Updated October 16, 2002 (first published July 15, 2002) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article)

VeggieTales is a popular entertainment format for children (video and music) with a focus on character traits, such as thankfulness, forgiveness, and obedience. The Veggietales materials are advertised as "Sunday morning values, Saturday morning fun."

The first VeggieTale video, "Where's God When I'm S-Scared," appeared in 1993 and in the nine years since then, the company (Big Idea) has sold 28.5 million videos, not to mention the audio tapes, cds, books, toys, clothing, games, etc. Big Idea is working on a full feature animated movie about Jonah, which is scheduled to appear on 1,000 movie screens this fall and which will doubtless draw many Christians to the vile movie theaters.

The founder of VeggieTales is Phil Vischer.

When I learned recently that VeggieTales are popular with many Bible-believing Christians, I decided to review some of the videos and songs. I was amazed.

A BRIDGE TO THE WORLD

The most dangerous aspect of VeggieTales for Bible-believing Christians is the eclectic philosophy of the music. You will find almost anything, Caribbean, rock, rap, boogie, belly dance, soft shoe, jazz, you name it. The song "Do the Moo Shoo" uses very hard rock and rap. This is a dangerous bridge to the world. It creates a taste in children for rock music and renders them insensitive of the difference between sacred and sensual musical styles. Even the VeggieTales Bible songs are jazzed up, thus creating a taste for Christian rock music in the youngest child.

The trailer to the new VeggieTales movie features the song "Jump Jive and Wail by the secular rocker Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats. Following are the lyrics: "Baby, baby it looks like it's gonna hail/ Baby, baby it looks like it's gonna hail/ You better come inside Let me teach you how to jive and wail/ You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail/ You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail/ You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail/ You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail/ You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail away!/ Papa's in the icebox lookin' for a can of ale/ Papa's in the icebox lookin' for a can of ale/ Mama's in the backyard learning how to jive and wail/ A woman is a woman and a man ain't nothin' but a male/ A woman is a woman and a man ain't nothin' but a male/ One good thing about him He knows how to jive and wail/ Jack and Jill went up the hill to get a pail/ Jack and Jill went up the hill to get a pail/ Jill stayed up, she wants to learn how to jive and wail."

VeggieTales is building bridges to this wicked world.

ULTRA SILLINESS

VeggieTales founder Phil Vischer says that laughter is a key to teaching, that if you get people laughing, you can teach them anything. Let me ask a question: If this is true, why don't we find anything like it in the Bible? The Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice. Why don't we find Jesus making people laugh before He taught them spiritual truths?

I disagree with Mr. Vischer. I believe the ultra silly approach to teaching spiritual truths CHEAPENS the things of God. It brings the blessed truth down to the level of worldly cartoons. The Bible says that "foolishness is bound in the heart of a child" (Prov. 22:15). The last thing we need to do is encourage the innate silliness of children, as if they are not already silly enough without the help of sincere but misguided adults.

I'm not saying there is no room for laughter in working with children. I'm not saying that at all. I am saying that to turn the things of God into cartoons and to present eternal truths in the context of ultra silliness is to cheapen the truth. I am saying that we see nothing like this in the Bible, and it is impossible to conceive of Christ and the Apostles engaging in such things.

Consider the VeggieTales version of Nebuchadnezzer forcing Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego to worship the idol in the book of Daniel. The Veggie edition becomes the tale of Nebby K. Nezzer, manufacturer of chocolate bunnies, who tries to force Shack, Rack, and Benny to worship a giant bunny.

Vischer admitted to the press recently that VeggieTales is "kind of the equivalent of what if Monty Python took over your Sunday school class" ("Funny Vegetables with a Message," Associated Press, Jan. 23, 2002). Is that really what God's people want for their children?

Even Sunday School songs, such as "This Little Light of Mine," are sillified in VeggieTales.

INSUFFICIENT, UNSCRIPTURAL, DANGEROUS MESSAGE

Furthermore, VeggieTales presents an insufficient, unscriptural, dangerous message. There is moralism without the Gospel, and that is spiritual death. Jesus Christ told Nicodemus, a very religious man, that his religion and morality was not sufficient. Jesus said, "Ye must be born again" (Jn. 3:7). Moralism without the new birth is empty religion.

One of the themes of VeggieTales is "God made you special, and he loves you very much!" That is true enough as far as it goes, but if that message is not accompanied by the preaching of the Gospel -- that each person is a fallen, hell-bound sinner and that only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can we be saved -- it is worse than meaningless, because it gives the false idea that every person is right with God and heaven-bound as long as they are "good."

Not only is there no clear Gospel in VeggieTales, but there are unscriptural messages. The video "Dave and the Giant Pickle" is dedicated to the psycho-babble theme of "self-esteem." The song "Oh Santa" from "Silly Songs with Larry" is about the mythical Santa Claus.

The new VeggieTales movie on Jonah is not faithful to the Bible account. It claims that the king of Nineveh didn't know that the things they were doing were wrong, and pretends that their chief sin was slapping each other with fish. What a fearful example of trivializing sin!

Beware of VeggieTales.