About Theo
Who is Theo?
Theo is a teacher of God’s Word––a theologian, if you will. Some might think that theologians are a stuffy lot — killjoys that care only for boring libraries full of dusty old books. Not so with Theo. Though he has the body and mind of an elderly Englishman, his energy and spirit are those of a youngster. He is alive, and he communicates Life to all who listen to him. Theo is funny. He is quick to point out that laughter is a medicine for the body, and should be taken daily in liberal doses. However, he is not a buffoon, at least in the “cartoon” sense of the word. His humor is carefully designed to lighten the heart, to help prepare it to receive important truths. In this, we see his wisdom. A wise man knows how to season truth with grace, when to spoon-feed it to a hungry heart, and when to wield it like a sword against hypocrisy and unbelief.
Nestled in a cozy corner of a quaint English village, in the heart of the Cotswolds, is a tiny stone house, tucked beside the gentle, trout-packed River Coln, where swans and geese glide to the gentle rhythms of a simpler life. Here the air is filled with birdsong, bees drone lazily over colorful grottos of flowers, passersby wave friendly greetings. This is where Theo lives. Although children (and parents) visit Theo’s little house from time to time, most of the inhabitants of his world are a variety of woodland and water critters: voles, badgers, muskrats, beavers, mice, cats, owls and the like.
Following in the tradition of great literary works, such as A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, and Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, the animals in Theo’s universe talk and sing, and do those things which only humans can do. Such artistic license has proven to engage the hearts and minds of children, so that learning fires the imagination and is an enjoyable experience. More than anything this is what Theo wishes to accomplish.
You see, Theo loves children. He loves telling them how they may know God, and how to serve Him. He loves telling children stories from Nature (general revelation), and from the Bible (special revelation), and he uses the various animal critters—particularly the two little church mice, LUTHER (streetwise, but Scripturally challenged) and BELFRY (street-dumb but Scripturally zippo)—to serve as object lessons, to help bring his stories to life.
For example: Theo had previously warned both Luther and Belfry to stay away from the cookie jar, located near an open window. But, as Theo continues his teaching on the importance of obedience, Belfry decides that he would really like to have a cookie, so he sneaks over to get one. What Belfry doesn’t see, however, is the fat black cat crouched outside the window, ready to pounce. By disobeying Theo, Belfry has placed himself in a position of grave danger. But Theo sees Belfry’s predicament, and is able to snatch him out of the jaws of death in the nick of time. Theo uses this object lesson to teach three important truths from God’s Word: 1) the importance of obedience, 2) the reality of Satan, who “like a roaring lion is seeking someone to devour,” and 3) the discipline of the Lord upon those whom he loves (Belfry is given k.p.).
What is Theo?
Theo is a multi-media franchise that will include: an animated video series, a children’s educational book series, school curricula that would combine elements from the video and book series, an audio CD series that would include Bible stories and spiritual songs and hymns, and interactive video games designed to teach kids good morals. Each of these will be designed to work with the other media, corporately, or individually, and would clearly teach a unified “Systematic THEOlogy” for children of various grade levels, for Sunday School, Christian Schools, for the Mission field, or simply for use at home as training aids for parents.
Why is Theo?
Theo was created to reach youngsters (from preschool through elementary school), in ALL cultures, with the “Good News” of the Bible, truths that would be taught in such a way that children will not only enjoy the learning process, but also retain what they have learned.
Theo will teach lessons that form the basis of our Christian faith. For example, he will begin with a study of the doctrine of God.
This would include an examination of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and how these three Persons comprise the mystery in Scripture known as the Trinity. He will also teach the various Attributes of God (i.e. His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, etc.), and His holy Character (His justice, mercy, wrath, love, kindness, etc.). Theo will study the doctrine of Man, his Fall and God’s gracious provision for his salvation through Jesus Christ, as well as the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Believer. Other topics of study would include the inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures, angels (holy and demonic), heaven and hell, and a study of future things.
Although these topics may seem “heavy,” Theo will present them so that a child will be able to understand and enjoy the wonders of God’s Word, without making them feel as though they’ve been preached to.
It is a fact that children everywhere love cartoons (adults too). Theo utilizes the cartoon medium to its fullest potential (traditional 2D, 3D, stop-motion and Flash), using liberal amounts of humor with the highest levels of production value for the video, audio, and literary media. It is also a fact that children love to learn. Theo provides a vehicle that places the learning process into a context that is biblically sound, as well as visually and audibly exciting!
In other words, Theo is fun! Fun! FUN!
Parables of Theo
Theo teaches truths that relate to our Christian experience through parables. Illustrated are just two of his many parables. In “God is a Great Chef” Theo shows how several different ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, etc.) are blended together to bake the perfect cake.
A handful of flour by itself would taste terrible, unless it was mixed properly with the other necessary ingredients. Although Theo’s cake is a colossal flop (thanks to the “help” from his two helpers, Luther and Belfry), his message is clear: God blends together the necessary ingredients of life (sorrow, joy, victory, defeat, good times and bad times) into the mixing bowls of our individual lives, and bakes in us the perfect cake.
Theo’s Scripture text is Romans 8:28. “For we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” “The Potter and the Clay” is taken directly from the Bible, but with the added “Theo” touch. Theo teaches how God, the Potter, forms His children, the clay, into vessels of honor, fit for His use. However, because of Luther and belfry, adding their “helping hands,” Theo’s pot collapses, and the shapeless lump of clay seems fit only for the rubbish heap. But Theo deftly reforms it into a vessel of honor, thus underscoring, visually, the Bible’s teaching on redemption.
Other parables include “We are God’s Gardeners” (a lesson on sowing and reaping), “Theo the Mechanic” (a lesson on the Body of Christ), “Theo the Builder” (a lesson on obedience), “Fish or Cut Bait” (a lesson on temptation), and “A Stitch in Time” (a lesson on repentance). These are but a few of the many parables that Theo will use to illustrate the Bible. Theo, with the help of Luther and Belfry, will star in each parable, adding the appropriate splashes of humor throughout. They will not only make each parable fun and enjoyable, but will also help to make the message of each one clear and easy to remember.
The Great Commission
Jesus gave His disciples a clear mandate to “go into all the world and make disciples of men” (Matt. 28). This includes children as well. Statistically speaking, eighty percent of people who have come to Christ have done so before their twentieth birthday, and yet the bulk of evangelism seems directed not at them, but at the twenty percent who are over twenty years old. Children of every race, creed and culture around the world love cartoons.
The Adversary of their souls knows this truth all too well, and has cleverly used cartoons to turn their impressionable minds away from the truth of Christ, to violence, sex, and a naturalistic view of the world. Theo is designed to do just the opposite, to use cartoons as a vehicle to teach children the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It is designed to serve as a multi-media resource tool that will help men, women and children fulfill the Great Commission of Christ, to go into all the world and make disciples, to teach them God’s Word, and to show how they must walk in the light of it!
