Shelbi Harrison 3/29/12 New Testament Survey The Living Bible Acts

It is increasingly important to study religion because we are living in an increasingly diverse, multicultural country. Being familiar with the religion can help foster positive human interactions in society and in the work place. In addition, amongst people who are religious, there is often a serious lack of sophisticated knowledge and understanding about one's own religion and its place in the larger context of history and the human religious impulse. Growing up religion was never an easy subject for me. Between reading from the bible and having to interpret verses in class, it was a constant struggle. I would sometimes spend hours of time after class reading only to continue to have a hard time. That is why I feel that this video was extremely beneficial and helpful for me as well as other students. Unlike other teaching methods this video enables me to better understand the versus being read. Normally after reading a verse I feel confused and have to reread the passage at least a couple of times. It is extremely hard for me to focus on what Im reading in the bible where as watching the video actually showed me what was going on and kept me focused. Watching the Acts gospel acted out through video makes the study of religion that much simpler. Studying religion helps you to learn how to think critically, listen empathetically, speak thoughtfully, and write clearlyall skills that will be of great use no matter what you go on to do in life. It will also help you to better live and work in our increasingly diverse society and global world.

Watching the video also enabled to understand and interpret bible versus a lot more easily. A lot of Christians dont learn to study the Bible for themselves because they lack motivation. Watching movies is also one of the most popular hobbies of people worldwide, which is why gospel video makes understanding and breaking down versus so simple and easy. For example in Act chapter 8 verses 1-3 1 And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. There are some finer points in each of the three scriptures referenced here. Basically, though, the entire church was coming under persecution. So much so, that it was costing your life, or at least liberty to have any affiliation with Jesus. It was not a local persecution either (certain sections of a city), but as wide spread as Judea and Samaria. This indicates a very well organized and thorough cleansing occurring, but more so, that the church 'had' made some serious advances in the short time after Jesus' death and resurrection. This scattering was probably the key behind the spreading of the gospel. In conclusion I feel that watching the video was extremely helpful in my understanding of the readings. The videos helped me break down the verses to a clearer meaning. I highly recommend watching this video to any student or person in general seeking to better understand the bible and its meaning.