If you have seen the ads, there will soon be something worth watching on television.
The History Channel will present, “The Bible” as a five-week mini-series. The premier is March 3, 2013 from Emmy Award winning husband and wife team, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The final episode of the series will air on Easter Sunday and will feature the death and resurrection of Jesus.
This television series is a great and simple way for people to explore the message of God. While the Bible is one the best-selling books of all time, many have not read the text. The mini-series will give Christians, spiritual seekers, and curious souls an opportunity to discover the Holy Bible in a new and exciting way. Hopefully, it will serve as a reason for folks to open the text, connect with Christ, and continue their discovery of God’s plan for humanity.
Below are a couple of reviews for the series. Feel free to share the news and catch the show.
“To help insure the accuracy of the miniseries, many Christian scholars served as advisors and hundreds of Christian leaders have given their endorsement.” – Outreach Magazine
“It is also a project close to Mr. Burnett’s heart. In the past couple of years the 52-year-old former paratrooper says he has become deeply religious, a transition he credits to Roma Downey, his wife since 2007. ‘It wasn’t until I met Roma that I truly understood my faith and it’s been a dynamic shift for me,’ Mr. Burnett said.” – Wall Street Journal
“Famed television producer Mark Burnett tackles his projects with passion, but The Bible is a special labor of love. The 10-hour, five-part docudrama, which premieres March 3 on the History Channel, will span the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, presenting some of its best- known stories, including Noah’s Ark, the Exodus, Daniel in the lions’ den and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
‘In terms of importance, nothing we’ve ever done, not Touched By an Angel, not Survivor, not The Voice, not The Apprentice, none of this could possibly compare to The Bible,’ Burnett says. ‘To us, as a family, we love the Bible.
This is not a TV show to us. It’s images and sound and sacred text that people will still watch, way after our grandchildren are old people.’
Since the entire Bible can’t be covered in 10 hours, the miniseries, which was filmed in Morocco, focuses on a select group of stories and features such compelling figures as Abraham, Moses and David. Some stories had to be compressed for artistic purposes. ‘In the end, what we’ve done is a meta-narrative, a grand narrative of emotionally connected stories. We know we’re not qualified to teach the Bible. We’re qualified to be good television producers and storytellers. By telling these emotionally connected, big stories, hopefully millions of people will reopen their Bibles,’ Burnett says. Downey came up with the idea for the miniseries a few years ago. ‘It is our obligation to tell the stories as written,’ he says. ‘The stories are so brilliant and compelling.’ The project will have broad appeal, he says. ‘If you know the Bible, you’ll enjoy seeing the stories come to life. If you’ve never read the Bible, I think you’ll love the stories,’ he says. ‘There’s a reason the Bible is the most widely read book in the world.'” – USA Today
God Squad 
History Channel’s The Bible Draws Incredible Ratings
Posted in News & Commentary, tagged Bible television, chaplain, Christianity, current events, History Channel, History Channel Bible Series, hollywood, hollywood overlooks christian shows, Jesus, Pastors, rankings, ratings, religion, religion news, The Bible, the bible mini series 2013, top ranked cable show on March 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Hollywood can say what it wants, but The Bible is the top-rated cable program on Sunday nights.
The History Channel’s mini-series The Bible drew an impressive 14.1 million viewers on its first night. Horizon media, meanwhile, said some 50 million viewers tuned in to at least some portion of the program over the first three weekends of the five part series.
The show is an outright success. The latest installment pulled in 11 million viewers and audience retention rates are just as remarkable. To put the numbers into perspective, the premier had better ratings than The Walking Dead and every episode beat Fox’s American Idol. If the ratings don’t impress you, they certainly confound Hollywood’s entertainment experts.
This Judeo-Christian-themed show reveals an appetite for religious programming that is consistently overlooked in Hollywood. Did they forget that The Passion of the Christ made over $600 million to become the highest grossing R rated film in history? Did they also miss The Chronicles of Narnia, Courageous, and Fireproof?
Some critics claim that the calendar is artificially inflating interest around the series. I don’t see how this argument holds water. Sure the mini-series airs during Lent and will end on Easter Sunday, but that does not speak to the desire for clean stories and religious programming every day of the year. The content is drawing the audience, not the calendar. Content is what drew people to the show and developed a loyal following.
The series is truly unique in that the creators wanted to honor the integrity and accuracy of Scripture. Nancy Dubuc, president of the History Channel, told MovieGuide.com that a group of theologians and scholars were regularly consulted on the accuracy of the project. “This is probably the most important book in mankind, regardless of your beliefs or religious affiliation,” Dubuc says. “We spend a lot of time talking about this book, and probably not enough time knowing what’s in it.”
Again, that is the entire point. People are curious about the Old Testament, the New Testament, and how the Bible impacts us. While Hollywood has not cracked the code, people want to connect with the story of God.
Thanks to the History Channel and The Bible leadership team, people are watching the series, having conversations about the text, and finding out what the story of God holds for them. That is the ultimate success no matter how the ratings turn out next week.
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