Review: Christianity Explored (DVD series),
presented by Rico Tice

Reviewed by Nathan Pitchford

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To many Christians, the gospel is simply the message encapsulated in “The Four Spiritual Laws,” or some other similar evangelistic tract, and the work of evangelism is simply sharing this message, whether through personal conversation, passing out tracts, or some similar means. Now, there probably are some evangelistic tracts that do a good job of explaining many of the essential realities of the gospel (and some that are considerably less than good, too!), and to the extent that they convey those essential realities accurately, they may doubtless be passed out with some hope of profit. But is this minimalistic approach to evangelism really the most helpful method we could follow? When our whole mindset is to find the least amount of truth necessary to make someone a Christian, and emphasize how easy it is to come to Christ (just believe truths A, B, and C and repeat this prayer, meaning it with all your heart), is it possible that we are obscuring some of the harder teachings that Jesus left us with? Is being a Christian necessarily that simple or easy a thing? What about hating father and mother, taking up your cross, not looking back when your hand is to the plow?

This is why I am pleased to recommend the DVD series, Christianity Explored, presented by Rico Tice and written by Barry Cooper and Sam Shammas. In it are two DVDs, containing a total of 14 manageable lessons (or “programmes”) together with a Study Guide that gives instructions for presenting the series to friends, questions to discuss, ideas on how to introduce each lesson, and so on. Over the course of several, weeks, this tool will facilitate a very thorough, well-grounded introduction to unbelievers (or believers who are very immature in the faith), clearly unfolding just what Christianity is, who Jesus is, what he taught and what he did, and what it means to be a Christian.

The first of these DVDs, containing ten programmes, explores all the major elements of the Gospel of Mark. In a clear, articulate manner, which strives to remain faithful to the whole testimony of this account of Jesus' life, Rico Tice lays out for an audience unfamiliar with biblical Christianity just who Jesus was, according to Mark, why he came, what his death and resurrection accomplished, what he demanded of his followers and what the life of a Christian actually looks like. At the conclusion of the series, the choice confronting any listener has become very clear – the radical extent of Jesus' accomplishments and promises, and just what he demands of anyone who would follow him, has been laid out from the whole scope of Mark's Gospel. The command to repent and believe is solidly grounded in the biblical testimony of what it is that we need to repent of, what it is that we need to believe, and the staggering greatness and earnestness of it all.

The second DVD contains four similar programs in which important topics of basic Christianity are addressed briefly, but in a scriptural and helpful manner. The topics included are “The Church,” “The Holy Spirit,” “Prayer,” and “The Bible”.

If you are searching for a more effective way to share the gospel with your friends or neighbors, Christianity Explored may prove to be a very helpful tool. The teaching of the videos is solid and substantive, yet clear and easy-to-follow, and will certainly be useful for sparking healthy discussion and interaction.

 

Available at Monergism Books.

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