Mark Burnett and Roma Downey's spinoff miniseries A.D: The Bible Continues may not be performing as well its predecessor in terms of ratings, but it has managed to make its own mark on the Christian community.
Since its premiere last Easter, the series has become a helpful tool for churches to discuss The Book of Acts, which chronicles the beginning of the Church, local news station KY3 reports.
According to Baptist Temple senior pastor Mark Rounsaville, the show has renewed interest in the origins of the church, because the Book of Acts has never been depicted by any film or television show before.
The pastor said that because of the flock's interest in A.D, he uses a clip from the show every Sunday morning to teach about the passage of the Bible that the show references.
"Well the benefit of preaching along with the AD series is that millions of people are going to be watching it, they're going to be tuned in to it, and our people are going to be watching it, and so preaching along with it we're able to capitalise on it's attention," he said.
He added that in using the show as a learning tool, church leaders can also correct or clarify certain parts of the events that deviate from the Bible.
Rounsaville said that for the most part, Bible stories that get Hollywood treatment like Noah and Exodus are not always accurate but A.D. The Bible Continues has been doing a good job in staying true to the text.
Pastor Alan Beauchamp, of the Praise Assembly, is also employing the same strategy.
According to the pastor, he uses clips on the show not just for Sunday mornings but for Bible study sessions that the flock attend every Wednesday.
"We're using it, we'll use whatever we can to lift up Jesus Christ," said Beauchamp.
Beauchamp however said that the show sometimes has a tendency to add on the original text but that is not to say that the events did not happen.
"Those things may have happened, but it is just conjecture," Beauchamp said.
Still, what's more important is that the show has become a starting point to get the conversation going.
Based on data from TV Series Finale, since the show premiered on NBC last April 5, it has averaged 6.5 million viewers per episode. The 12 part miniseries will air its last episode on June 21.
