“I’m in love, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it!” ~Buddy the Elf
I.Love.The.Chosen. I’m really late to the party. I know. I initially put The Chosen into the same category as all the other Christian movies I’ve seen over the years. A good message, but terrible acting, a worse script, and no production value. (I won’t mention movie names because I’m only fighting critics of The Chosen today, and want to keep my enemy in front of me, and don’t need a sideways velociraptor attack from some Pure Flix fan out there.) I love the artistic visual medium of moving pictures. Sure, I like to be entertained; but I also love cinematography, soundtracks, clever dialogue, and nuanced acting. The bottom line is, The Chosen is a piece of art. (It’s not perfect, but it’s darn close.)
I think The Chosen’s popularity in the Christian community is actually creating its critics. The Christian books that become New York Times Best Sellers are usually shallow garbage at best. Celebrity pastors tend to dabble in the heretical. And just about any time the Bible is actually the central subject matter in media, it tends to omit, liberalize, and soften any Gospel message whatsoever. The question is, “Is The Chosen guilty of these crimes against Christianity?”
My answer, is a strong “No!” So, what’s the controversy? Why the negativity? I scoured the internet for the biggest critiques of The Chosen from fellow evangelical Christians. Here’s the summaries of what I found, and why I wholeheartedly disagree.
Extra-Biblical
Jesus didn’t say that. Jesus didn’t do that. Yes, there is no doubt that The Chosen is not using the Bible as a script. Even if The Chosen only covered stories explicitly described in the Bible, the director is still going to add dialogue to smooth out the scene; and make decisions like was it day-time or night-time, were they in a cafe tavern or in the woods, or did all the people marvel or just some. They also have to decide tone of voice and body language that can severely swing the meaning of an interaction. Five different directors would direct every scene five different ways. These are not new decisions. Renaissance artwork had to make the same calls. Worship music does the same thing. Even the most scripture-centric song has to alter some words here and there to keep the melody flowing.
Reading reviews online, there’s a lot of people that don’t like that The Chosen adds extra-biblical material. I’ve seen very little that think the extra-biblical content is heretical or that there’s no way Jesus would do that (I’ll deal with the sermon prep controversy later.) They just don’t like that The Chosen adds content at all. Again, you would HAVE to add content to make a TV series about Jesus no matter how close you stuck to the Bible, so the debate is only HOW MUCH do you add. I don’t think there should be a limit. I know it’s weird to say, but Jesus isn’t the main character of The Chosen. His disciples are. Should we allow the real people within the Bible to be depicted in art and film? I think so. People can say, “No,” but I would strongly disagree. The Bible is not just a theology textbook of facts and figures. There are compelling narratives and beautiful poetry to engage and stimulate the mind. If we never attempt to bring that into other mediums other than the written word, we are limiting its impact. Turning any aspect of the Bible into a television series is tricky since true Christians believe the Bible is more than just a book. Rule #1 must be you cannot contradict Scripture. Rule #2 is you can push the envelope with anyone other than Jesus.
I think The Chosen’s decision to focus on the various disciples’ point of view is brilliant. There really isn’t a lot of info on the disciples so it’s easy to not contradict the Bible there, and there’s no major objection to giving Matthew Aspergers or making Thaddeus a stonemason because it doesn’t change the Gospel narrative in any way. But the reason that God inspired 4 different Gospel writers to record the events of Jesus’ life is that each had a perspective that would connect with a different crowd a bit better. Jews will better connect with Matthew, Romans with Mark, and other Gentiles with Luke. John comes in to bring greater clarity on Jesus’ divinity which wasn’t the struggle in the early days of the disciples but God saw the need for future generations. They were all written in Greek so that they’d be understood by most people in that day. As the years transpired, translating the Bible into modern languages that could be better understood by modern audiences became necessary. I think The Chosen is just another language and another artform shining light on the most important person in history – Jesus.
One Potential Problem I’ll Admit – Because The Chosen is so well done and does weave Scriptural truth with artistic license, you could assume something is in the Bible when it’s not. The solution is to read the Bible while watching the show to keep a clear picture of the truth. But I would bet that The Chosen brings an increase to Bible reading and not a diminishment of it.
Jews, Catholics, Mormons, and Other Heretics
Another prominent problem people seem to have on the internet surrounds the people involved in making the series. Now, the showrunner is Dallas Jenkins. Most people don’t have a problem with him directly. (His dad, Jerry Jenkins, wrote the Left Behind series which is kinda funny.) People don’t even seem to have a problem with any of the actual writers on the show. People have a problem with who Jenkins is around. He consults with people that some consider heretical. He consults with Catholics and Jewish Rabbis and it makes some people super uncomfortable. I would go back to the actual product of the show. Is there anything in the show that conflicts with the Protestant, Evangelical view of Christ? There’s been no mention of Mary being sinless. Jesus hasn’t made clay birds come to life, kill them and then resurrect them for practice. He hasn’t called Satan His brother. Jesus hasn’t stated He has also been known as Michael the Archangel. I haven’t even seen a hint of something concerning yet. I think it’s actually really wise to consult with any expert in 1st century Judean culture. I don’t care honestly if they hold to heretical beliefs if they help me bring accuracy to the cultural setting. One of my favorite things about the series is the accuracy to historical nuances. I’ve formally studied the Bible a long time to get all the letters after my name, and if I were to sit and teach you about common sabbatical practices, morning Jewish prayers, and the squabblings between various religious sects; you’d be bored to tears. But because The Chosen weaves all this stuff into the storyline, it just fills into the lush background of this real world they re-created. These consultants are obviously helping Jenkins because nothing in his background would state that he would be an expert in these things. He’s obviously holding tightly to good quality theological teachings about Jesus and gaining what insight he can from some questionable sources.
But the biggest objection in this area I see online is not who his listed consultants are, but on his hypothetical unlisted ones. Here’s the objective truth. The distribution company where you actually watch the show from their app platform is VidAngel. They are… wait for it… a Mormon owned company. (Hate to tell you, if you’ve ever stayed at a Marriott owned hotel, you’ve supported a Mormon owned company.) Then for season 2, after VidAngel saw they had a massive hit on their hands, they used their Mormon leverage to let The Chosen use the Utah-based fake Jewish city that the Church of Latter Day Saints use for their propaganda films. Some people are mortified that The Chosen have chosen to use this free filming location instead of paying millions of dollars to fly to Israel itself or billions to set-up in Orlando and use a backlot at Disney and the Holy Land exhibit. The late great evangelist Billy Sunday when asked why he took a donation from a known prohibition-era mobster from Chicago, he said, “The Devil had that money long enough.” Boom. See ya. I don’t care if Jenkins is using a free filming location offered by the Mormon church. We know the Weinstein company or MGM or Warner Brothers wouldn’t offer anything for free, but if they did, would we say no because they’re godless, hedonistic, leftist, heathens? Nah, who cares.
The concern people have is are the Mormons secretly infiltrating The Chosen and seeding it with extra tribes of Israel living in America or magical salamanders that are telling this whole story to their baby salamanders in a Princes Bride like framing device. Again, I see no evidence of this. I hope Mormons are watching, because what I’ve seen so far, and I believe will continue is that Jesus isn’t just some deity-like figure. He. Is. God. Jesus is Jehovah. And I hope Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses and Christendelphinists and Moonies all watch closely and figure out who Jesus really is.
One Potential Problem I’ll Admit – Because of some scary people circling Dallas Jenkins and the production of The Chosen, we do need to watch vigilantly. We should always analyze everything we watch, but especially when Jesus is a part of the subject matter. We should have critical eyes and ears. And I will delete this post and write a new one on the slow methodical demise of The Chosen. If the final scene of The Chosen has Jesus getting into a spaceship to return home to his planet and tells everyone they too can become gods over their own planet some day, I will say, “Crap. I am so sorry everyone. I did not see that coming.”
Jesus Is Too Human
Ok, last one here. People do not like how human the show has made Jesus. I’ve seen a lot of little hems and haws, but the big hullabaloo is about season 2 episode 5. In fact, Dallas Jenkins made a whole YouTube video answering people’s objections to this episode. In a nutshell, Jesus is rehearsing His sermon before His big Sermon on the Mount. He’s working on His wording, stumbling over His words, and just overall not being perfect and confident. Essentially Jenkins defended the decision by saying Jesus is human and He had to grow in wisdom and stature. The counter argument is the verse in John 12:49 where it says, “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.” If you are asking me, “If you were the producer would you have written and directed that scene in the exact way it was depicted in The Chosen?” My answer is probably not. I haven’t even really thought about it. But that’s another thing I really like about the show, it’s getting me to think about things like that which I never have. I have thought about A LOT of things when it comes to the Bible. Did Adam have a belly button? What happens to babies in the womb during the rapture? Did a bacteria ever dare infect the Son of God? But I never thought about Jesus doing sermon prep. Is it totally ridiculous to think that He didn’t just speak extemporaneously all the time? Is it reasonable to think He knew what His Father wanted Him to say in general but He wanted to get it just right. We know Jesus prayed regularly, displayed a dependence on His Heavenly Father regularly. He absolutely went through all things that we do as humans, except sin. I think many people today don’t even think about Jesus being actually human. They think of Him like Thor or Superman or Neo or James Bond. He’s just this larger than life figure that’s not really real. I like the way that The Chosen edits scenes with Jesus. In the midst of His conversations, He inevitably looks toward the direction of the camera as we take the place of Mary Magdalene or Nicodemus. Jesus looks at me for a brief moment. He looks into my soul. He sees me.
One Potential Problem I’ll Admit – if they don’t continue to ramp up the divine claims of Jesus. So far so good for sure. Jesus has so far declared Himself God because only God can forgive sins, and yet Jesus forgave a man’s sins. He also said that creation was one of His favorite memories. (Man what a great little Easter egg.) I’m never going to complain how human they make Jesus because He was completely human, as long as they continue to display Jesus as fully God because He’s that too.
I’m sure in the next 5 years of The Chosen, there will be more things to nitpick. I’m sure there will be more things I would have done differently. I’m not saying there’s no chance that things could go off the rails because I’m old enough to remember when Lost was the best thing I ever saw on television and wow did that nosedive. But I’ve seen enough to actually think it’s going to be good. I think Christians should watch it. Not only because we should support truly good content instead of the garbage that is usually shoved in our faces. But I think Christians should watch it because they can be truly edified, encouraged, and challenged. I think it is as good as any sermon I might listen to throughout the week. I think it’s filled with as much Scripture. I think it has as strong of insight and application as most sermons I hear, if not more. Watch it. I get no kick-backs for saying it. I’ve just been encouraged and I think you will be too if you give it a chance.
Joe Allotta 
The Movie doesnt tell us why Jesus came. He didnt come just to be with us bu the came to atone for our sins
Thank you sir, much appreciation for this arice
I lead a Bible study group and because some of our members were raving about The Chosen, I watched every episode. The production values are fantastic. But the script is disturbing.
I agree that much discernment is needed when watching, but the American public (secular as well as Christian) is largely biblically illiterate and unable to discern truth from error. Yes, some will be led to read the Bible because the Holy Spirit can use flawed humans for His purposes. But this will be a tiny percentage no doubt and doesn’t justify the production.
This “Jesus” would offend no Mormons. If the series does decide to emphasize His divinity, so what? Mormons believe that we can become divine. That’s what they believe about their god…he was once like us and we can become like him–divine rulers of our own planet. They won’t need to have Jesus exit in a spaceship. They’ll be fine with the resurrection and ascension.
Don’t dismiss too lightly the criticism about the too-human Jesus. Yes, he was tempted in all ways as we are and He grew in understanding as a 100% human man. But He is and was holy and without sin. He identified with us in our humanness and suffering so that we can identify with Him in His death and resurrection. I appreciate Dallas showing us how very human Jesus was but to portray him as jokey and flippant raises my hair.
Finally, the scenes showing Jesus rehearsing the sermon on the mount is a microcosm of this series as a whole. This direct contradiction of scripture is no way to portray the humanness of Jesus.
BJ, you say the script of TC is “disturbing,” but this claim appeals only to those who for whatever reasons “take your word on the matter” without thinking through the issue for themselves–and that tactic has an alarming track record (think of those who took the word of Jim Jones without thinking through the matter for themselves). I’m not meaning to be snarky. I’m simply suggesting that when we make value judgments about something, we should be careful to provide examples so that people can assess the validity of our conclusions.
Secondly, you rightly lament–as do I–the alarming crisis of biblical illiteracy in the church that leaves many handicapped in discerning truth from error, but in context you are hinting that TC is a mixture of truth and error. I don’t quibble with the notion that TC is imperfect, but I do think your use of “error” requires nuancing. Specifically, I would caution against an overly simplistic and unhelpful and, in fact, non-sequitur equation of “fiction” with “error.” The artistic addition of extra-biblical characters as well as the creation of plausible “backstories” for the biblical characters is “fiction” true enough (pun intended), but categorizing such as “errors” is misleading.
I’m with you 100% if you convince me that there is theological error in TC, that is, something that directly contradicts or impugns the character and intentions of the Gospel writers or the nature, character, and purposes of Jesus Himself. But failure to recognize the potential of FICTIVE narrative to portray existential TRUTH rules virtually all of Jesus’ parables out of court.
The danger of using language like “disturbing” and “error” without proper nuancing is that we can turn many non-thinking people away from what demonstrably has been a source of healing, comfort, and yes, even gentle Holy Spirit conviction for literally millions of people–a show that demonstrably has given them a thirst for reading the Bible for themselves! So, by casting aspersions against The Chosen, one can actually be thwarting a tool that is helping to resolve the very problem of biblical illiteracy that should concern every Christian leader.
And, for the record, your opinion of the “tiny percentage” of people drawn to the Bible itself by their interaction with The Chosen does not fit what I have read over and over and over in testimonies on The Chosen fan page and in my conversations with those who have experienced The Chosen. The fact is that TENS OF MILLIONS of people have testified to powerful life-changing experiences WITH GOD through The Chosen. That is hard-fact evidence that should not be so quickly swept under the rug.
[I’m going to take a wild guess here, but I suspect that you many not have actually watched all of the episodes of the show (if indeed any?)]
Again, for the record, I have watched every episode of every season of The Chosen at least three times, and likely closer to five or six. I have been a professor of Greek and New Testament for over four decades. My doctoral work was in the specific area of narrative criticism. I say that only to help you weigh my conclusion that The Chosen has well succeeded in its intention to be faithful to the character and intentions of the Gospels and the nature, character, and purposes of our Lord Himself.
It is also amazingly accurate (though not perfect) in faithfully presenting the history and cultural values and social dynamics of the first-century New Testament world. It fully affirms both the deity and humanity of Christ. There is not a shred of specifically Mormon or Catholic or Jehovah’s Witness or hyperfaith theology or . . . or . . . or . . . .
It decidedly does NOT portray Jesus as “jokey or flippant”; it does show that Jesus fully engaged with people relationally. By “fully” I mean that he joked when appropriate; he laughed at others’ jokes when appropriate; he sighed; he wept! Yes, all of these things. But He was anything. but. flippant.
Lastly, you see the Sermon on the Mount “rehearsal” as a “direct contradiction of Scripture”–and this is a VERY serious charge–but I would argue that it does not stand the test of careful scrutiny. The hypostatic union of the divine and human in the incarnate Jesus will remain a mystery on this side of the temporal divide. Several things are clear, however, about the nature of the incarnate Jesus. He laid aside NOT His deity, BUT the prerogatives of deity when He became incarnate. Most obviously, He was NOT omnipresent, but just as surely He was NOT omnipotent or omniscient. Satan tempted Him to TAKE HOLD OF those divine prerogatives, but He resolved not to do so. Only in this way could He have become our representative in substitutionary atonement.
All of the “works” Jesus did were through His access to the power and resources of the Holy Spirit with Whom He was in perfect tune. And He promised His followers access to that same Holy Spirit after His ascension. Jesus admitted that He could do no works other than those assigned by His Father. How did the Holy Spirit reveal to Jesus God’s will for humanity, specifically in His personal interactions with people, or in the preaching and teaching that He did? Is it plausible that God used His interactions with others to develop the specific content and phraseology of His teachings? I think so. You may think otherwise. But in no case would this be rightly understood as a “direct contradiction of Scripture.”
BJ, you are leading a Bible Study group, and that is very admirable indeed. I know the hard work, dedication, and effort involved in what you are doing. And your kingdom work will not lose its reward. But I would be remiss in my responsibility before God if I did not urge you to consider my responses to what you have expressed.
Your brother in Christ,
Rob Starner
One other thing I would add: If you are going to produce a Bible epic that speculates outside of Scripture, then you will need a whole team of advisors. Personally, I wouldn’t attempt it without much fear and trembling. Well, to be honest, I wouldn’t attempt it at all.
Thank you, Joe, for a very insightful and well-written response to criticisms of The Chosen. I love the tongue-in-cheek humorous expressions you use to emphasize your point–and yet, in a way that should be non-offensive to the naysayers.
The problem that naysayers have with The Chosen probably stems mostly from ignorance, and hopefully far less from arrogance, although both are at play.
It’s one thing to be ignorant of the truth, and quite another to be so thoroughly convinced of one’s assessment of a matter that she or he is unwilling to even consider that their view may not be correct. Close-mindedness might keep one’s brain from falling out, but it also keeps valuable input from others’ brains from breaking in. It leaves one a prisoner to what s/he already holds to be true.
Just as the Bible itself can be misunderstood, misapplied, and misused–the same is true of The Chosen. And THAT is precisely why I believe the Church has a calling and a responsibility to walk alongside this production, superintend it, help people accurately interpret IT, as well as helping them accurately interpret the Bible itself.
To assess the value of something, one must first accurately identify what it is. There is no virtue in criticizing an oak tree for not yielding strawberries.
The Chosen IS NOT the Bible. It IS NOT a replacement for the Bible. It IS a TV show based on the Bible. As you have so well noted, it is more akin to a ILLUSTRATED SERMON or a VISUAL BIBLE COMMENTARY.
In any legitimate assessment of the merits and/or demerits of The Chosen is vital that we understand clearly the difference between the “IS” and the “IS NOT.”
The Bible IS the only infallible and authoritative rule for right belief and right conduct.
The Chosen IS an illustrated sermon or visual Bible commentary, and therefore, must be continuously subjected to the same rigorous “testing against the Bible itself” that Paul commended the Berean Christians for applying to his teachings.
Christian leaders would not want–nor should we permit–The Chosen to be the ONLY witness to Christ that some people ever see. Is there enough “gospel” in The Chosen alone for the Holy Spirit to use it to draw a person to faith in Christ? Absolutely! Would anything we’ve seen so far in The Chosen hinder them from coming into a saving faith relationship with Christ? Absolutely not! On these counts alone, The Chosen is worthy of the full support of every church and every individual Christian in it.
In spite of these truly REDEEMING qualities, The Chosen IS an imperfect retelling of the life and ministry of Jesus. The Scriptures themselves remain–and will continue to remain–the “Gold Standard” against which every re-presentation of the gospel story must be judged. This is the reason I have dedicated the rest of my days to helping pastors and church leaders engage with The Chosen in the evangelism and discipleship programs of their churches.
Thank you again, Joe, for an insightful blog post!