Update from Christian Story
The Renaissance Foundation has supported the “ChristianStory” project from its very inception. It has grown into a remarkable success story, though it has not yet become financially self-sustaining. A substantial portion of the funds received by the foundation over the past year was allocated by the board of trustees to support this project.
“ChristianStory” is a collaborative effort between Great Britain and Switzerland. In the UK, the screenplay is developed by a team of theologians and writers who work carefully on the story—or stories—to be told. The visual design and full video production take place in Biel, Switzerland, at the studio of the production company Schwarzfalter GmbH.
“ChristianStory” presents church history and theology in the format of short YouTube films. Six episodes have been released so far on their channel, and they have been warmly received around the world, generating numerous positive—and even enthusiastic—responses.
The most recent episode is dedicated to the martyrs of the Early Church. Below is an excerpt from the newsletter of Schwarzfalter GmbH, Biel:
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church…
Taco, our lead illustrator, truly outdid himself with the final mural for our latest video. The same can be said of the entire team who worked on this new episode about the early Christian martyrs.
At ChristianStory, we generally aim to maintain a neutral and pedagogically responsible tone in our videos. However, when confronted with individuals who gave their lives for their faith in Roman amphitheaters—perishing by wild animals, fire, and the sword—it is difficult to remain emotionally detached.
We have done our utmost to strike a careful balance between historical accuracy, theological reflection, and honoring these martyrs in a way worthy of their sacrifice.
The financing of this multi-year video project was intended to rely significantly on crowdfunding. At present, however, the project is not yet financially self-sustaining. Video production is extremely resource-intensive, and several members of the Schwarzfalter team are dedicated to it full-time.