Our friend Jen Dover, a mom and Christian store employee, shares her family’s experience with What’s in the Bible?:
I grew up learning the all the good Bible stories: Adam and Eve, Noah, Jonah, Jesus with the fish and loaves, the Easter story. The method was always the same-five minute story, three questions, and the coloring sheet. But facts were always missing; stories were disjointed. No one ever mentioned that Jonah didn’t actually repent after faithfully going to the Ninevites; that Moses was only cared by his natural mother for a few years, or that Mary and Joseph escaped Herod by fleeing to Egypt. Apparently, these were not considered important pieces of the story (or maybe it made the stories too long for an 8-year-old’s attention span). One story had nothing to do with another.
I had to go to Bible College to fill in the gaps in my Scripture knowledge, and only then did the Bible become the Living, Breathing Word to me. I began to realize that I didn’t want my children to suffer the neglect I had obviously had in my young Biblical education. I made a vow to correct any gaps in my family’s Bible knowledge.
Now, there is nothing wrong with studying the Bible with your family. I recommend teaching your children God’s Word. However, I do not suggest doing the following:
Each night, we would sit at the kitchen table. In between ‘shushing’, ‘tsking’, and exhorting our children to pay attention, we would read a portion of Scripture. We explained in detail failings of the children to follow certain commands. We would ask for reflections. Frankly, there was a reason that our three, five, and seven year old didn’t have answers…they are three, five, and seven. Every night, our short family devotion turned into an hour of tears, whining, and aggravation. My husband felt overwhelmed trying to control squirming kids while I tormented them with concepts too advanced for them to grasp. I stubbornly disagreed-kids are smart cookies! Eventually, chaos won, and we discontinued the in-depth bible readings.
It was during a home school Bible unit study that we discovered “What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver”. We were all delighted in the songs and the silliness. After repeated showings, the discussions came–discussions they started…about sin, separation from God, suffering, and at what cost Salvation came. They once knew the story of Adam and Eve; now they know its impact on their own personal lives.
On the home front, the kids are happy because they get to watch something fun with songs. Daddy is happy because mom isn’t forcing them all through her personal Bible Boot Camp. Mommy is happy because the kidlets are learning important things that can only further their Biblical understanding.
As a Christian store employee, I cannot recommend these videos to my customers enough. I don’t care of your age range or education level. Many Christians have never expanded their Bible knowledge beyond Sunday school stories. Entire families can benefit from the fun and educational introduction to the Bible provided by “What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver”.
