The Messengers

To modern mainstream Christians, the early church would be almost unrecognizable, as followers were considered outlaws—persecuted, jailed, and sometimes killed as martyrs, while continuing to worship Jesus. Part of the animated The Voice of the Martyrs series, this episode focuses on the period after Jesus's Resurrection and Ascension, as Christians began to organize and the faith took an uncertain but steady hold in Jerusalem and elsewhere. Before leaving, Jesus promised his followers that the Holy Spirit would soon visit the faithful and ignite their devotion and praise, inspiring believers to speak in tongues (a phenomenon in which a person spontaneously talks in a previously unknown language) during prayer meetings and spread the message to people in the street. But most of the stories here revolve around officials' efforts to stamp out the church and its members, told through the memories of the apostle James as an old man in captivity. James shares stories about his faith, actions, and experiences with his increasingly sympathetic captors. Through this narrative lens, the theme of how faith helped James and others endure persecution is powerfully demonstrated without ever becoming too heavy-handed for the target audience of younger viewers. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (C. Block)