By all accounts, among the many challenges facing the church today, general biblical illiteracy and a lack of theological understanding are at or near the top of the list. Scripture tells the foundational story and reveals who God is, what his intentions are, who we are, and what God has done in Christ to fulfill his intentions. If this basic story is only hearsay to the disciples of Christ, charged with understanding and living this Way, then we must acknowledge this crisis for what it is and seek to remedy it.
I know of many churches that have correctly diagnosed the problem of biblical and theological illiteracy. But they are often at a loss when it comes to identifying an effective remedy. It is always a good idea to recommend the reading of Scripture, but many feel overwhelmed to engage its details without an understanding of its overall story. What external resource could help disciples better understand what the Christian faith is all about?
To respond to this nearly universal question, the Center for Christian Studies is excited to announce our new video series, “The Story of God: From Creation to New Creation,” presented by John Mark Hicks. In these 17 episodes, Hicks presents the story of the Bible, which is a story by God and about God, in five acts of unfolding drama—Creation, Israel, Christ, Church, and New Creation. This schema and the series itself parallel Hicks’ book, Around the Bible in 80 Days: The Story of God from Creation to New Creation (2022), which I would highly recommend as a supplement to this series.
In this video series, Hicks models a theological reading of Scripture that focuses on the unified story told in the Bible. Viewers will come away with a greater understanding of and appreciation for the general outline of Scripture and the arc of its metanarrative. Zooming out to address the big questions—who God is, what his intentions are, and what he has done to accomplish his intent of redemption—will then help as we zoom in and see how the details of the various biblical stories fall into place.
In sum, there is no better tool than this video series for introducing new believers to, and reminding older believers of, the story of the Bible and its significance for us.
Like all our video series, “The Story of God” comes with a course study guide that suggests Bible readings and includes discussion questions for each episode. It can be used effectively for teacher and leader training, class or small group curriculum, home school or Christian school, or individual or family study.
See our other video series, view samples on our YouTube page, and get your congregation signed up for a free trial and access to all our premium video content.
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