One of the best resources for the body of Christ today, as it aims ‘to show how the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.’

The Bible Project probably rates as my favourite resource over the last few years. It helped to revitalise my engagement with the Bible at a crucial point in my life. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Have you ever come to read a book of the Bible, especially a less familiar one, and, struggling through it, you wondered to yourself: what exactly is this all about? Where does it fit in God’s overarching story? How is it relevant? Some of the introductions in Study Bibles were a bit dry and academic and left you none the wiser really. Or more popular ‘introductions’ were a bit thin. And you didn’t have the time or inclination to read a commentary on every book of the Bible.

So, thank goodness for the Bible Project. Its short, animated overviews and explanations of each of the books of the Bible and many of its key themes (with each video mostly not much longer than 5 minutes each) are the heart of the resource. This is where I started with it, and is what I still like best about it. Since then, they have produced a rich array of videos, including video commentaries, deeper overviews through book collections, more and more themes, and a great series on how to read the Bible, introducing guidelines on how to read different biblical genres. And all videos are creative and of an excellent standard.

Founded by biblical scholar, Tim Mackie, and animator, Jon Collins, in 2014, The Bible Project has become incredibly popular, and rightly so. You can engage with the resource at different levels. You might just use the video overviews, and these alone are terrific study aids. Or you can read the many articles, or listen to the various podcasts on multiple topics. I especially liked that, after every overview, it recommended a good popular commentary for each book of the Bible as well as a scholarly one for those who are interested. And I really enjoyed completing the Bible through a year with them, including all the key videos.

You can now even join Tim Mackie in a virtual classroom on different areas of biblical theology. This, though, has become one of the challenges of it. Over the last ten years, they have developed such an amazing wealth of resources, it can be a little overwhelming. I found trying to follow their App a step too far, but I still love browsing its site and will often refer to it for personal study and sermon/Bible study preparation.

Another challenge is that it comes from a particular theological perspective, inevitably. Some have been critical of Tim Mackie’s theology (see here for example). But it is only fair to consider that he is trying to make biblical theology accessible, in language and terms of reference that are inclusive. And he seems to want to avoid getting  into theological controversies. This is understandable as he is trying to encourage engagement with Scripture, not wade in on current theological debates. He is trying to be accessible and non-contentious. However, he cannot avoid coming from his own perspective. And so we should make sure we still read the Bible for ourselves and not just unthinkingly accept everything on the site. It is the Bible that is inspired, not The Bible Project or Tim Mackie.

Having said that, the aim of Bible Project is wonderful : ‘Our mission is to show how the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.’ Jesus himself explains how the Bible is all about him, so what an excellent aim for such a rich resource. So, I’d say enjoy, listen to and learn from The Bible Project. But, as with all learning, that must include listening critically. You don’t have to go along with everything in it in order to gain a great deal from it. With that caveat, which must be true of every book, article or resource you read and engage with, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

If you use The Bible Project, why not leave a comment below to let others know what you like about it.