In my own school days, history was not a favorite subject of mine. A dusty textbook filled with boring facts and dates about dead people who lived in places I’ve never been, they held no interest for me. Fast forward a few years and I discover I love studying history as I learn alongside my own children. Today we have resources available that are much more interesting than those boring texts I used. Resources like the miniseries produced by Drive Thru History®.
As a member of the Homeschool Review Crew, I was given the chance to review Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” This miniseries takes you to the places where religion, history, geography and culture meet. Dave Stotts introduces us to Jesus by first taking us introducing us to the surrounding countryside, political leaders and backstory of the times.
The Gospels, the life of Jesus Christ — these are serious, intense topics. Bible Study can often times be dry and boring. But Dave Stotts weaves fun, quirky tid bits and interesting trivia into the episodes of this fantastic series, making it enjoyable for the whole family while still remaining educational and worthwhile.
Our family has been viewing these video lessons during our evening family devotions, 3 to 4 times per week. We watch an episode (less than 30 minutes) and use the gorgeous study guide to spark conversation about what we just watched. There are recommended scriptures that go along with each episode as well as little side trails and discussion questions to use if you wish.
The photography and cinematography are amazing. The production crew takes you right into the towns, homes, ruins with breath-taking views. They give you an up close & personal tour of what it was like to live among the Jewish people, under Roman rule during the years when Jesus was born and lived on earth. Our family was impressed with how different the homes and buildings, including stables and outbuildings looked like in 1st century Jerusalem as compared to what we had imagined (a LOT of stone!)
Using live photography/video, artwork and graphics, the host (Dave Stotts) takes us from before the birth of Christ, through His life and ministry and to His death, burial and resurrection. We are able to view the actual archeological ruins, walk the hills and visit accurate models of temples and synagogues.
While we have not finished the whole miniseries as a family, I did jump ahead myself to view the episodes that deal with the crucifixion of Jesus. This is never an easy subject to deal and I wanted to see how much we might be able to show our children. With narration and artwork and some live-action, this subject was handled very tastefully – it’s emotional, it’s unpleasant, it’s difficult, as it should be. But in my opinion, appropriate for my children ranging in ages (almost) 11 to 16 years old.
Y’all, this series is so good you can binge watch the videos while sharing a bowl of popcorn and have plenty to discuss afterward! We found them so interesting it was hard to stop watching at the end of an episode. My kids would cry “you can’t watch just one!” I do believe they would sit down and watch just for the fun of it – talk about quality screen time!
When you receive The Gospels: The Extraordinary Life of Jesus of Nazareth you’ll find a set of three DVDs in a hardcover book w/ case. There are 18 episodes, each about 27 minutes long. The entire series explores the life and times of Jesus, using all four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) as well as writings from outside historians and archeological evidences. The episodes include :
- The Historical Landscape
- The Announcements
- Jesus is Born
- Jesus Grows Up
- Jesus Starts His Ministry
- Jesus Returns to Galilee
- Jesus Begins His Miracles
- Jesus Teaches with Authority
- The Sermon on the Mount
- Jesus Travels the Sea of Galilee
- Jesus Travels North
- A Final Trip to Jerusalem
- Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem
- The Last Supper
- The Trial of Jesus
- The Crucifixion of Jesus
- The Resurrection of Jesus
- Who is Jesus?
“The Gospels” miniseries is an excellent resource for families who wish to study scripture and learn more accurately how archaeological and historical evidence backs up what is written in the Bible. It would also make a terrific study for a Sunday School class, a homeschool co-op, a small group study. I would also recommend it for someone who wanted an introduction to Jesus or anyone who may be a skeptic about the accuracy of the Bible.
For a little taste of what you’ll see in Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” you can view the trailer on their website. You can also find them on their Social Media channels: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram. See what my fellow Review Crew members thought of this miniseries by clicking on the image below:
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