The Armor of God DVD set from BibleFaces is a detailed study of the pieces of the armor of God referenced in Ephesians chapter 6. The two-disc set contains eight thirty-minute segments that feature educators and Bible scholars who discuss the topics.

I have read about the armor of God since I was a little girl. I grew up hearing about the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. It was always a charge to stay in the battle and an encouragement of how God equips the Christian. I never realized the irony of Paul using the armor of the repressive Romans as an illustration for a life of spiritual growth in Christ. I was intrigued to see the connections and understand more about the history of first-century believers. 

Each of the segments is done in a roundtable discussion format. All five of the speakers sit in a semicircle while they examine the Scriptures. Since they have different backgrounds, education, and expertise, they each add vital points to the discussion. The first six segments focus on a part of the armor that Paul lists (belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, gospel sandals of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit). Each episode has authentic replicas of Roman armor. The men explain the purpose of each and how they work and then show how they are a picture of our Christian walk. The seventh session highlights other parts of Roman military gear that are alluded to by Christ and other Bible personalities. Dr. Dick Stenbakken, the military man of the group, dons the complete armor along with various weapons and supplies a soldier would require. The eighth and final episode is a wrap-up of sorts. The panelists discuss their "aha moments" as they worked through this passage in Ephesians. It is filled with rich insights and information.

The Armor of God DVD set also includes additional study materials for deeper learning. There are discussion questions and informational pages for each session. The questions are not the typical ones with specific answers, so there is no answer key. Instead, these questions are designed to get the viewer to ponder the themes and reflect on how they are being implemented. There are questions such as "Who do you know right now who is struggling to “keep things together” but is having a difficult time? What will you do to help them in the next three days?" and "The shield was made to be light-weight, flexible, and moveable. How do these elements apply to your faith?" The information pages are mini studies for the pieces of armor. They give detailed descriptions, history, how and why the parts were used, technical terms, pictures, and more.  

The DVDs are educational, not entertaining. My kids would sit with me and watch portions for a bit, leave to do something else, and then come back to hear a little more. The content is best suited for upper teenagers and older or those with a great interest in military gear. The discussions were intriguing and gave me a lot to think about. It was interesting to see the contrast between Rome's iron-fisted domination and Christ's Gospel of Peace, yet Paul connected the two beautifully. I like the style of the sessions as it showed how we could learn from each other as each man gave input which sparked additional thoughts in another.

The Armor of God DVD set is an extensive study that shows that God can take objects that incite fear and turn them into something beautiful and that He outfits us with exactly what we need.

Product review by Erika Leaf, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2021