Prof. Phineas T. Boggs: Elijah and the Famine
Summary
Professor Phineas T. Boggs: Elijah and the Famine is a time-travel audio adventure that is sure to delight children of all ages. Professor Phineas T. Boggs, renown inventor extraordinaire, and his Gobac time machine whisk away young listeners to the time of Elijah, during the three-year famine outlined in 1 Kings 17-18. Here, Professor Boggs and his team of accidental time travelers — students from the school he was lecturing at — must navigate a busted time travel machine, the dangers of the desert, and capture by some of Queen Jezebel’s guards, working through their personal differences and establishing better relationships with those around them.
Assessment
The quality of acting and sound effects is absolutely on par with the other favorite children’s radio drama Adventures in Odyssey. The characters are well-cast and expressive, the comedy and action are easy to track, and the theological message is sound.
The story takes much longer to set up than run through the majority of the plot, however, the set up is not boring or uninteresting. The characters and their various, dynamic backgrounds are presented well and their individual struggles with family, friends, or internal reckonings are clear cut and easy to understand.
The focus of the story is reconciling all of these issues using the backdrop of the three-year famine in Israel, the obnoxiousness of Queen Jezebel and King Ahab, and Elijah’s faith to endure. The casting and portrayals of the Biblical characters make for some of the best and most well-researched I have seen in a while.
Light-o-Meter
Writing Style: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Plot: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Characters: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Casting/Acting: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Talk
As soon as I put this on, I was immediately transported back to my childhood days listening to Adventures in Odyssey. The delight, the wonder, the pursuit of science and emphasis on problem-solving — both mechanical issues and heart issues! — and the cooky, sometimes stereotyped characters reminded me of those old audio dramas.
This is not to say this show is without its own, uniqueness, however! Where Whittaker is a wise, old sage, Professor Boggs is a lovable, chaotic madman. Where Adventures is grounded in a particular town, Professor Phineas T. Boggs is an chaotic adventure into the past. Both are excellent and serve important functions in spreading the message of the Gospel and how to live as a Christian to the younger generations.
One of my favorite parts of the show was how each of the students faced their individual problems and found solutions. While some of the problem-solution pairs were relatively predictable, the one that was the quickest and caught me most off-guard was that of Jake, the tough student with a chip on his shoulder and some anger management issues. He is confronted by his doubt of Professor Boggs’ machine — and to a greater extent, doubt over the wonder of Creation — immediately when they arrive in the desert. That shock is enough for him to realize that he has, in fact, lost the wonder of his childhood and grown to become much more cynical.
Now, this could easily be seen as a pacing issue in the story, but I’ve found that sometimes that is all a person needs: a little shock to pull them out of the poor mental state they’d been dwelling in. Sometimes people need a reminder that there are other options for their headspace, especially if they have been inclined towards positive mental states in the past.
Wrap-up
All in all, Professor Phineas T. Boggs: Elijah and the Famine is an adventure that provides good, wholesome entertainment for children and young teens. Professor Boggs’ time-travel escapades to the far, Biblical past brings the story of Elijah and the three-year famine to life with important lessons on leadership, trust, bravery, and communication. An excellent story with sound theological teaching!
Where to Enjoy
Academy of the Arts Website: Boggs Audio Drama - The Academy of Arts Ministries
Amazon Music: https://www.amazon.com/Professor-Phineas-Boggs-Incredible-Machine/dp/B096T5D58M
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/professor-phineas-t-boggs-and-his-incredible-gobac/1571201367
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