VeggieTales Legend Releases New DVD Series
Ninety-two percent of homes own a Bible–but what’s in it? Enter VeggieTales legend Phil Vischer and WHAT’S IN THE BIBLE?, his new 13-DVD series from Tyndale House Publishers. Led by puppet Buck Denver–WITB will stir laughter and love of the Bible for anyone with a sense of humor and a half hour, but it’s aimed at children ages 5-11. From Chicago-based Jellyfish Labs, Vischer and team open the Bible, Genesis to Revelation, to new generations: how the Bible formed, its major themes and leading figures, even terms such as Vulgate, Septuagint, Canon, and Apocrypha.
“I picture the kid in the back of Sunday school class–with the questions teachers dread. I know that honest answers now help solidify faith long-term,” Vischer said. Select theologians comb every script to accurately present the Bible on ground common to the broadest number of believers. “We work hard to show respect all around,” Vischer said.
VeggieTales has sold more than 50 million DVDs and produced two theatrical films around Bible stories. WITB plugs in the entire Bible. This comes in a groundswell of new concern for Bible literacy and because today’s kids learn visually.
Bestselling author Randy Alcorn emailed Vischer: “[My grandson and I] watched together and again the next day and the next, bonus features and all, until we had to leave. Matthew is now a devoted fan of Buck Denver and the other characters.”
Alcorn also liked, “the depth of biblical background and commentary on God’s great drama of redemption.”
Episodes one, two, and three?
1. In the Beginning — Kids learn God’s big story and how Genesis’s first 11 chapters set up the whole Bible–and life.
2. Let My People Go! — Kids meet Abraham and learn how God used him to start a great nation called Israel.
3. Wanderin’ in the Desert–goes into Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, joining Genesis and Exodus in the Law Books and setting up trials and victories of God’s people.
“We must learn the language of our audience,” said C.S. Lewis, who connected children to God. “For this generation, visual is fundamental to learning,” Cambridge scientist Alister McGrath said. “By the time kids see the final DVD,” Phil Vischer said, “they’ll know the entire Bible.”