I loved watching Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” with my husband and our oldest daughter. Dave Stotts made an excellent guide, and we learned a lot about the life of Jesus throughout the 9 hours of video included in the set.
But, Drive Thru History® didn’t just include episodes. When you open the box, you’ll find the three DVDs and an amazing study guide.
The Guide
For each of the 18 episodes, the study guide includes:
- Images that go with the content
- A brief summary
- Discussion Questions
- Scripture references so you can read the account
- A “Side Road” that provides a brief glimpse at a topic from the episode
How We Used this Product
After tucking the littles and middles into bed for the evening, Jayme, Bryan, and I would pop some popcorn and watch an episode or two. We had the study guide to use for further discussion if desired, but often we’d just be inspired to ask a question or comment about something in the video. It led to some discussions!
I enjoyed how captivating the series was. It’s very well produced, and easy to watch. Best of all, we learned a lot by watching it. I even stayed awake for the majority of the episodes, which if you know me and my ability to snooze just about anytime we sit down to watch something, is high praise! 😀
The landscape in Israel is amazing, and it made for a stunning backdrop. I loved being able to see the locations from the Bible, as it helped me paint a more accurate mental picture when reading through the gospels. I don’t anticipate making it there in real life any time soon, and the visuals definitely helped give me some perspective.
I loved the wit of the host, Dave Stotts. From cooking a meal by tying it to his engine to rowing a boat, he made the show anything but boring.
In addition to learning about Jesus, this series really gives a picture of the context of the Gospels. We learned about the archeology of the time, the rulers of the era, a bigger picture of the historical context, and more. It was really an educational series.
Downfalls of this Product
There aren’t any perfect products out there, but there were a couple of things I disliked about this DVD set. First, there were some images that weren’t sound scripture, such as when they showed a historical painting of Jesus being baptized by sprinkling.
But, anything that we didn’t agree with definitely gave a point to pause the video and talk about it. We could read the Biblical account, and then talk about the video.
What Topics are Covered?
Here’s a list of the episodes included in Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”:
- The Historical Landscape
- The Announcements
- Jesus is Born
- Jesus Grows Up
- Jesus Starts His Ministry
- Jesus Returns to Galilee
- Jesus Begins His Miracles
- Jesus Teaches with Authority
- The Sermon on the Mount
- Jesus Travels the Sea of Galilee
- Jesus Travels North
- A Final Trip to Jerusalem
- Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem
- The Last Supper
- The Trial of Jesus
- The Crucifixion of Jesus
- The Resurrection of Jesus
- Who is Jesus?
Do I Recommend this Product?
I definitely recommend Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” and will be looking into the other sets produced by this company. While we didn’t agree with everything, it was well-done, and very educational. I’m looking forward to watching them again as the other kids get older. It is a great starting point for a family Bible study, especially in the weeks leading up to Resurrection Sunday.
There are some graphic scenes, especially in Episode 16 (about the Crucifixion), so if you’re watching with younger kids just be aware of that.
What Did Other People Think?
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