Hindsight

I recently was having a conversation with my boyfriend about some of the things that were a part of my life as a homeschooled Christian child. During this conversation, I realized that there were some things that seemed entirely normal at the time that now seem...odd.

Granted, most of these things came from a genuine desire to bring us up in our faith, to guide us so that when we were older, we would be able to stick to our principles when we were out in the world, so there's not much I feel like I can say negatively about them.

But in hindsight...some of these things sound like fever dreams when I describe them to others.

Some things were more mundane; Adventures in Odyssey was a TV show (and radio show, I think?) that examined real-life situations that young Christians would encounter and modeled the best way to handle them.

Others were more...nightmare-inducing? I couldn't tell you the full premise of the show, but I remember someone dressed up as a giant songbook named Psalty on a tv series. I looked up the picture and couldn't believe that was something from my childhood that I must have enjoyed at one point.

There were several pieces of media that were meant to show what life would be like after the Rapture (when Christians are called up to heaven and the end time begins), that absolutely terrified me. One was the Left Behind book series - I saw the movie first, then went to the books. I remember there was also a series of movies that followed the same theme - "Revelation" and "Megiddo" were two such movies.

One movie, "Judgement," was such a big thing that the youth group at my church had a lock-in and played it on a projector in the main sanctuary. It was part of a larger series called "Commander Kellie and the Superkids," and I was a huge fan of it.

I rewatched it on Youtube a few years ago and could only say "wow" while watching it. The ham-fisted quoting of scripture, while well-intentioned, came across to me as completely unrealistic to how people would actually use scripture in their daily lives. Those types of movies were good for their intended purpose, being clear and forward with their message of the importance of knowing God and professing your faith. But taken under any other context? Yikes.

But my favorite was a campy, Batman-esque superhero named - wait for it - Bibleman. Clad in the Whole Armor of God and boasting a secret lair and villains that embodied things like fear, anger, and disrespect, our hero rose from the depths of despair to become a hero who helped children in his community to make it through everyday situations.

Even all of these years later, I remember the two theme songs as if I just heard them yesterday (the original was pretty calm, but the second one was...a little unhinged). Getting to watch Bibleman was a highlight of Children's Church, and we had our own copies at home. The nostalgia was broken somewhat when I saw the lead actor on Celebrity Rehab many years later, but it's still a fond memory.

It's so wild to think about how normal these things were to me growing up. Sharing them with others out loud in the present made me realize that they were a little odd.

A few things have lasted into adulthood, such as the Chronicles of Narnia. I'll re-read the series occasionally or watch the few movies that came out (apparently there's a Netflix remix in the works?), and I credit the series for helping to introduce me to fantasy.

And listen. I can't leave out VeggieTales, the sentient vegetables that retold Bible stories or stories that showed how to respond to different situations. (And occasionally, just having fun.) Though I haven't watched a new episode in years, I'll always remember songs such as The Cheeseburger Song, The Song of the Cebu (which taught me a bit of Spanish), and The Water Buffalo Song. (Remember I said having fun?)

I'll add that VeggieTales had its own Batman-adjacent superhero...Larry Boy! He had a killer theme song, too.

I'll admit that I've had fun bringing these up to my siblings, laughing at the memories of these shows and marveling at how different they seem to us as adults.

I guess it just goes to show that, in hindsight, things may not always look the same way.

Have you seen any of these?