The Great Adventure Bible study system

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Has anyone had any experience with The Great Adventure Bible Study System, in particular The Bible Timeline program. The study books are published by Ascension Press. Just wondering if the teaching is sound and if it is worth the price ($40).
 
I haven’t experienced it yet but have been researching various Catholic Bible studies and the Great Adventure titles seem to have garnered very good reviews, and I haven’t seen any suggestion that they are not orthodox.
 
We are presenting the Timeline in our parish for the third time. We bought the DVD’s and each class pays for the books and paper stuff. There are some going through it for the third time. It is quite good and informative and ties the various books and the Old and New Testament together quite well. It makes a good first course before setting off on a study of any of the individual books. I highly recommend it.👍👍
 
yes we have done the 8 week intro twice, and this year I budgeted for the DVD for the full program. I will buy them if we get enough interest from the 90 or so people who have done the intro. The series is terrific. I have also added the Teen Timeline, based on the GA, with a different commentator, to the HS curriculum. We do not pay for the individual workbooks. We make our own timelines, bookmarks, and bracelets as part of the lesson. I invest instead in facilitator manuals and training, as both of these work better in small group format
 
Not sure what you’re getting for the $40. When our church did it we received a little guide booklet and a timeline and we paid $20 (but the cost was partially subsidized by the parish I believe).

We did the 8 week series as well.

If you have EWTN I believe they have the series on Saturdays. It’s the longer version so they go more in depth, I’ve been recording it and following along with it there.

Cost aside, I have found this particular study quite rewarding. I myself was interested in scripture but couldn’t make much sense of the various bible figures. This series does a good job of giving one a good overview of the Jewish peoples and the early church.

And a word of advice: If possible keep up with the readings. The 8 week session is really hard to keep up with (I tried but couldn’t do it). But you’ll probably find the video talks much more rewarding if you’re familiar with the text being spoken of.

God bless.
 
I have had personal experience with the program for several years, attending sessions in which Jeff Cavins lectures in person. The program is very solid and true to the Catholic faith. You should have no worries in this regard. In fact, I think the main Great Adventure Timeline series (and perhaps others) was recently granted an Imprimatur.

The program is really meant for participation in a group (ie, Parish) setting. The study books contain questions meant to foster discussion in small group settings. If you are considering this program for strictly personal study, I would consider first spending the $40 on the set of eight audio CDs from the ‘Quick’ Journey through the Bible program. I think you’ll find the lectures in the various programs (via CDs or DVDs) to be much more informative than the study books used alone.

Alternatively, you best bet is to go to the following web site and see if you can find a group study being offered in your area:

greatadventureonline.com/locator/map

Sincerely,
rocketrob
 
Thanks everybody for your feedback. My local parish is offering the long version group program for $38. I understand a parishioner underwrote the price of the DVDs. I just picked up the materials and it looks very good but will obviously require quite a bit of commitment. Probably a good thing it was so expensive. Otherwise I might be tempted to not stay with it.:rolleyes:
 
The best thing to do is to just sit down & read a bit. THe next day read a bit more. Read a few chapters a day. It worked for me. I read the new testament in about 2 months. I read aggressively, but it’s easy if you knock out as many chapters as you can. THAT is of course if you’re reading it to just be reading it so you can say you’ve read it. The best way to read the bible is to read it slowly, so it sinks in. I have read it twice. The second time I absorbed quite a bit more than the first time. I have a feeling I’ll be reading it a few more times.
 
pyro_alchemist said:
Thanks everybody for your feedback. My local parish is offering the long version group program for $38. I understand a parishioner underwrote the price of the DVDs. I just picked up the materials and it looks very good but will obviously require quite a bit of commitment. Probably a good thing it was so expensive. Otherwise I might be tempted to not stay with it.:rolleyes:
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We are about a third of the way through the GA Bible Study for the first time at our parish. We did the Quick Journey before that and loved it.

It is a little pricy but not expensive, if you know what I mean. We have previously done 6-8 week Bible Studies and each ran about $10 per participant. $40 for a 24 week study is roughly the same cost on a weekly basis but it is a bit much to shell out at once. A parishioner purchased the DVDs for us and that was a big help. We also allow participants to “check out” the DVDs from prior weeks to catch up if they miss a class. This has really helped us to not have many drop outs.

I am working on the DRE to get the T3 material. I think it would be great for our high school kids who are in their “off” year. (that’s either 9th or 11th grade since we Confirm every other year at 10/11 grade).
 
pyro_alchemist said:
Has anyone had any experience with The Great Adventure Bible Study System, in particular The Bible Timeline program. The study books are published by Ascension Press. Just wondering if the teaching is sound and if it is worth the price ($40).
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We are just finishing up the 24-session Great Adventure Bible Timeline Study program by Ascension Press at our parish, and I can tell you that it is the most fantastic Bible study you will ever encounter! We have 200+ people in the study ranging from young adults to grandparents and everyone has learned so much about the roots of our faith and salvation history. I simply cannot praise this study enough.

When we first began this study the word got out in the parish about how fantastic it was and many others wanted to join in. However, because they had missed so many sessions, our priest began a second, 8-week study for these people. After taking the 8-week session, a number of those who attended decided to join in the remaining sessions of the 24-week study because they were so excited about the program.

I would definitely recommend the 24-week session over the 8-week session unless you are very pressed for time. The cost and effort are well worth it.

We are also doing the Christopher West “Theology of the Body” program from Ascension Press and it, too, is fantastic.

In January we will start the Ascension Press “Matthew” study.

I would suggest beginning with the Timeline Study. It gives a great foundation for all of the other studies.

Good luck and God bless! 👍
 
Our parish is now entering its 4th year of offering The Great Adventure Bible study classes. I have taken the first class, The Bible Timeline, which covers main readings of both New and Old Testament. It is an excellent way to learn the Bible. Also, taken the second year, Gospel of Matthew class and the third year Acts of the Apostles class. This year we begin in November with the Book of Revelation (a 10 week class) and the Letters of Paul to the Corinthians (also 10 weeks).

I have learned more about my faith from these courses which include references to the Catechism than from 16 years of Catholic schooling.

Jeff Cavins and his associates practice conservative Catholic doctrine. He along with Dr. Tim Gray, Scott Hahn, Marcus Grodi and a number of others have done more to promote the Catholic faith in the US than most of the Bishops.

I attended the National Catholic Bible Conference in the Denver area back in late June. Jeff headed up this excellent two day program of prayer and excellent speakers.

So, I cannot say enough good things about Jeff, his associates and this program.

Ken Russo
 
I did the 24 session course about 3 years ago with a group at our church. This is a MUST for everyone! Catholic or not. I believe Jeff Cavins developed this course as a protestant. Through his own study, he was brought back to the Church. One may think they kind of understand the history of how we got from Adam and Eve to the present time, but this course will give you the understanding that you never had. And it will give you the foundation to start in depth bible studies. The old testament readings at church really make sense now - which makes the new testament readings come alive. Understanding like I never had before. Although this course would be too tough for younger kids, I think it should be required for all high school age catholics. If they can and will seriously follow through on this course at a young age, we would have so many more catholics sticking with their faith (IMO). I read and discuss the daily scripture readings with my 11 year old twins every morning at breakfast. I now have enough of an understanding of salvation history to lead a somewhat informed discussion, linking the old and new testaments. Something I never had before this study. My 11 year olds have a far better understanding of their faith than I did 10 years ago. This study is a big part of that. I recommend to everyone, catholic or not, DO THIS COURSE!!! You won’t regret it.
 
pyro_alchemist said:
Has anyone had any experience with The Great Adventure Bible Study System, in particular The Bible Timeline program. The study books are published by Ascension Press. Just wondering if the teaching is sound and if it is worth the price ($40).
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I’m a Confirmation Catechist at my parish, and we used the teen version (T3 Teen Timeline) in our preparation program for the last two years. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is 100% sound in terms of orthodox Catholicism, as far as I understand it, and it points out all sorts of subtle aspects and truths: “types” or analogies between the Old Testament and Christ’s story, examples of how Biblical characters have gone through things very much like what we go through today, a sense of God’s long-term plan and how it was not visible to people at the time… Catechist or not, before we did T3 I knew very little of “Bible history.” Now I believe that learning the story of the Old Testament and how its covenants were fulfilled in the New Testament should be a fundamental part of Catholic education.

I don’t know about Great Adventure (the adult version), but T3 consists mostly of DVD lessons with supporting workbooks and discussion questions. I found the discussion questions all but useless for my students, but a more mature Bible study group might find them fruitful. The DVDs are of Mark Hart, the main developer of the Great Adventure concept, giving a seminar to some teens. He is as dynamic and captivating as any speaker can be, and production values are the highest I have seen in religious video content.

I would definitely be willing to pay $40 for the series!

Robyn
 
KenR said:
Our parish is now entering its 4th year of offering The Great Adventure Bible study classes. I have taken the first class, The Bible Timeline, which covers main readings of both New and Old Testament. It is an excellent way to learn the Bible. Also, taken the second year, Gospel of Matthew class and the third year Acts of the Apostles class. This year we begin in November with the Book of Revelation (a 10 week class) and the Letters of Paul to the Corinthians (also 10 weeks).

I have also done the Bible Timeline, Matthew, Acts and we began Revelations three weeks ago. It is a ten week course, and then we will do Corinthians. Jeff Cavins, brings so much interest to the studies.

Well worth whatever you have to pay for it. I do not think I could do it on my own. I like the class study wherein we all participate.

Connie:thumbsup:
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Update:

I just got back from the second session. Wow! This is going to be good.

*PS: I have a confession to make. I had already attend the first session before I made my initial post. I was a bit disappointed and wondered if I should continue but I didn’t want to voice my feelings in fear that I might discourage someone else. Thanks to your encouragement I did the homework (Genesis 1-3) and was blessed but when I watched the video in class tonight I was completely blown away. *

**Thank you all so much! **
 
I have followed The Great Advenure on EWTN and am familiar with Jeff Cavins through his former hosting of “Life on the Rock” for EWTN and also through his excellent CD’s which are available through Lighthouse Catholic Media and St. Joseph Communications.: He is solidly Catholic and has an excellent knowledge of Scripture. I missed some of the episodes. The ones I saw are phenomenal. I’m hoping EWTN will offer the series again. My parish is airing other DVD’s on the Old Testament. The ones I viewed from that seriesw are decidedly questionable. The Great Adventure is wonderful! 👍
 
pyro_alchemist said:
Update:

I just got back from the second session. Wow! This is going to be good.

*PS: I have a confession to make. I had already attend the first session before I made my initial post. I was a bit disappointed and wondered if I should continue but I didn’t want to voice my feelings in fear that I might discourage someone else. Thanks to your encouragement I did the homework (Genesis 1-3) and was blessed but when I watched the video in class tonight I was completely blown away. *

**Thank you all so much! **
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The first in the series has a lot of heavy reading, and you will find that you cannot come up with anything close to the information that they give in their answers to the questions in the workbook. It was interesting to see how many chances God gave His people to follow him, and how many times they failed. Enjoy!
 
Ken, I agree with you wholeheartedly. At least I understand the Old Teastament better and thanks to Jeff can link it to the New! The history of the Catholic church becomes more clear. I highly recommend to anyone reguardless of cost! God bless. Luiyeo
KenR said:
Our parish is now entering its 4th year of offering The Great Adventure Bible study classes. I have taken the first class, The Bible Timeline, which covers main readings of both New and Old Testament. It is an excellent way to learn the Bible. Also, taken the second year, Gospel of Matthew class and the third year Acts of the Apostles class. This year we begin in November with the Book of Revelation (a 10 week class) and the Letters of Paul to the Corinthians (also 10 weeks).

I have learned more about my faith from these courses which include references to the Catechism than from 16 years of Catholic schooling.

Jeff Cavins and his associates practice conservative Catholic doctrine. He along with Dr. Tim Gray, Scott Hahn, Marcus Grodi and a number of others have done more to promote the Catholic faith in the US than most of the Bishops.

I attended the National Catholic Bible Conference in the Denver area back in late June. Jeff headed up this excellent two day program of prayer and excellent speakers.

So, I cannot say enough good things about Jeff, his associates and this program.

Ken Russo
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It is a great series – we use it at the parish where I work, as have quite a number of parishes in the Archdiocese.
 
I’m starting Adventures in Matthew through my home parish. I was wondering if anyone knew of additional resources for learning more about the Jewish culture at that time. Jeff makes a point to explain how important it is to know the audience that Matthew was writing to so I would like to look into that a little more for my own benefit.

Thanks and God Bless!

Jessica
 
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