Here is a movie that is much like a lovely tapestry. There are many themes that are woven together. These themes include: modern Israel, Israel at the time of Jesus plus the key New and Old Testament verses.

This is a lively movie that moves along quickly as the lifetime of Jesus unfolds. Short clips with great videography are make alive the words of the narrator. The narration is available in English, French and German.

There are scenes of the places that Jesus would have known. It is like a travelogue with historic commentary along the way.

There are sections about the Jewish festivals of with biblical background and modern scenes to illustrate. These include Feast of Booths, Shabbat, Hanukkah and Passover.

This movie is highly recommended for all. Here is a simple presentation of how Christianity considers that it came from Judaism. This movie clearly explains and illustrates the linkages.

We are living in an increasingly pluralistic and more global society. That is thrusting people from different backgrounds together like never before. That means that it is wise to understand some of the basics of the major world religions. Such understanding can lead to more peace and better understanding. So here is a very good introduction and overview of key parts of Christianity to both those that grew up with it and those that never encountered it before.

It could take many hours to read several books that cover this much material. Yet here it is in an informative and interesting way. Go ahead and enjoy this excellent movie.

Here is a first class documentary about one man that has had a monumental impact on the modern English language, the Bible in English and our understanding of biblical theology.

He was an expert in languages that translated the Bible for the first time from the original languages of Greek and Hebrew.

Also he was bravely trusted God based on his faith from the text. And he was bold enough to teach this to others during an era when that was highly unusual and violently opposed by the state. People were being burned at the stake for the kinds of activities he did.

God provided a few key supporters along his difficult journey. He was constantly in danger of his life for translating the Bible into English and for printing it. He often needed to move around in England and Europe to avoid capture.

At the time he translated the Bible the English language was not like it is today. He was instrumental in causing the lasting shift of the English language into its present form.

His translation of the Bible was well received after his death and it was the basis of most of the later translations including the King James Version.

His work had a profound influence on such others as Shakespeare and the founding fathers of the USA.

Handel's Messiah has been a favorite of millions of people for centuries. It has been sung and performed all over the globe, especially during the Christmas and Easter seasons.

This movie tells the story behind the writing of that masterpiece. The first two thirds sets the context of the man and his struggles. Then most of last third is spent showing what it may have been like to compose that immortal work of art.

At the end there was a short segment of the grand performance of the Hallelujah Chorus.

Out of personal hardships and illness came this amazing work that has endured. A few other people played a huge role in bringing this to past.

There is an indication of how his personal fellowship with God influenced him during this creative process.

Plus the period costumes and antique like sets give a beautiful visual history lesson.

Here is the journey of a man and a woman that actively put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ during the Reformation Era.

They were used by God to lead others into the practice of adult baptism. That was contrasted to infant baptism. They were called Anabaptist.

This practice was violently opposed by the leaders of the church and the state.

They continued amidst persecution, suffering and ending in death as martyrs for their faith.

This movie makes personal and real a critical season of church history.

Here are visual history lessons for the greater context for the Last Supper.

The New and Old Testaments intersect in this single event.

The many short clips give a fast tour of the dozens of events that climax at this occasion.

The costumes, sets and various locations provide a visual amplification of the biblical texts.

The narrator provides historical background to the events as they unfold. This information helps the viewer to understand the importance of the events as they are unfolding.

Watching the meal prepared and cooked in the manner of that era is a valuable lesson.

There is instruction on how the Jewish Passover is observed today as well as in the days of Jesus.

This is an historical account without any religious interpretation or commentary.

This movie is highly recommended for all audiences. Christians can better understand the Jewish roots of their faith. And those who are not Christians can better understand this historic event that became the source for the sacrament of Holy Communion.

The first rate sets, costumes and acting provide a lovely context for this complex web of love stories. Here are several love triangles that intersect and overlap.

The plot lines took twists and turns like many great novels.

From these hours a fascinating drama the various facets of human love were explored and exposed. Is it any wonder that romance can never fit nicely in any box?

To marry for love or money and to marry with or without the blessing of parents are old themes that are explored effectively.

Power, sex and romance are as powerful today as they have been anytime in history. And that makes the title of this movie all the more important.

The movie gets to the guts of the tension between a son and a father.

The brilliant dialogue, lovely scenery and great acting serve as an excellent way to present the onion that keeps peeling back layers.

The core issues of parenting, communication and manhood are explored indirectly.

In fun ways the curtain is pulled back, the masks slip off a little and truths are exposed.

All of this happens amidst a road trip format. The backdrop is rural New York state in the early fall just as the trees are changing colors. WOW!

Born without arms Tony learns to play guitar and sing. His talents and courage have inspired millions on TV shows and in concerts.

The movie tells the tale of the love and support of his family during his formative years. It reveals his heart and passions along his journey.

There are many clips from his performances with the warm responses of the audiences. There are lots of close ups of how he plays the guitar with his feet.

This message of hope could bless your heart.

Most documentaries and biographies look back on events and maybe recreate some of them. This movie is very special because the camera tags along during the journey of a courageous athlete. The key events are filmed as they occur and are woven into a lovely mural afterward.

One man faced his disability head on. He not only overcame his personal limitations; he transcended the conditions presented by his deformed leg. He dedicated his life to serve the higher mission. His deeds have improved the conditions for all of those like him in his homeland of Ghana West Africa. His tenacious actions have changed the perceptions and attitudes of people throughout the country.

This is an amazing saga that includes the fields of sports, medicine, charity, politics and education.

The story of this man's life has inspired millions from many walks of life in Ghana as well as the USA. The story could inspire you too.

A narrator tells the seven parables of Jesus from the gospels. He adds some commentary to make it contemporary and match the actors in costumes acting out the scenes. There were a few historic details added to the biblical text and these shed new light on the story.

This movie makes the familiar words become more visual, memorable and understandable.

For those who hate to read here is an easy way to access the timeless truths of the Scripture.

This can be used to start seven meaningful discussions with any family, small group or Sunday school class.

Apostle Paul and the Earliest Churches

The movie Apostle Paul and the Earliest Churches blends three factors
1) Narration of the biblical accounts
2) Actors in costumes acting out the narration
3) Travelogue of the current locations indicated by the journeys.

The camera shows ancient ruins and modern day activities along the journeys of Paul. The views of the many archeological sites make this film a special treasure.

Plus there are good computer graphic maps to help appreciate where he went. It is amazing to notice how far Paul traveled and especially by ship.

The three missionary journeys are presented and the ruins of the many churches along the way. It was to these churches that Paul wrote the letters that came to us in the Bible as the epistles. So the movie gives a visual and historic context to the epistles also. Together the book of Acts and the epistles make up much of the New Testament.

The motion picture gives the many events of the book of Acts has a greater context. This aids in appreciating the cross cultural challenges Paul faced plus the challenges of traveling under primitive conditions.

Here is the account of how one man in a few years was used by God to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and start dozens of churches. That set into motion what became the major world religion of Christianity. World history teaches us that Christianity and conflicts surrounding it have greatly impacted western civilization for two thousand years. Church history tells the tale of the changes in how the faith was understood and practiced as denominations emerged over the centuries. Yet much of this has roots in what is shown in this picture.

The movie could be appreciated by new Christians as well as those who have studied the Bible for years.

Teachers and preachers could use short clips to introduce a lesson or illustrate a point.

Christian schools would be wise to put this into the collection of their library.

Here is a quick tour of the Reformation using the life and work of the key players.

In a relatively short time the viewer receives a wonderful series of presentations about a critical time in church history that was the origin of several denominations and still impacts us today.

Each unit has a blend of clips from movies this company produced as illustrations of the narrative lessons. Each segment is an excellent overview of many complicated events. And together these make for a great collection.

There are six chapters of about 30 minutes each. Those that were pivotal in church history during this era were John Wycliffe, John Hus, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli with John Calvin, The Anabaptists and William Tyndale

Each chapter is done in a self-contained way. They can be seen separately or together.

It would take a person dozens of hours to gather this much information from various books or web sites. Yet here it is in an easy to follow format.

After seeing these abbreviated units then the viewer may choose to also see the longer versions that have the full length movies with the whole story line and no commentary to interrupt. Each one has excellent costumes, sets and acting.

This movie is highly recommended for small groups, Sunday school classes, home school learners, Christian school libraries and all students of church history.

The title Uncommon Union refers to the relationship Jonathan Edwards had with his wife Sarah.

The movie is adapted form a one woman stage performance. It is mostly monologue. But instead of one woman on a stage this movie has her in various setting and various costumes. The movie story line is her writing remembrances to their eleven children of her husband, their marriage and their ministry.

She tells of their many hardships using the kind of language common to that era. She gracefully weaves biblical responses to the challenges that gave them hope and strength to endure. This long narrative is an eloquent testimony of the goodness and grace of God to take special care of His people during times of greatest difficulty.

This movie is highly recommended viewing to get an insider viewpoint of one person that greatly impacted church history. And it is evident that his wife played a huge role his success.



According to the end of the movie there are online resources that can be of use for further research at
Christian History Institute dot org and type Edwards into the search engine
Jonathan Edwards dot com
At your public library.

Nativity: The Art and History of the Crèche is a fascinating movie about a part of the Christmas celebrations that we often take for grated. The historic roots are traced. Dozens of pictures of lovely home cheches from all over the world are shown. These are made from all kinds of materials. They reflect the artistic styles of their origin in terms of clothing, coloring, skin color, etc.

Each traditional character in the collection is examined from a biblical and historic perspective.

This is a short movie of only 27 minutes that covers many facets well.

This movie is highly recommended for those interested in Church History, Art History, the Bible, History in General, Art in General, Creativity, Crafts, Religion, Diversity, Also it is also recommended for these kinds of people: Art Teachers, Home School Teachers. Visual Artists, Sculptors, Wood Carvers and Pastors of Children.

Beyond Narnia is a captivating movie where C. S. Lewis is presented as an older man looking back and telling the story of his life. There are cuts back and forth from the autobiographical narrator and those acting out the scenes.

Over the years I have seen several videos about C. S. Lewis. I have read many hundreds of pages. And here are all the facts told in an orderly way. The film is easy to understand and very engaging. The sets and costumes help tell the visual story as the narrator talks.

This movie is recommended for all those who want to understand the live of C S Lewis both as the writer of the Narnia Chronicles as well as his many other books. Understanding his spiritual pilgrimage can provide a greater context to more fully appreciate the soil of his life that the fruits of his labors came from in his complex walk with God.

Scottish Covenanters gives a close up view of a small and important past of church history.

This gives an overview of how religion and politics were closely related during the time of the Reformation. For example at one stage the king oversaw the writing of a new liturgy to be used in all the churches but the people disliked it and literally this led to riots. Those events led to the national covenant that united the protesters. It was signed by 60,000 Scots in two days. The document was taken on tour and read in the churches. People repented at the hearing and committed to obey God according to the Bible. And revival broke out in many places where the covenant was presented.

There were changes in the monocracy that led to the new king opposing the covenant and the reforms it brought. This included persecution, imprisonment and death. Ministers were required to swear an oath that indicated that the king had authority over all matters spiritual and temporal. When this was imposed about a third of the clergy resigned rather than take the oath. Many of the church members met in secret and illegal services outdoors. The government attempted to break up these meetings.

The oath was imposed on the general population in 1665. Those who refused were fined, imprisoned without trial or killed. There were solider-like dragoons that imposed this tyranny.

On the way to the gallows to be hung the martyrs for the Christian faith encouraged others and joyfully looked forward to meeting the Lord Jesus Christ face-to-face soon.

Besides the leaders many thousands of common Christians were killed for not renouncing their faith in Jesus Christ based on the Bible.

The religious freedom to go to church where you choose began to become common after this era.

This film is recommended for those interested in Church History, Reformation, Revival, Presbyterianism, Scotland, martyrs and related topics.

John Bunyan Journey of a Pilgrim provides the context of the man that wrote Pilgrim's Progress. That book has been read and loved for hundreds of years.

This short documentary biography provides an excellent overview of the life of one man that God used in a mighty way. His willingness to trust God amidst the hardships of persecution and imprisonment for his faith inspired the members of his church. While behind bars he wrote the parts that would become Pilgrim's Progress.

What I did not know before seeing this movie was the other books he wrote and the vast amount of preaching he did.

He had a rough path to his solid faith in God. His foul mouth and sinful lifestyle as a youth even troubled his conscience at depth. It is wonderful to witness how earnest seeking and diligent study of the Bible can radically change a soul.

It is inspiring to notice how God used his life, messages and publications at a critical tine in church history.

This movie is highly recommended for preachers, teachers, home school students, church history students and missionaries.

What Would Jesus Buy? is a 90 minute film is well worth viewing.

It began with a man who had a passion to wake up Americans about their out of control shopping. The concept grew in New York City. And he used a parody of preaching carry his message. He spoke to groups and at shopping settings.

The church of Stop Shopping is a group of social activist with a timely message. The film deals with a month long journey across the country that climaxed on Christmas. It shows what they experienced along the way.

The facts and figures of our collective addiction to consumerism were presented in a humorous and awakening way.

It would be wise to view this as an individual, family and small group before the shopping madness leading up to Christmas.



See the video here for free with a few short commercials http://snagfilms.com/films/watch/what_would_jesus_buy/3


Website for the movie http://wwjbmovie.com/
Trailer http://wwjbmovie.com/trailer.html

The website of Rev. Billy http://www.revbilly.com/about_us/

Especially recommended for
Any American
Parents
Pastors
Teachers
Those with credit card debt troubles