Bible videos app now available
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
During the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on Dec. 4, the Church offered as a Christmas gift to the world "The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos."
The videos, which can be viewed by anyone at anytime on biblevideos.lds.org, are now available on a free mobile app for iPad, available through the App Store.
During the first week the app was released, it was downloaded more than 10,000 times, according to David C. Nielson, managing director of the Church's Media Services Department.
Like the website, the app allows viewers to watch six short vignettes that have been produced by the Church at its new film studio in Goshen, Utah. These six vignettes all relate to events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ, meticulously following the story as it is outlined in the King James Version of the Bible.
The app, however, also has additional features that make it unique. It is divided into three sections: Read, Watch and Explore. The Watch section is the same as the website; it allows people to watch the videos based on the King James Bible.
The Read section allows viewers to read the related passages while viewing still photographs from the videos. It also allows them the option of listening to the narration while they read the scripture story. "The Read section is like an interactive storybook," Brother Nielson said. "You can read the scriptures and look at the beautiful images, or you can allow the narrator to read the scriptures to you while you look at the pictures. It's a wonderful tool for children to read and listen to the language of the Bible."
The Explore section opens with a map that allows viewers to choose what part of the Holy Land they want to explore. By tapping on certain areas of the map, viewers are shown the various places where key events in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ took place. There are also "hot spots" throughout the images in the Explore section that provide background and contextual information to assist with gospel study (for example, one "hot spot" explains what frankincense and myrrh are, and another provides background on Jewish betrothal customs and women's clothing).
"We want to engage people with sight, sound and touch," said Brother Nielson.
He added, "This isn't a missionary outreach or a marketing campaign, nor is it a documentary that provides a scholarly view behind the scenes of the Bible story. This is just the events of the New Testament brought to life in the most reverent manner possible, without anything else added."
