The Torchlighters video series is a series of animated DVD’s dedicated to “Highlighting the honor, integrity and life-changing experiences of those well-known and little-known Christian men, women and children who in response to God’s call, dedicated their lives to a life of whole-hearted commitment and passionate service to Jesus.” It is a production of Christian History Institute along with International Films and Voice of the Martyrs.
The series recently expanded to six videos with the addition of The Richard Wurmbrand Story. This follows The Jim Elliot Story, The William Tyndale Story, The John Bunyan Story, The Eric Liddell Story and The Gladys Aylward Story (each of which I have reviewed in the past). If you have seen any of the previous productions, you will know what to expect here. In 30 minutes, it tells the story of Richard Wurmbrand, though it does so through the perspective of his son Mihai. It is targeted at children from ages 8-12. It focuses on Wurmbrand’s stubborn refusal to forsake his Christian convictions in the face of Communism and equally on his ongoing Christian witness to both guards and prisoners behind the walls of prisons. I watched it with an assortment of children within the targeted age range and they seemed to enjoy it thoroughly, cheering when Wurmbrand defied his torturers by standing strong for Christ.
While the animated video is enjoyable, I found the hour-long documentary even better. Prepared, I believe, specifically for this project, it provides a more detailed overview of Wurmbrand’s life. It features interviews with Mihai Wurmbrand and plentiful video testimony from Richard and his wife Sabina. It is, obviously, targeted to the parents of the children who will enjoy the animated feature.
This really is a good series of videos and they are well worth including in a personal library or, perhaps even better, in a church library. You can learn more about it by visiting the Torchlighters Web Site.
Here is the trailer:
