BibleProject Resource Review by Gemma Milligan, Luton Assistant Director at Youthscape, and volunteer youth worker at St Hugh’s Church, Luton

I’m a passionate believer in the importance and relevance of the Bible for disciples of Jesus of all ages; but am also aware that for many it can seem like an old, confusing, boring book that they have no idea how to engage with.

This is why BibleProject is such a find. It is an animation studio that produces completely free videos, podcasts, blogs and other resources that bring the Bible to life in an engaging, easily accessible way. Each of these resources can be downloaded from their website https://bibleproject.com and can be used in a variety of contexts – both online and in person.

 

I have shown BibleProject videos to young people over Zoom during church youth work sessions throughout lockdown, and they are particularly helpful if you are wanting to give an overview of a specific book, theme, or topic within the Bible before discussing it further. There are also downloadable study notes available with each of the videos, but if you are wanting to facilitate a young-person-friendly conversation about what has been viewed, you will need to come up with your own questions to ask.

 

The videos are short – usually around 3-6 minutes – and the animation and voiceover are not only entertaining, but they depict and explain deep Biblical truth in a simple, relevant way. They do tend to assume the viewer has a basic level of Biblical knowledge, therefore are most suited to use in a church context with those who would identify themselves as Christians. There is, however, no need to have extensive faith experience or understanding to find them helpful; I have used them with young people between the ages of 11-18, some of whom are from Christian families, and some of whom are very new to faith and to church.

The young people with whom I have used these videos found them engaging and informative, and they prompted some great discussion (the video about Peace/Shalom led into a really interesting conversation about what Biblical Peace might look like in our world today). In many of the videos the original Hebrew or Greek meaning of words is dissected, which some young people may find confusing if they are not aware that the Bible wasn’t written in English! But if this is the case it will just prompt the need for further discussion and study, which can only be a positive.

I would definitely use this resource again (I have also adopted it as a staple within my own quiet times with God – adults too can find plenty of resources for deeper study on the website!) and think it is a brilliant tool for helping young people to engage with scripture. If you wanted to read through the Bible as a youth group it would definitely help with giving an introduction to what the Bible is, an overview of each book, and an explanation of different themes. There are also small group Bible Studies available, based upon videos, scripture, and a weekly podcast, if that is something you think your group would find helpful.

I want to see a generation who are captivated by God’s word and what He may be saying about Himself, His plans, and His desire for relationship with us through it, and I believe the resources that BibleProject are providing to help with this are outstanding.

You can find the free BibleProject animated videos at https://bibleproject.com/explore/

Other resources (like family friendly small group Bible study notes) https://bibleproject.com/church-at-home/

Find the BibleProject podcast at https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/