The History Channel’s Bible Mini-Series & How Christians Can Enjoy It!

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On Sunday night The Bible mini-series began on the History Channel began. I did not get to see the series until Monday since our church was having services until 7:30 pm CST. However, when I logged on social media I was sad to see so many Christians publically debating each other about how the series was produced. I was sad because of how our public fighting was becoming a caricature of what society already thinks about Christianity.

First, let me state that I endorse the Bible as the sufficient, inerrant, and inspired Word of God. I also believe that the Bible series is not infallible since it is not the Word of God. Therefore, it will have errors, which Christians should expect. In fact by now we Christians should not be surprised at how inaccurately media portrays the Bible. Even with the shows errors it was still portrayed surprisingly well unlike other attempts previously done by the media. For example, about a decade ago NBC produced a mini-series on Noah that was horrid. Also, the History Channel itself is not a stranger to its portrayal of the Bible in years past. This is why is shocked me that so many Conservative Christians, including seminary friends of mine were instantly critical of the series. It seemed some Christians only watched the series so they could have something to get mad about, even if it meant picking at the smallest detail. This type of behavior needs to stop because I think it makes Christianity appear unappealing and unloving to our society.

Rather then, as Christians we must see the good in things, including this series, and not just look for the negative. We live in a fallen and sinful world, which makes the world messy. As a result, nothing is going to be perfect and we should accept that. It also means that we can look for redeeming qualities in something and not just look for a reason to be critical.

We also need to be careful about how we bicker and criticize things publically. I’m not saying this Bible mini-series itself is infallible, but I am saying that the memory of this series for the lost should not be how Christians nit-picked with one another about the series details. Too often as Christians we rest in the defensive position rather than the constructive posture.

Lastly, regardless of how right or wrong the History channel presents the Bible in this mini-series I believe in a God that is sovereign enough to use this for His good and purposes. You should also find comfort and peace in that too. After all it is the Holy Spirit that ultimately works within the life of each person. As Paul wrote in Philippians 1:18 (NASB), “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.” Yes, we need to have standards and not water down God’s truth, but we also need to trust Him with the results. Failure to do so can further alienate us from our culture that already invalidates the message of Christ because of its messengers. Let’s choose to be less critical and leave the judgments to the Lord.

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