What is The Bible Project?

what does the bible say?

The Bible Project is a nonprofit animation studio that produces videos and other resources to make the story of the Bible accessible online to everyone, everywhere. Its founders are two long-time friends and former Bible college roommates, Timothy Mackie and Jonathan Collins. They believe the Bible is one, unified story from start to finish that leads to Jesus. Helping people underst and the Bible is a noble endeavor. As a collection of books inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21), Scripture testifies to its wisdom (Psalm 119:105). God commanded His people to study and meditate on His law (Deuteronomy 6:7-9; Joshua 1:8), and using resources such as those produced by The Bible Project, can assist with that. The organization employs multiple artists, illustrators, designers, supporters, and prayer warriors, an example of using spiritual gifts that the apostle Paul indicated God gives to each of His children (1 Corinthians 12:4). All Christians are tasked with sharing the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20), and The Bible Project’s work does that.

from the old testament

• The Psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Bible is a perfect and wise guidebook for life, and supplementary resources like The Bible Project can help to bring it to life for those who are not used to reading such ancient writing.

from the new testament

• Christians are commissioned by Jesus to spread the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20), and the Lord gives each of us “varieties of gifts” that we can use to carry out His will (1 Corinthians 12:4). The digital art exemplified by The Bible Project is a gift that is being used to help others better underst and the truths in the Bible.
• As with any resource, Christians should follow the example of the Bereans who spent time comparing what Paul was preaching and “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). The Bible is our only standard of truth, and any other resources should be faithful to teaching what is found in the Scriptures. The Bible Project seeks to do just that and has so far produced quality resources to further our understanding of Scripture.
• As the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Nothing takes the place of reading Scripture, but resources like videos produced by the Bible Project help Bible neophytes better underst and what they’re reading.

implications for today

Extras can be great. Whether it’s a hot dog with “the works,” an extra cherry on the banana split, or a bonus in the Christmas pay—that bit more can make all the difference. That’s what The Bible Project could be to believers’ Bible study—an extra but not a substitute. The Bible can be intimidating, and resources like those The Bible Project provides can help us to better underst and the context of what we’re reading and offer some analysis for us to consider. The temptation, though, may be to consume the “extras” more so than the text itself. Regardless of how good the devotional, how effective the context video, how exciting the blog post—-nothing substitutes for actually reading the Bible. Some people are concerned that The Bible Project’s creators have aberrant theology, specifically about the atonement and hell. Although at times they seem to deny that hell is a place of eternal suffering and emphasize other theories of the atonement, not substitutionary atonement, they seek to portray beliefs regarding these topics based on what the original audience would have understood. Still, The Bible Project’s mission is biblically sound, and on specific topics, we must evaluate what we see and hear with what the Bible actually says, even if hell and substitutionary atonement was revealed through progressive revelation, over time. Visit their website to check out their videos and other resources for yourself: Resources like The Bible Project are a great addition to personal or group Bible study. Still, we should never lose focus on the most important area of focus: the Bible itself.

Recap

understand

• The Bible Project creates accessible, animated resources to help people underst and Scripture.
• The Bible Project presents the Bible as one unified story pointing to Jesus.
• The Bible Project’s resources supplement but should not replace reading the Bible itself.

reflect

• How do you balance using resources like The Bible Project with your own personal reading of the Bible?
• How does seeing the Bible as one unified story change the way you read and interpret it?
• How can you use your own gifts to help others underst and God’s Word, similar to how The Bible Project uses animation and media?

engage

• How can we evaluate modern Bible study resources to ensure they align with the Bible?
• How does presenting the Bible as a unified story pointing to Jesus affect our approach to teaching and sharing the Gospel?
• How can we encourage each other to uphold reading the Bible as central to our growth, even if we use supplementary resources like The Bible Project?