New animated series encourages kids to watch the Bible, not read it

The Christian production company Revelation Media will unveil its new animated Bible project on Easter, with the first segment aiming to depict the stories of the Book of Genesis in a child-friendly way.

Watching the iBible will appeal to digital natives more than reading Scripture, said Steve Cleary, executive director and producer of the series. 

“We want kids to read their Bible, but if we don’t reach them in a visual manner, we’re seeing the result. They don’t. They’re not reading their Bible,” he said.

He believes that short attention spans and a growing aversion to reading are making it impossible for kids to get interested in the Bible. Churches, said Cleary, are late to the party when it comes to finding creative ways to interest internet-savvy kids in biblical texts. 

His solution is to reach young kids where they are: on screens. From the creation story to the death of Joseph, the 42 episodes will tell stories from the Old Testament in hopes of increasing a younger generation’s biblical literacy.

This animated Bible translation, the first of its kind, he said, strives to be a “legitimate Bible translation.” All scripts of the seven-minute episodes are approved by the Summer Institute of Linguistics, an evangelical nonprofit that rates the accuracy of Bible translations.

With a background in animation — Cleary co-produced the animated “The Pilgrim’s Progress” in 2019 — he said he’s seen the power of visual learning for Generation Z and Generation Alpha.

https://religionnews.com/2024/02/15/new-animation-series-encourages-kids-to-watch-the-bible-not-read-it/

[TBC: Children who focus on video do have short attention spans which handicap them in life. And, we noted in a January 23, 2005 radio transcript, “…We see a weaning away from the Word of God—bringing all kinds of things in that are trying to enhance, that are trying to get people…appeal to their emotions, to the experiential side, and so on. This is separating us, I believe, from God’s Word and God’s truth.” It certainly has, as programs such as The Chosen have demonstrated. Man’s “adding” to the Word of God certainly can be remembered, but his tampering with God’s Word will not contribute to learning the Truth.]