Back in 2014, friends Timothy Mackie and Jonathan Collins were wondering how they might break down complex theological themes for those reading the Bible. Both men, with their degrees and biblical training, just wanted to lay out the truth of God’s word in an engaging way.
So they came up with an idea: What if they could communicate themes and chapters of the Bible with compelling video narrative? An online resource for those who wanted to see and hear stories come to life.
They called it the Bible Project. What began as a few uploads in 2014 has turned into a website and a YouTube channel where animated, almost comic book-like line drawing videos are broken down into categories: Spiritual Beings, Biblical Themes, Luke-Acts Series, The Torah Series, The Wisdom Series, Word Studies, Old Testament, New Testament and Studio News.
And now, with a handful of staff located in Oregon, there are more than 150 videos, 200 podcasts and millions of views across the world.
The Bible Project’s videos pair engaging illustrations with conversational narration of various biblical subjects and themes. It’s an approach that explains and summarizes stories and themes that might often feel confusing or complex. Each video is captivating, compelling and causes the viewers to think and engage with Scripture.
The result is a terrific, boredom-battling resource for individuals, families, small groups, youth groups and churches. Even if you’re a longtime Bible reader or scholar, the Bible Project will likely fill in theological gaps and simplify—in a good way—difficult to understand passages of Scripture.
We all know the Bible isn’t G-rated, and some of these more mature stories and themes are discussed in detail.
The creators of the Bible Project say: “We are inspiring the next generation to explore the Bible through the mediums in which they have been raised, visual storytelling and technology.” And the group’s goal is to help viewers understand that the Bible is “one unified story that leads to Jesus.”
As with all Scripture-oriented teaching, it’s best to watch and listen discerningly, talking through these teachings with trusted spiritual leaders in your own life even as you glean the wisdom and enjoy the creativity packed into the Bible Project.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
