If you haven’t checked in yet with A.D. The Bible Continues, you might want to.
As a point of confession, I am not hugely enthusiastic over Bible story depiction. I’m not sure why, partly because the depictions over the past decades tend to run through the filter of western Christianity and come off, well, cheesy. This then would lead me to think that rather than take the time to watch a cheesy depiction of the Bible I should simply spend time in the actual Bible. Not that I would do this, but the thought was enough of a deterrent to not watch the depiction.
Thankfully, the era of cheesy depiction is over, which is what made me curious about A.D. The Bible Continues. So, I’ve caught bits and pieces of the mini-series and I’m actually going a bit out on a limb by commenting on a series after catching only bits and pieces. But I think it’s a pretty solid limb. They were great bits and pieces, enough to lead me to this conclusion: its impact on Bible engagement is reminiscent of the impact of The Message, on Bible reading. The Message is a version of the Bible that gave us a needed fresh look at overly-familiar phrases. A.D. The Bible Continues is doing just that for the tired mental images we’ve collected out of the book of Acts.
I’m not a New Testament backgrounds scholar but I know enough about New Testament background to know that somebody did their homework for this series. The interplay between factions (zealots vs. Jewish leadership, Jewish leadership vs. Roman leadership) is spot on and shows how the power plays impacted events more than we might think. Or as a marketing tagline for the series says says, “House of Cards meets Game of Thrones.” The attention to subtle detail regarding the customs and traditions of the day gives the sense that you are watching a good Bible background commentary in action.
Any mental images you have of the church’s early days will either be challenged or enhanced. You’ll never read the demise of Ananias and Sapphira the same way, or the entire book of Acts for that matter.
Now is your chance to brush up on some Bible background—that class you knew you should take but didn’t. While the series is slated to run into late June, a DVD series is set to be released at a later date.
If you’re looking for a jump-start in your personal Bible time, or need to freshen up your discipleship ministry, A.D. The Bible Continues may be exactly what you need. Catch the next episode and dive into that segment of Acts as your personal study for the week.