Friends and heroes

Last week, after two recommendations of the new BBC2 series 'Friends and Heroes', Tim and I decided to check it out.

The first challenge - could we find the Good Book telly?
• We eventually unearthed it from a cupboard.

The second challenge - where to put it?
• The desk was too cluttered
• The filing cabinet was too far from a plug
• An old table base was perfect but, oops, was that the sound of breaking glass? (Alas, poor vase - I knew it well.)

At last all was set, and we sat down to be impressed...

'Friends and Heroes' is in the same style as a previous animated series called 'The Storykeepers'. In both cases, the main story is based in the First Century, with the heroes experiencing life under the Romon occupation. They have adventures - but they also tell each other stories from the Old and New Testaments. As a concept it's an interesting one, and has potential for us as children's and youth workers.

Sadly, despite the recommendations, both Tim and I were disappointed. The animation quality was good - but the storytelling was slow to get going. Each episode includes two Bible stories, chosen to link with the theme of that episode. The one we watched was about two children - one Jewish and one Roman - who were prejudiced against each other. So one of the chosen Bible stories was Peter and Cornelius from Acts 10. It's certainly true that the vision God sent to Peter was designed to challenge Peter's view of 'unclean' Gentiles. Indeed, Peter would not have gone to see Cornelius otherwise, as he himself explains in v28-29. But this vision wasn't merely about friendship - it was opening Peter's eyes to the astounding truth (for him) that the wonderful gospel message about Jesus was for all people, not just the Jews. When Peter met with Cornelius, he spoke to him about Jesus - and all those listening became believers and were filled with God's Spirit. It was a pivotal moment in the expansion of the gospel and the growth of the early church.

When this story is used in Friends and Heroes, the animators have selected which parts of the story to include. Nothing is left in about the gospel - instead it's all about friendship, and specifically that Jews and Romans should be friends. As a result, the two children in the main story agree that they will be friends too. A gospel-centred event has been turned into a moralistic one.

Interestingly, if you check out the website linked with the TV series, there is a lot of emphasis on historical accuracy. The artefacts are drawn to be as near to accurate as possible, and the historical background is mainly based on the writings of Josephus. Much is made of this attention to detail - and I'm glad that it's there. However, when it comes to handling the Bible stories themselves, far less concern has been given to maintaining the full flow of the story or the main point behind it. This is disappointing.

The series is available on DVD, and I would still use clips from it with a group. But I'd either select very short examples where the Bible handling manages to be accurate - or I'd use it in a different way alltogether. I think this could form the basis of a very interesting discussion with older children and teens about how we understand Bible stories and apply them to our own lives. I'd love to sit down with a group - watch the episode I saw last week - compare it with the Bible account in Acts 10, and use that as a basis for a discussion. It could be a creative way to help young people think about understanding and applying the Bible for themslves - as well as thinking critically about the things they see and hear.

Do check out the programmes for yourself. They're currently shown on BBC2 at 10.45 on Tuesday mornings. You can also find out more from their website.