year-old grandson opened his Bible to the maps in the back and began to explain to us where the territory ofBenjamin's tribe was. "Where did you learn this?" we asked. "What's in the Bible." They have all 12 currently available CD's andlike to have a WITB festival now and then, going thru all of them, 1-12. Highly recommended!

We have all of these DVDs. My children love to watch them in the car on trips to grandparents. My husband and I even find ourselves listening to the information and learning something new. Beware - some of the songs will stick in your head ALL DAY LONG! Our 5 year old has watched the videos since she was 2 and has enjoyed them at every stage. As she gets older she discovers and understands more of the information and humor... so she can definitely grow with these DVDs. Our second child is starting out on the same path of loving them, too.

This series gives a great overview of the entire Bible. We have been buying these DVDs since volume 1 first came out and were thrilled that the final volumes have just been released. While it's entertaining enough for my 6 year old to enjoy, my wife and I also are learning many new things about the Bible despite the fact we've attended church and studied the Bible our entire lives. We have even used segments from this series to teach Sunday school when asked to fill in for the regular teacher. I wish every child had the opportunity to learn about the Bible in this consistent, thorough manner. This series would benefit any family or church that desired for their children to not only know the "big stories" of the Bible like David and Goliath or Adam and Eve, but want their kids to develop an understanding of how everything in the Bible points to God's rescue plan for humans (Jesus's death and resurrection).

We absolutely LOVE What's in the Bible with Buck Denver. We've been giving these DVDs as gifts for my little sister (age 9) and we finally completed the set this Christmas! I'm 22 and I love watching Buck Denver with my sister. I've been going to church all my life and I still learn so much from these DVDs! The great thing about Buck Denver is that they address important questions that Christians of all ages and walks in life could still have and they explain it in such a way that isn't watered down for kids at all, but rather in a simple, straight-to-the-point manner that's easy to understand. They also do a good job of giving historical context and explanations of origins of words and such and they do it all in a fun and catchy way! I really cannot say enough how much our family loves What's in the Bible and I recommend it to everyone I get the chance to tell! It can especially be a good teaching tool for teachers or parents who want to explain important aspects of the Bible to kids in a way that is understandable to everyone! I've ordered the DVDs from Amazon every time and they come on time and in perfect condition.