Worldwide Online Bible Quiz Bridges Christian, Jewish Communities

Gidon Ariel, Director : Jul 29, 2011
Holy Land Bible Bee

Finalists win a free trip to Israel and compete in the live broadcast Jerusalem Championship which will take place in March 2012.

Christians dream of visiting Israel, seeing with their own eyes places where Jesus walked and preached. The Holy Land Bible Bee is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to live that dream.

The online Holy Land Bible Bee is a personalized program that lasts for about 160 days, with 40 days in between each quiz for study. Web-based and email study materials are provided, and participants are encouraged to join the self-contained social web community hosted on the site, for studying together and mutual support in this "co-opetition" (co-operation plus competition). After the preliminary quiz, contestants take the quarter-final, semi-final, and online final quiz. Finalists win a free trip to Israel and compete in the live broadcast Jerusalem Championship which will take place in March 2012.

Holy Land Bible Bee director Gidon Ariel says that he got the idea about six years ago. He met a Christian leader who wondered how his congregation might be inspired to take a greater interest in Israel and the Jewish roots of Christianity. Ariel thought of Israel's Bible quiz for Jewish youth, an Israeli Independence Day tradition, and how a Christian version of the quiz could ignite that passion.

Ariel describes himself as a "Christian-Jewish friendship cultivator." When this Orthodox Jew "discovered pro-Israeli Christians, people extending their hand in friendship toward Israelis and Jews, people wanting to make amends for the historical actions of their co-religionists," he was inspired to develop programs focusing on and growing common ground between the two groups. Another of Ariel's initiatives is the active Facebook group "Jews who love Christians who love Jews (and the Christians who love them)."

Significantly, the Holy Land Bible Bee is being funded by faith. Ariel and his board considered charging participants a fee to cover costs, but realized that waiving it would raise the number of participants exponentially. "If a program about the Bible cannot be funded by faith, what can?" quipped Ariel.

For additional details about the Holy Land Bible Bee, to register, or to make a donation, please visit www.holylandbiblebee.com.