When the Bridge Fell – The Tangiwai Train Disaster
On Christmas Eve, 1953, New Zealand’s holiday celebrations were shattered by tragedy. The Wellington to Auckland night express, filled with passengers eager to be home for Christmas, was making its way north when disaster struck. A lahar (volcanic mudflow) had swept away the Tangiwai Rail Bridge, plunging the train into the raging Whangaehu River below. The result was catastrophic — lives were lost, and the nation was left in shock. It was one of the darkest moments in New Zealand’s history. At the time, it ranked as the eighth-deadliest rail disaster in the world and captured international headlines. With a population of just over two million, nearly everyone in the country knew someone affected. The fact that it occurred on Christmas Eve only deepened the collective sorrow. To this day, it remains far more than a local railway accident — it is a national tragedy. Join Gary Kent as he explores the story of the Tangiwai disaster, uncovering its profound impact on the people involved and the country as a whole. In the midst of grief and loss, perhaps we too can find comfort and strength as we reflect on how to navigate sorrow and hardship in our own lives.
The Christmas Truce of 1914
World War I, often called the war to end all wars, began in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, an event that ignited the already rising tensions among European nations. The war commenced in August with widespread enthusiasm, as young men rushed to enlist, believing they would return home by Christmas. However, by December, the optimism for a swift victory had vanished, replaced by the harsh reality of trench warfare. Millions of soldiers found themselves in muddy trenches, separated by a deadly no man’s land filled with barbed wire and the fallen. As the cold winter of 1914 settled over the Western Front and Christmas approached, the mood was sombre, with many experiencing their first Christmas away from home. The contrast between the season’s message of peace and the brutal daily realities of war was stark. Yet, on Christmas Day 1914, something extraordinary occurred—a moment of unexpected humanity as the guns fell silent. Join Gary Kent as we explore the trenches of the Western Front and uncover the story of this remarkable day.
Escape from North Korea
Step into one of the most volatile places on earth: the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Despite its name, the DMZ is the most militarised border in the world, a tense strip of land dividing North and South Korea since the 1953 armistice. Join Gary Kent at the DMZ as he uncovers the stories behind this high-stakes border, the human cost of division, and the universal longing for freedom shared by people in every place and every time.
Karl Marx – World Changer
Karl Heinrich Marx was born on 5 May 1818, one of nine children of Heinrich and Henrietta Marx. The family lived in the Rhineland region of Prussia in western Germany. Although both parents came from Jewish families with notable rabbinical backgrounds, Marx’s father, who worked as a lawyer, converted to Christianity in order to continue his legal career.
Following an average school performance, Marx studied law and philosophy at the universities of Bonn and Berlin. He wrote extensively on economics, political economy, and society, and during his time in London in the 1840s, he began developing the ideas that would culminate in his most influential work, Das Kapital. Marx soon started publishing pamphlets and books outlining his theories for a system of communism, now known as Marxism.
Nicholas Winton – Save One Life, Save the World
Even today, new stories emerge about the Holocaust, and its unrelenting evil remains almost impossible to grasp, coldly calculated cruelty on an unimaginable scale. Perhaps the hardest part to comprehend is that, for the Nazis, being Jewish alone was a death sentence. Children of any age were not spared. Historians estimate that 1.5 million children, mostly Jewish, were murdered. How can we even begin to comprehend that?
Yet amid such barbarity, there were acts of extraordinary heroism, courage, and kindness. One of those heroes was Nicholas Winton, a young British stockbroker in 1939. As Europe teetered on the brink of war, he resolved to save as many Jewish children as he could, ultimately rescuing 669 by bringing them to Britain. His story reminds us that even in the darkest times, moral courage and selfless action endure, pointing us toward truths that transcend human reasoning and guide us to make the right choices.
The King’s Dream that Destroyed Hitler and the Nazis
In this program, we explore King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2, a prophecy that outlines world history, explains why leaders like Charlemagne, Charles V, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Hitler all failed to unite Europe, and reveals what is still to come.
The Gipsy Moth and Aviation’s Golden Age
In the early 20th century, England and Australia produced some of the world’s greatest pioneering aviators. Among them were Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, and C. W. A. Scott (Charles William Anderson Scott), a record-breaking pilot whose daring flights captured global attention. Their stories are marked by courage, determination, and astonishing leaps of faith. Nearly a century after Scott’s record flight, the very de Havilland Gipsy Moth he flew was painstakingly restored and returned to one of his original landing sites in Brisbane. Join Gary Kent as he shares the inspiring journeys of these pioneering aviators and the remarkable story of a Gipsy Moth that made history.
The Unknown Soldier: Known But to God
Arlington National Cemetery is one of the most well-known cemeteries in the world. It’s just outside Washington, DC. 400,000 military veterans and their families are buried there. The most famous tomb of all is also there, the tomb of The Unknown Soldier. Nobody knows this soldier’s identity. Do you sometime feel that nobody knows you either? We can feel overwhelmed by the challenges and struggles of life but God does care and He wants to help. Watch the program to learn more.
My Father, the Nazi
Decades after the war, people from around the world, young and old, Jews and non-Jews alike, still visit Auschwitz. For many, it is a solemn pilgrimage, a sacred place of remembrance for those who perished there. But imagine walking through it alongside the grandson of Auschwitz’s ruthless commandant, Rudolf Höss.
Creation – The Man who Captured the World
The natural world is full of marvels. From towering mountains and vast forests to cascading waterfalls and snowy wonderlands, our planet overflows with breathtaking beauty. These scenes of nature bring balance to our lives and nourishment to our souls. We are the only creatures on earth who can be moved to tears by a sunset, who marvel at the stars at night, who feel awe and humility before the spectacular beauty, power, and majesty of the natural world. Wonder defines us as human beings. But wonder is more than just a good feeling — it’s a seed from which our greatest treasures and deepest understanding grow.
In this program, we join filmmaker Henry Stober on a journey through the wonders of the natural world. Together, we’ll explore, dream, and feed our souls — and perhaps, as we search the beauty of nature, we may find answers to some of life’s biggest questions.