In Theory: Is the Bible a suitable game show subject?
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How well do you know the Bible? Do you know it well enough to win money for charity on a television game show? Game Show Network officials think there are people who know it pretty well, and the network will premiere its latest quiz, “The American Bible Challenge,” hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, on Aug. 23.
According to reports, the show will feature teams of three who “have solid knowledge of Christian themes, pop culture and other related ideals.” GSN producers are hoping the show will be a hit and will last as long as quizzes like “Family Feud” and “Wheel of Fortune.” While admitting that making the Bible the center of a game show might be controversial to some, GSN executive David Schiff said, “the Bible is the most popular book of all time. There’s no denying that it has an incredibly continuing relevance in hundreds of millions of lives.”
Auditions for contestants in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta attracted hundreds of hopefuls vying to test their biblical knowledge. Contestants will be faced with questions along the lines of, “Who were the passengers on the Ark?” as well as multiple-choice questions. Instead of one team per show winning the prize, the victors will advance to a final program where they can win cash for the charity of their choice.
Q: Do you think the Bible is a suitable topic for a game show? Can this show work?
Of course the Bible is a suitable topic for a game show. I’m not sure how long such a topic would maintain interesting, but it certainly would attract viewers at the start.
Actually, the TV show “Jeopardy” has had the Bible as a category, I think. I am reminded that when I took a course in the Old Testament in college, the professor said the course would be about two thirds history and one third religion. And I sort of think that now about the Bible. There is a whole lot of history in those pages, so there is a lot of material from which to fashion questions, whether they are about history or religion.
So I’d tell the producers of such a show to go for it, but I’d also tell them to be ready for a quick lack of interest. No TV show lasts forever, and I don’t think a quiz show based on the Bible would either.
The prophet Isaiah says that the word of our God will last forever (Isaiah 40: 8), and I believe that. However, interest in the word of God may not last a season, at least on TV.
The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada
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Given the Bible’s lasting popularity and the life-changing impact its message continues to have on the lives of countless people, I believe it would be hard to find a more suitable topic for a quiz show.
The content of the Bible is pure and good, suitable for every member of the family. It’s applicable to real life, and both contestants and viewers will come away better people for having participated or watched. Because the Bible’s message and its very words are eternal, they will always be relevant to current events.
In Isaiah 55:11, God promises that the Bible always yields good results: “So shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
In 1965 cartoonist Charles Schulz ignored his critics and insisted that a Bible quotation be kept in the script of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The show was an instant hit, and is beloved to this day.
“The American Bible Challenge” has every chance of being a perennial hit as long as its producers approach the Bible seriously and respectfully. There’s much room for fun and the excitement of good-hearted competition on a show like this, but there’s no room for irreverence or mockery. Deal well with the Bible and the public will keep tuning in.
Pastor Jon Barta
Valley Baptist Church
Burbank
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What a great idea! But why on earth would a show about the Bible be controversial? Besides being seminal in the thinking of America’s founders, I’m glad to say the Bible remains a best seller today. Here’s a short list of what makes the Bible so unique:
The Bible is the most translated book in history. It has been translated into about 95% of the world’s languages.
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. About 100 million copies are printed every year, and more than 8 billion copies in print.
The Bible is the first book ever printed on a printing press.
The Bible was written over a span of about 1,500 years by more than 40 different human authors from a wide variety of backgrounds, including a general, a fisherman, a prime minister, a tax collector, a shepherd and a king.
It was written on three different continents, in three different languages and in many different settings: in the desert, in jail, in exile on Patmos and at night under the stars. And yet the Bible speaks with the amazing unity and cohesion, with one voice. That’s hard for just one author to do, let alone 40.
French Playwright, Victor Hugo wrote, “England has two books, the Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare but the Bible made England.”
Dostoevsky wrote: “We have never truly breathed air nor seen light until we have breathed in the God-inspired Bible and see the world in the Bible’s light.”
Martin Luther said, “A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a cardinal without it.”
Jesus called himself the theme of the Bible. To his critics, he said, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me....” (John 5:39).
I think anything, even a TV show that promotes the Bible in our culture, has got to be a good thing. I’d probably watch.
Rev. Jon T. Karn
Light on the Corner Church
Montrose
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I suppose that a Bible game show has the potential to be both educational and funny. Certainly there are enough bizarre stories to keep Foxworthy in comedic material for a while. I have to wonder about the format, though. Will it be buzzing in on fun facts like “Jeopardy”? Or spelling ancient place names like “Wheel of Fortune”? Or are we guessing how much a denarii would buy today, like “Price is Right”? Or is it Bible story improv like “What’s My Line”? And are any of these interesting to a wide audience?
Given the current trend of reality TV shows, and what wide audiences and advertisers consider to be interesting, if I were on a team of faithful believers, I’d be worried that I’ll be asked to do and say things that test my limits of appropriateness on national TV. “Your team has five minutes to select and butcher the correct animals for a sin offering as per Leviticus 9 — Go!” “You have 30 seconds to recite Stephen’s testimony before the Sanhedrin from Acts 6 before the stoning begins. As a special treat, we’ve flown in your Sunday School class to do the stoning.” (Sorry — is that too “Hunger Game”-esque for my gentle readers?)
But maybe it won’t be shocking and weird. Maybe it won’t be about making fun of faithful people who know their Bible. Maybe it won’t be a dry recitation of verses and facts. Maybe it will feature teams of different types of believers who have real stories of faith and more than 10 seconds to tell them. Maybe it will be like the In Theory column, and offer audiences a diversity of insights into Christian life and thought. But I’ll betcha that if I want to see that show, I’ll have to produce it myself. Accepting investors now.
The Rev. Paige Eaves
Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church
Montrose
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I have to admit that when it comes to game shows, I can take them or leave them. Most of my TV viewing is directed to sporting events. But I think that GSN’s plan to launch a new game show, “American Bible Challenge,” might actually work.
The Bible is hands-down the best-selling book of all time. Nothing else even comes close. And the Bible has plenty of content to choose from, of every type and description imaginable. It is certainly full of interesting characters and fascinating stories that cover the entire gamut of human emotion and activity. It is brutally honest in its depiction of people, their lives and their motivations, and contains its share of R-rated, and even X-rated, material. Its stories are so simple a small child can enjoy them, and at the same time so profound that scholars have studied them for centuries. Its poetry is some of the most beautiful ever written.
I can see two disparate groups being interested in the game show. One would be viewers who are regularly involved in the Christian and Jewish faiths and want to test their knowledge against the contestants. The other would be viewers who have little or no religious background who tune in out of curiosity.
My hope would be that many people not familiar with the Bible would become interested in its contents through watching the show. Of course, in the end, the success of any game show will depend on its format and especially the personality and wit of its host. I think the choice of Foxworthy as host is an excellent one. He is well known for his redneck and blue-collar humor, and he is a committed Christian who does know something about the Bible as well.
I wish Foxworthy and GSN the best with “American Bible Challenge.”
Pastor Che Ahn
HRock Church
Pasadena
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So long as the program’s producers maintain a level of good taste, I think a Bible game show is a great idea. This program will encourage contestants to improve their knowledge of the basic tenets of their faith and will provide meaningful information to many of the viewers. In addition to offering good-natured and educational entertainment to millions of people, it will also result in a fortunate charity receiving a generous cash contribution. To me, this seems like a winning scenario in so many ways.
I recognize that some will argue that it’s inappropriate to use the Bible as the basis for a quiz show, and I can understand their reservations if the program is not handled thoughtfully. However, we must be realistic and acknowledge that it is not easy to get people — especially our youth — excited and involved with spirituality.
In our frenetic society, where a premium is placed on sporting events, reality TV shows, video games and a host of other distractions, getting people to pay attention to their religious core is a very challenging task. A TV program that adds a stimulating dimension to spirituality makes this difficult undertaking much easier, and allows clergy and other religious institutions get our important message across to the masses.
I therefore applaud this effort by the Game Show Network. Hopefully “The American Bible Challenge” will be a successful production that prompts the creation of other programs centered on spiritual themes. A show that tastefully mixes elements of religious education, entertainment and charitable giving sounds like a great combination.
Rabbi Simcha Backman
Chabad Jewish Center
Glendale
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Yes, a game show based on Bible information could be successful. Knowledge of biblical themes is shared by millions of people. It is likely that a Bible-centered game show would appeal to a segment of the public who might enjoy Bible-themes entertainment.
Game shows in the traditional vein have been less successful in the last few years. While a few game shows, including “Jeopardy,” are on the air, reality or shock-based shows seem to be more popular at the current time. The present reality shows and game shows may share the problem of showing negative sides of human nature. Game show contestants are centered on winning at all costs and demonstrate greed, ambition and lust. It seems like a good idea that the contestants in the proposed new game will be competing for donations to charity causes.
Steven Gibson
South Pasadena Atheist Meetup
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I will definitely watch! If I had known they were auditioning in Los Angeles, I’d have been there. Saying that, a faint fear wafts over my mind that I would have been exposed as less biblically attuned than people expect for preachers. It seems these days that my scriptural memory is only as good as my last sermon. It’s not that bad, but imagine studying the Bible for as long as I, and then being asked about what Delilah was wearing when she deceived Samson. How should I know? That detail would hardly have registered.
I received an electronic Bible game once that I would pick up periodically to test my mettle, and I found it had mistakes. One question asked, “Adam and Eve had how many children?” That’s unanswerable because besides the three boys named and their two unnamed sister-wives, the Bible says Adam sired “other sons and daughters” (Gen 5:4). He lived 930 years. How many kids could you produce if you were in your prime for nine centuries? The answer was three. Such could be a game-show problem.
And I’ve always been a “round-number” sort. I could answer that Adam lived to 900 “something,” but that wouldn’t win me the prize, would it? And what if translations caused problems? Will contestants have to use King James vernacular with words like “farthing” and “unicorn” when talking about shekels and oxen, or will modern translations be standard? It’ll still be interesting, and I’ll be an avid viewer. How can a Bible literacy contest be bad?
In any event, I love the idea. I even appreciate that proceeds go to charity, although I think they should be split with the winners. Why shouldn’t contestants receive some financial blessing for their diligence? Is something wrong with that? Of course not. By the way, the Bible says nothing about Delilah’s wardrobe, I just checked.
The Rev. Bryan Griem
Montrose Community Church
Montrose
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Just the astonishing fact that there is enough interest in game shows to support an entire TV network bodes well for “The American Bible Challenge.”
I do think, though, that the Game Show Network is missing a chance for a broader audience, and thus an even more lucrative show.
As good a read as the Bible is, let’s not forget that the founding stories of the rest of the world’s religions, most older than Christianity, and many either larger or faster growing, are popular among massive numbers of people. The entire continent of Asia, for instance, where about half the world’s population resides, by and large knows and reveres the spiritual literatures originating there.
Roots of many religious myths pre-date book sale statistics by eons.
There is nothing inherently Christian about liking game shows, I’m sure. Every atheist I know loves Jeopardy.
To me, more compelling viewing worldwide would test, say, Jews’ Old Testament knowledge against Muslims’ of the Koran. Or how much does a Christian team know about the Mahabharata, and a Hindu about the Bible? (Yes, we’d need subtitles, creating jobs for translators.)
On our previous opportunity to comment on a quiz, the Pew’s U.S. Religious Landscape in October 2010, the survey results showed atheists scoring higher than believers on religious knowledge. A really fun challenge, which would appeal beyond the U.S. South, would pit an atheist team against a religious team, any religion. Let the games begin.
Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose
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A game show based on contestants’ biblical knowledge may be appropriate, and may work commercially, if the producers understand the audience and treat them, and the subject matter, in a respectful way.
I believe this is critical because I, along with most of those likely to watch this show, read the Bible as sacred Scripture. We rely on its teachings to guide our lives. “The American Bible Challenge” can be casual, lively and funny. What it can’t be is sacrilegious or condescending.
Hollywood has been trying to reach the Christian audience since “The Passion of the Christ” generated $611 million in worldwide ticket sales following its release in 2004. This effort represented a change of direction in an industry that is, for the most part, unsympathetic its portrayal of religion and religious people.
The most successful efforts so far have been films like “Fireproof” and “Courageous” that were written, directed and produced by believing Christians who understood their audience. Although these movies weren’t global hits on the scale of “The Passion of the Christ,” both yielded huge returns relative to their costs. “Fireproof,” made for about $500,000, had $33.5 million in theater ticket sales, according to boxofficemojo.com. “Courageous,” made for $2 million, had ticket sales of $34.5 million.
The point of the statistics is that there is a significant market for Christian-themed entertainment that meets the expectations of the audience. It appears that the producers of “The American Bible Challenge” are trying to make a show that will do this.
It is interesting to note that “The American Bible Challenge” will be shown on the Game Show Network. The cable channel is co-owned by Sony Pictures, whose TriStar unit distributed “Courageous” and “Soul Surfer,” another commercially successful film that emphasized the positive aspects of religious belief.
It may be that Sony has figured out how to reach religious audiences, or at least is making a sincere effort to do so. In the best-case scenario, the Game Show Network will create a show that not only entertains, but encourages discussion and study of the Bible among viewers.
Michael White
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
La Crescenta
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I would certainly consider the Bible, or any other religious book, to be a suitable topic for presentation on television. After all, the Bible is an all-time bestseller and is deeply embedded in literature and culture throughout the Western world.
My concern is that the Bible is only one of the religious books that has influenced the beliefs and values of people of faith in our country. So I would have to say that the scope of the program is far too narrow for me. In fact, it seems to be limited to those of the Christian faith, since even Jewish people, whose Hebrew Scriptures comprise a considerable portion of the Bible, would not be expected to have a depth of knowledge of the Christian Scriptures needed to compete on the show.
I also wonder what positive ideals are being fostered by seemingly equating the rote memorization of biblical trivia with a true understanding of the complexities of Bible scholarship. From my point of view, such a game-show format trivializes the deeper issues in the Bible and dilutes them to a family game night. Although the show may be entertaining, it could leave people more confused than enlightened about the important elements of religion. Data and substance are not the same thing.
On the positive side, the contribution of a winning team’s monetary prize to a charity of their choice sounds like a commendable outcome. I believe the merit of playing this game for the benefit of others supports the important values of generosity and altruism, virtues that I and people of most religious traditions hold in high esteem.
Whether this show will be popular enough to ensure a long life, I do not know. What I do know is that as a Unitarian Universalist, the Bible is only one of the resources that I use in my study and spiritual practice. So probably I will not be a part of their target audience.
Rev. Dr. Betty Stapleford
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Verdugo Hills
La Crescenta, CA