A Drive Thru History of the Early Church (A Homeschool Coffee Break Review)

History is a favorite subject of mine, and Biblical history is especially fascinating to me, so being able to review the new DVD series from Drive Thru HistoryⓇ is a big deal. Drive Thru HistoryⓇ  "Acts to Revelation" takes viewers on an exciting tour of New Testament history and geography with host Dave Stotts.

Drive Thru HistoryⓇ is a fast-paced video series in which host Dave Stotts takes driving trips through the places where major historical events took place. His commentary provides facts and interesting background information about the geography, history, and significance. There's witty asides and humorous observations throughout, and he also tells you about the vehicles he's driving. Dave likes to try out local foods, so every now and again he'll tell you about a great local specialty. History is presented in story form, along with the places and artifacts connected to it. Dave is enjoying every minute of the road trip and he keeps viewers entertained and engaged. There are five Drive Thru HistoryⓇ series - Ancient History, American History, Holy Land, "The Gospels", and the latest, "Acts to Revelation".  (You can read our full review of "The Gospels" here: A Drive Thru The Gospels)

"Acts to Revelation" picks up the story of the New Testament after Jesus ascended to heaven, giving the disciples the Great Commission. The Drive Thru road trip starts in Jerusalem at Pentecost and chronicles the growth of the church and the gospel spreading to the Gentiles as described by Luke in the book of Acts. As Dave travels to Joppa, Tarsus, Damascus, Cyprus, and the cities where Paul preached, he shows the archaeological finds that confirm the accuracy of Luke's account. Luke includes names and titles of public officials, and many details about the places and people that indicate what a careful historian he was and that the story he tells has been carefully researched, personally experienced, and faithfully recorded. Dave also shares historical background and information about the cultures of the cities Paul visited. The book of Acts provides the timeline, and the letters Paul later wrote to the churches in each of the cities are discussed along the way. The road trip concludes with a look at Patmos, where the apostle John was exiled, and visits to the cities of the seven churches mentioned in John's Revelation.

In the eighteen half-hour episodes, Dave Stotts visits Jerusalem, Joppa, Caesarea, Antioch, Thessaloniki, Philippi, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, Laodicea, Colossae, and many other cities and archaeological sites in six different countries. You'll see ruins of ancient sites, and find out about the modern cities that continue the history of these places - for instance, the ancient port of Joppa is now the modern city of Jaffa just outside of Tel Aviv, Israel. You'll also see incredible scenery, and gain a new understanding of the settings for the events of Acts, and insight into the imagery and references in the letters and preaching of Paul and the apostles.

The eighteen episodes are:

1. The Gospel Shared at Pentecost
2. The Church Grows in Jerusalem
3. The Gospel Spreads to the Gentiles
4. Saul of Tarsus & the Road to Damascus
5. Paul's First Missionary Journey - The Island of Cyprus
6. The Journey Continues - Pamphylia, Galatia & Asia Minor
7. The Jerusalem Council & Paul's Second Missionary Journey
8. The Second Journey Continues - Philippi & Thessalonica
9. A Road Trip to Athens
10. Ancient Corinth
11. Paul's Third Missionary Journey - Ephesus
12. Paul's Final Trip to Jerusalem & Caesarea
13. Adventures at Sea - The Island of Malta
14. A Final Journey to Rome
15. The Martyrdom of Paul & Peter
16. John and the Island of Patmos
17. The Seven Churches of Revelation
18. The Book Closes on the New Testament Period

The videos follow Dave as he drives to all these locations, so there is breathtaking scenery and amazing views of ruins and modern cities. As the Bible and historical documents are quoted, the background images are often paintings and other artwork, graphics or animations of the buildings or cities as they would have appeared during the first century, or maps. I especially like the words of Scripture superimposed on the views of the locations where they were first spoken.

The three DVD-set comes in a hard cover book/case that includes a study and discussion guide, so these DVDs can be used for small group studies or as curriculum in a homeschool setting.

The study guide book is the DVD case, and is printed in full color on glossy paper. For each episode, there is a title page with a gorgeous photo and a passage of Scripture, a summary page describing where Dave travels, a short set of discussion questions and the suggested Scripture readings, a Side Road page with some extra information related to the episode, and a full color two-page spread photo of one of the sites visited. All the answers to the Discussion questions are in the back of the book. It's set up really well for a small group Bible study!

How did we use it?  My husband and I are planning to use "Acts to Revelation" for an adult small group study at our church on Sunday mornings, starting right after Easter. So the two of us have been previewing and preparing by watching the DVDs and spending a little time with the Discussion questions and other information in the study guide. On one evening, a good friend of mine joined me to watch a few episodes as well. 

Not only is this series full of great material for a small group to learn and study, it's also very entertaining! The episodes move so quickly, and are so enjoyable that I could easily have binge-watched the whole thing and loved every moment. But on the other hand, with so much information to take in, I'm really glad we took time after each episode (and often paused in the middle!) to process what we'd just seen and heard, or take our own side roads!

I've watched the first twelve episodes in their entirety, and previewed the last six. Here are some of the highlights (so far!) for me:

• I loved the background information at the beginning, showing that archaeologists view Luke (the author of Luke and Acts) as a first-class historian, and very reliable. Luke includes details in Acts that are corroborated by archaeological finds and other historical accounts from the same time period. Some believe that Luke's writings may have been compiled as part of Paul's defense to Caesar.
• Other interesting and helpful background information is presented throughout. Examples include explanations of the feast of Pentecost, the social and economic norms of the different cities, the conflicting religious beliefs and practices of the Gentiles, the political titles and workings of Rome, the organization of the Roman army, and the Herodian family tree.
• Seeing the cities and sites mentioned in the Bible is very special, and makes the Scriptures come alive in a way. The story of the riot of the silversmiths in Ephesus makes more sense when you see what remains of the marketplace, the acropolis, and the forum.
• The timeline of events is clarified - how long Paul stayed in each of the locations and how much time had passed (twenty four years between Paul's conversion and his final return to Jerusalem), and when he wrote the letters to the churches he had helped establish. The Herodian family tree is also explained.
• Some fun things too! We were intrigued by Dave's stop in Antakya, Turkey (Antioch) to try the local specialty food, kunefe. So intrigued, in fact, that we stopped rolling film so I could look up more information about it and find recipes. (It's melting cheese in kadayif, which is basically shredded phyllo pastry, soaked in a syrup and topped with pistachios. You're welcome. I will update when we try it.)

Is it worth high school credit? I often ask - and attempt to answer - this question on curriculum reviews. In my opinion, this is not high school credit on its own, but there are certainly ways to use it in high school as a valuable component of a credit course. In combination with "The Gospels", and with some writing and further research assigned, yes, this could be a Bible History credit course. My main reservation about awarding credit for just watching the series and doing what is in the Discussion guide is that there really are only five questions to discuss per episode. But adding an essay or small additional project to each episode lesson would solve that issue. It would also be an excellent addition or supplement to any other history course covering the first century, or a Bible or Church History course. You may also want to consider accessing the series from the Drive Thru History Adventures subscription website instead, since there are a lot of extras offered there as far as curriculum. We previously reviewed the subscription, and you can find out more and read our full review here: Drive Thru History Adventures.

What we liked best:

• entertaining and fast-paced videos will keep almost anyone's attention! There's a lot of information packed into each episode, but with enough action and humor that it never becomes dry or boring.
• I think Dave Stotts strikes a fantastic balance between the serious and the silly, the inspirational and reflective lessons and the light-hearted observations. He uses a lot of humor but it's never inappropriate or disrespectful.
• perfect for small group studies!

What I need to mention:

• in my opinion, it's not high school curriculum completely on its own. It does need to be combined with something else, or have some additional work added to it to be considered a high school credit course.

Our bottom line: I am definitely looking forward to starting this with a small group at church in just over a month! And I can hardly wait to finish previewing the rest in the next week or two. There's so much entertainment and educational value packed into each episode that I could watch them several times over and pick up something new each time. I highly recommend this and all the Drive Thru HistoryⓇ titles!

Would you like to take a tour through the history of the early church? Here's what you need to know:

Visit the website:  www.DriveThruHistory.com/

For more information on this series and for a preview episode, visit: www.DriveThruHistory.com/ActsToRevelation/

Pricing: The full Drive Thru HistoryⓇ  "Acts to Revelation" set is available for $89.95. 

Age recommendations: Suitable for Grade 6 through adult.

Read our previous Drive Thru History reviews: A Drive Thru The Gospels and Drive Thru History Adventures.

You can follow Drive Thru HistoryⓇ on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog for more information and to read other reviews.

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