“The Chosen” Fiction

Chris

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“The Chosen” Fiction
By T. A. McMahon

At a conference not too long ago, I was asked to give a review of The Chosen TV Series. I did so, but before I began my critique, I informed the audience that I hadn’t watched even one frame of the series, and my guess was that that revelation would make more than a few people upset with my criticisms. The immediate response by those enamored with the series about the life of Christ was to scorn everything I said, saying, “He’s like those who criticize books, even the Bible, without having read them!” I can relate to that. I’ve had many discussions with some who tell me what the Bible says without having read it themselves, so I can see why my initial review and its approach would put some people off.

Since my first critique I have viewed a couple of the programs, parts of which I’ll address. However, I want to explain why I believe watching the series is not necessary for rejecting it. In doing so, my explanations will appeal to Scripture and reason in light of Isaiah’s words, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 1:18).

Why isn’t it necessary to watch The Chosen in order to criticize it, and how would that be any different than critiquing a novel without having read it? First of all, a novel is defined generally as “a fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism.” In other words, it’s a made-up story. Yet it must be read in order to be evaluated.

Not so with The Chosen. It professes to be true to the Bible’s teachings, as well as a faithful representation of the Bible’s stories and characters. The Bible, however, declares itself to be inerrant and infallible in all that it teaches, as well as God’s authority in all that it commands. It’s God’s Word. If it condemns any attempt to visually represent the content and characters of the Bible (which it does) then one has no need to watch The Chosen because it claims to visually represent it — in direct disobedience to the Scriptures.

All biblical movies are visual translations and interpretations of the words and narrative presented in the Bible. If a Christian was aware that the Bible condemns visual translations and interpretations of the Scriptures, there would be no need to evaluate a movie or video series based upon the Bible before rejecting them. But does the Bible denounce any such attempts to translate/interpret it through a visual medium?

It does. And it does so in many indisputable ways. But before I point out the scriptures related to the Bible’s denunciation of such productions, I need to present some of the components that are involved in the production of making a movie that must be considered when determining whether or not “biblical movies” can be truly biblical. These are things I know and have experienced while studying film-making in graduate school and having worked for 20th Century Fox studios for a number of years. I then moved on to a career as a screenwriter in Hollywood before being saved and spending four decades in Christian ministry with Dave Hunt.

This is how the process works. A movie begins with a screenplay. It’s either an original story or a screen adaptation from someone else’s work (such as the Bible). The screenplay or movie script, in addition to presenting the story-line or plot, the characters, and the dialogue, consists of visual descriptions of what is taking place in the movie story. For example, if a scene calls for a vehicle, a description is needed for the art director or prop man to find the right kind of car for a particular scene or purpose. If the script calls for the car to be crashed, that needs to be described in detail if the crash is going to be unique and significant to the story-line. This is just one example of the creative input that is necessary for the film-making process.

Although the screenwriter is the initial composer of the movie script, changes to the script always take place during filming. Such changes are usually made by the movie’s director. Reasons for the changes from the original script are seemingly endless: actors’ egos, budget cuts, weather problems, location problems, the executive producer’s ego, the cameraman’s “inspirational idea” for filming a scene, union problems, stunt failures, the director’s ego, etc. The author of the motion picture, for the most part, is the screenwriter, even though contributions of interpretation also come from the director, the actors, and a host of others creatively involved in the filming process.

All of that and much more are involved in every attempt to translate the Bible itself into a theatrical motion picture for the silver screen and/or television. The question therefore, for every Bible-believing Christian, is this: Can the Bible be presented through the film-making process and stay true to what God’s Word says about His Word?

Well, what does it say? Proverbs 30:5-6: “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (italics added). God’s words are His words, written down by men, His prophets (2 Peter 1:20-21). “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device” (Acts:17:29, emphasis added).

“I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).


The Bible is God’s revelation to all humanity, and His alone. “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12).

What then of a “biblical” movie? As with other theatrical endeavors, such a production comes about primarily through the screenwriter’s interpretation of what has been written in Scripture. Add to that the movie-making necessities and changes, things such as a story-line and dialogue related to the plot that are obviously lacking in the Bible, they therefore must be supplemented by the screenwriter in order to create a theatrical production.

Character descriptions are limited, at best, and must be added in order for a casting director to select the actors. Along that line, how does one cast the sinless God/Man, Jesus Christ? The perfect attributes and righteous characteristics of the Son of God could never be displayed by an actor on the screen. When such an idea is incorporated into the script, the end result is a counterfeit Christ at best. In fact, such an attempt fits the very definition of blasphemy as one strives to apply human characteristics to Jesus that undermine His divine character.

I hope you’re getting the picture here (pun intended) that any effort to translate the Bible into a visual medium must result in a veritable distortion of God’s Word which is why such attempts are condemned.

For anyone who doesn’t understand what I mean by calling such efforts “distortion” resulting from man’s input, it begs this question: “What do you really believe about the Bible?”

Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to mankind? Do you realize that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him? Do you get the fact that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, speculations, and the like about Jesus Christ and the gospel of salvation? Those so-called contributions by humans have led to the multitude of man-fashioned religions that purport to give insights regarding God.

Do you believe that God’s Word is “given by inspiration of God” (i.e., God-breathed — 2 Timothy 3:15-17)? Do you believe the Apostle Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired exhortation to the Thessalonians: “…when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)? What do you think about Luke 4:4: “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (emphasis added)?

The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did not mince words: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9, emphasis added).

Every believer in Jesus Christ must come to a true biblical belief in His Word. If what a person is taught about Jesus is not true to the Person revealed in the Scriptures, that character is “another Jesus,” a “false Christ,” no matter how endearing and engaging the actor may be (2 Corinthians 11:4, Matthew 24:24). The same is true regarding all the actors representing biblical characters.

Movies are perhaps the most seductive of all media the world over. I learned as a screenwriter that manipulating an audience’s emotions was the key to a box-office success: make them laugh, make them weep, frighten them, make them cheer, arouse their passions, their lusts. In other words, control their emotions. That power of persuasion through the film medium seduces believers who normally would recognize that they are being snared by a fictional screen character. The comment most often given by those who enjoy the TV series is “I really like a lot of the human qualities displayed by The Chosen’s Jesus. It’s so easy to relate to him.” Others have said similar things about their favorite “disciples.”

Remember, what is presented in the Bible is wholly of the Holy Spirit. It is exactly what God wants us to know and believe. That’s what sets believers apart from the so-called spiritual insights of humanity: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Anything that “adds” to that truth, no matter how emotionally and “spiritually” moving, is condemned as having corrupted God’s truth.

I’ve been told that my writing about and speaking out against “biblical” movies (“Showtime for the Sheep” and “The Bible According to Hollywood”) have come at a time in which the movie industry is finally “supporting Christianity,” and therefore I am “speaking out against the cause of Christ.”

Although that may seem to be a reasonable objection to many, it’s actually a rationalization that dismisses what inevitably takes place in the movie-making process of translating the Bible visually. It also demonstrates an ignorance of the culture of Hollywood, which is no friend of biblical Christianity. Tinsel Town’s only motivation is box-office — in other words (in the King James version), “filthy lucre.” And as we know from Scripture, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Even so, The Chosen series is condemned by the Bible first and foremost because it adds man’s ideas (his beliefs, concepts, viewpoints, conceptions, images, perceptions, his religions, and especially his feelings, etc.) to what God alone has communicated. It makes no difference how far afield the additions are — even the smallest contribution would not be of God, but of man.

For those who are still not seeing the problem with this, let’s consider a program that makes the highly publicized claim that it’s helping people get to know Jesus better and to recognize similarities with the “Jesus of different faiths.” What if the Jesus we are being introduced to is not the biblical Jesus, but rather a spirit that was produced in heaven? Suppose he was the spirit brother of Lucifer, and his earthly birth was not by a virgin but came about through sexual intercourse with Mary by his father god who resides on a planet near a star called Kolob? What if this “Jesus” worked toward becoming a god by taking Mary, her sister Martha, and Mary Magdalene as wives, and thereby producing children necessary for him to become a god? And the godhood that this Jesus achieved enabled him to become the god of this world, taking his place among the multitude of gods ruling over numerous other worlds?

Hopefully you’re thinking, “That’s not the Jesus I know from God’s Word!” However, it is the “Jesus” that the executive producer of The Chosen, Derral Eves, believes in, as do most of the other series’ producers such as Ricky Ray Butler and Jeffrey and Neil Harmon. Neil Harmon, as co-founder with his brother Jeffrey of VidAngel (now ironically titled Angel Studios—see Galatians 1:8), the Utah-based distributor of The Chosen, declared that he and his brother Jeffrey are “faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We love Jesus and we love our faith in Christ.”

If that were the Jesus that The Chosen series is introducing us to, would that be a concern? As some may have surmised, the Jesus described above is not the biblical Jesus but rather the Jesus of Mormonism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the faith to which many of the series producers belong. But is that the Jesus of The Chosen? Thus far in the series the fundamental doctrines of Mormonism have not been plainly presented. Could they be? Yes — but perhaps not yet.

Yes, because The Chosen’s audience has been conditioned to accept whatever the screenwriter, director, and other creative personnel contribute, with no apparent concern for biblical accuracy. The program that launched the series, for example, was the background story of Mary Magdalene that included the death of her father when she was young, her being raped by a Roman soldier, and the failure of Nicodemus as he attempted to exorcise demons from her. Those details came not from Scripture but from the imagination of those who contributed to the script. Yet for the greater number of viewers, few of whom have read the Bible, the images they watched were received as though they are actually in the Bible.

I’ve been told biblical movies are great motivators for people to check the Bible out. Really? What happens when they can’t find the movie scenes such as the gritty backstory of Mary Magdalene? Furthermore, most people would rather watch a highly dramatized Bible story with little concern that it’s fiction than read the actual words of Scripture. “Based on a true story” is good enough, even though the “based” part is a movie fabrication.

I have interviewed numerous believers who viewed so-called biblical movies, and although most of these Christians knew the Bible pretty well, I was dismayed to find that they actually believed that many of the unbiblical scenes in those productions were found in the Bible! Difficulty in distinguishing between what one may have read in the Bible and what one saw on screen in an alleged biblical movie is one of the damaging effects of presenting biblical content visually. That notwithstanding, why would a believer in God’s Word fill his or her head with things that are made to appear biblical by a film company — but are not?

My “perhaps not yet” comment has to do with Mormonism’s continual attempt to promote itself as basically Christian in its theology. For years the organization has strived to be accepted as just another Christian denomination. The only way that can happen is if the LDS Church initially conceals its fundamental beliefs and packs its promotional productions with all sorts of unbiblical scenes and characters. The more that such corruptions are accepted, the wider the door opens for any-and-all beliefs to be introduced, including the bizarre doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It also helps to have a professing evangelical writer/director (Dallas Jenkins) working on The Chosen. His promotional interview with a Mormon apologist is a classic example of obfuscatory ecumenism, meaning he does his best to muddy the waters between foundational biblical Christianity (which he claims to believe) and the cultic teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. His ecumenism is made clear in his own words: “I said that many LDS folks and I love the same Jesus. I still believe that. It’s gotten me in a lot of trouble but I still believe that.”

When Jesus was asked by His disciples about the days just prior to His return, He said, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4). That’s a penetrating description of the days in which we are living, a time in which “sound doctrine” has all but vanished throughout Christendom (2 Timothy 4:3). Sound doctrine is the full and absolute counsel of what God has communicated in His Word. Anything added to that by man in his attempt to visually portray God’s word is a counterfeit — a fictitious deception.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, there is no need to watch any episodes of The Chosen in order to decide whether or not they are supported by God’s Word. All a Bible-believing Christian has to hear is that the television series attempts to represent the stories and characters found in the Scriptures; that inevitably results in adding all kinds of content to the Bible, the action of which is clearly condemned.

For those who nevertheless are enamored with The Chosen yet claim they know and love the Scriptures, The Chosen television series begins with background information about Mary Magdalene nowhere found in the Bible, as noted, but is produced out of the imagination of all the creative movie people, from the screenwriters to the director, and on down the production line. What then of additions to the final episode of season two (although examples are found throughout the entire series)? We’re shown that the disciples are in charge of producing the speaking events of Jesus (e.g., crowd control, distributing flyers for his events, setting up a stage complete with curtains for his presentation of the Sermon on the Mount). Do the Scriptures tell us that the wardrobe of Jesus for his stage appearance was decided upon by four women? Did Jesus, along with his mother, pine for his stepfather Joseph before his preaching on the Mount…or anywhere else in Scripture? Was Matthew, as seen throughout the series, the continual script advisor regarding the content of the sermons and teachings of Jesus? Did Jesus anxiously have to rehearse his preaching before delivering his teachings to the crowd? All those things are found in The Chosen. They are not only missing from God’s Word, their inclusion amounts to blasphemy — that is, a blatant mischaracterization of God manifested in the flesh.

Those who are drawn to the Jesus of The Chosen have been seduced into believing in a character who is not the perfect God/Man presented in God’s Word, but rather a man-made counterfeit Christ whose ministry had to be enabled through the input of his disciples. That’s not the Jesus Christ of God’s inerrant, infallible, and all-sufficient God-breathed Word.

Those who claim to believe the Scriptures but are drawn to The Chosen need to heed the Bible’s far-reaching warning: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before” (Matthew 24:24-25).

(For further insights into the problems with visually translating the Bible, we recommend “Showtime for the Sheep” and “The Bible According to Hollywood.” For materials related to the cult of Mormonism we recommend The God Makers and “Mormon Fiction” [see TBC article August 2003]. More importantly, we highly recommend reading Psalm 119:1-176.)


https://www.raptureforums.com/defending-the-faith/the-chosen-fiction/
 

mattfivefour

Well-Known Member
Good read, and its rare I will watch any “biblical” movie, mainly based on the points presented in this article. I watched the first few episodes of the Chosen, then stopped when it was very clear they were adding to scripture.
I agree, Andy. Adding speculative detail to characters is a common technique in historical fiction in order to make the people feel more real, more alive. But when you begin adding speculative detail to Jesus Christ, lessening his perfection in the process, effectively changing Scripture ... which is not mere historical detail but God's actual revelation to us ... then you have crossed the line from dramatizing Scripture to perverting it.

Thus I have completely withdrawn my initial tentative support for this effort. It has quickly turned out NOT to be what was initially promised, but a corruption of the actual nature of Jesus Christ as presented in Scripture. It might not be Darrell Jenkins intention, but that is what has happened. And as there is salvation in NO other name than the name of Jesus Christ, it is absolutely crucial that His character and person not be tampered with in ANY way. Therefore I encourage anybody to give it a wide berth; because if a sinner does not receive the correct view of Jesus they will not receive salvation, for it is by faith in what and who He is that we are saved. And NOTHING --no matter how entertaining it may be-- is worth risking souls lost to Hell for eternity. God forbid!
 

YallNeedJesus

I highlighted the entire book of Romans
I haven’t watched ‘the chosen’ because I knew a lot had been added to either make it more relatable or more lifelike. Many people have encouraged me to watch it, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I saw a trailer for season 2 and it had a clip of Jesus saying he came ‘to start a revolution’. For some reason that just didn’t sit right with me, and I’ve never considered watching it since. This article definitely gave me some things to think about.
 

mattfivefour

Well-Known Member
I have not watched the chosen and I don't have the time to read the entire the entire article today.
Can someone explain what is happening with the character of Jesus?
I have friends that watch and enjoy the show. It's on my list to watch, but perhaps I won't.
Thanks
For starters-- Jesus asks His disciples for advice on which parts of what He says was good, essentially checking whether He is saying the right things to the crowds. He is shown rehearsing statements, trying different wordings. He is shown working out the details of His Sermon on the Mount ahead of time, trying to polish it for maximum effect. In that process He asks His disciples what things He should say and what He should maybe leave out. He has them plan the venue for the sermon, stage-managing everything to do with it. He has the women following Him tell Him what to wear for maximum effect and He prepares for His entrance to the Sermon like a star entering a concert. And that is just part of why I have separated myself from anything to do with this series.
 

Andy C

Well-Known Member
For starters-- Jesus asks His disciples for advice on which parts of what He says was good, essentially checking whether He is saying the right things to the crowds. He is shown rehearsing statements, trying different wordings. He is shown working out the details of His Sermon on the Mount ahead of time, trying to polish it for maximum effect. In that process He asks His disciples what things He should say and what He should maybe leave out. He has them plan the venue for the sermon, stage-managing everything to do with it. He has the women following Him tell Him what to wear for maximum effect and He ashamed for His entrance to the Sermon like a star entering a concert. And that is just part of why I have separated myself from anything to do with this series.
You mean God does not need to rehearse…….:biggrin. Just the thought of a show trying to portray God rehearsing, using a focus group for attire, and aksing others what He should say is beyond incredulous.
 

Wings Like Eagles

Well-Known Member
Good read, and its rare I will watch any “biblical” movie, mainly based on the points presented in this article. I watched the first few episodes of the Chosen, then stopped when it was very clear they were adding to scripture.
I watched the first season and, while the setting in first century Israel is interesting and likely somewhat informative for Gentiles, I had the same qualms that you had. These types of films always end up adding (sometimes a lot) to Scripture and could lead those not versed in Scripture away from the truth.
 

Wings Like Eagles

Well-Known Member
For starters-- Jesus asks His disciples for advice on which parts of what He says was good, essentially checking whether He is saying the right things to the crowds. He is shown rehearsing statements, trying different wordings. He is shown working out the details of His Sermon on the Mount ahead of time, trying to polish it for maximum effect. In that process He asks His disciples what things He should say and what He should maybe leave out. He has them plan the venue for the sermon, stage-managing everything to do with it. He has the women following Him tell Him what to wear for maximum effect and He ashamed for His entrance to the Sermon like a star entering a concert. And that is just part of why I have separated myself from anything to do with this series.
Based on the first season, I suspected that the subsequent seasons would go the way you have outlined. Films that depict Jesus often go in the direction of His humanity, rather than the fact that He is God in human flesh. They can't seem to wrap their heads around that. It could be that Dallas Jenkins went that direction because he was influenced by the rabbi who he consulted on the project. When I was in seminary, the professor of Old Testament used to talk a lot about the rabbis and I often wondered if that had undue influence on him because we were often left with the impression that he did not believe in the divinity of Christ. If I had to give advice, I would tell Christians to avoid modern rabbinical thought--they do not adhere to the clear teaching of the ancient rabbis (from before the time of Christ) that the Messiah would be God in human flesh. Jenkins would have been wise to consult Messianic rabbis if he was going to go in that direction.
 

UntilTheWholeWorldHears

Well-Known Member
For starters-- Jesus asks His disciples for advice on which parts of what He says was good, essentially checking whether He is saying the right things to the crowds. He is shown rehearsing statements, trying different wordings. He is shown working out the details of His Sermon on the Mount ahead of time, trying to polish it for maximum effect. In that process He asks His disciples what things He should say and what He should maybe leave out. He has them plan the venue for the sermon, stage-managing everything to do with it. He has the women following Him tell Him what to wear for maximum effect and He ashamed for His entrance to the Sermon like a star entering a concert. And that is just part of why I have separated myself from anything to do with this series.
Thank you!
 

ozaprah

Well-Known Member
For starters-- Jesus asks His disciples for advice on which parts of what He says was good, essentially checking whether He is saying the right things to the crowds. He is shown rehearsing statements, trying different wordings. He is shown working out the details of His Sermon on the Mount ahead of time, trying to polish it for maximum effect. In that process He asks His disciples what things He should say and what He should maybe leave out. He has them plan the venue for the sermon, stage-managing everything to do with it. He has the women following Him tell Him what to wear for maximum effect and He ashamed for His entrance to the Sermon like a star entering a concert. And that is just part of why I have separated myself from anything to do with this series.
So as a child you don't think Jesus had to practice and learn things like walking, spelling, writing, learning to woodwork etc? Using the above logic, being divine you would think not, but commonsense says he would have had his humanity also to experience. Asking his disciples for 'ideas' doesn't mean he was devoid of ideas. Maybe it is testing of his disciples etc.

I think the OP article is a complete storm in a tea cup. Is this really the nonsense we need to be focusing on in this day and age with everything else going on?

Even so, The Chosen series is condemned by the Bible first and foremost because it adds man’s ideas (his beliefs, concepts, viewpoints, conceptions, images, perceptions, his religions, and especially his feelings, etc.) to what God alone has communicated. It makes no difference how far afield the additions are — even the smallest contribution would not be of God, but of man.
Might as well tell every pastor not to give a sermon then. Just read straight scripture and leave it at that. Mind you, then start debating which version your reading and which might add more 'concepts' then dump those also.
 
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mattfivefour

Well-Known Member
So as a child you don't think Jesus had to practice and learn things like walking, spelling, writing, learning to woodwork etc? Using the above logic, being divine you would think not, but commonsense says he would have had his humanity also to experience. Asking his disciples for 'ideas' doesn't mean he was devoid of ideas. Maybe it is testing of his disciples etc.

I think the OP article is a complete storm in a tea cup. Is this really the nonsense we need to be focusing on in this day and age with everything else going on?


Might as well tell every pastor not to give a sermon then. Just read straight scripture and leave it at that. Mind you, then start debating which version your reading and which might add more 'concepts' then dump those also.
Brother, I hear your frustration and annoyance and I want to assure you that I am positive that as a child Jesus had to "practice and learn things like walking, spelling, writing, learning to woodwork etc." No question, for He was fully human as well as fully God, and He would therefore have to learn to experience humanity at we do. But I do not believe in the least that as an adult, once He had begun His eternally fore-ordained ministry, that He needed to ask His disciples what He should say to people, or inquire of them what part of His message they thought touched His audiences effectively, or ask their advice as to what to include in His sermons and what to leave out. To suggest that He did would not only mean that did not have the knowledge of His Father but needed direction not just from men but uneducated and fallen men at that. It's the error The Chosen has fallen into: emphasizing Christ's humanity at the expense of His divinity.

The fact is that despite being in human form, Jesus Christ was perfect in all His ways. Once His ministry had begun, the fullness of the Divine anointing was upon Him. He was indeed Emmanuel: God with us. He knew what His disciples not only did not know but also did not understand. He knew the mind of every person He met. And He did not trust Himself to any of them, because He knew what was in their hearts. John 2:24-25 makes that plain.

Just as Risen created doubt in the resurrection by raising the possibility that the disciples had actually managed to steal Christ's body and then did nothing to prove that was not possible, so The Chosen has created doubt in the omniscience and omnipotence of Christ. I was quite prepared to entertain all sorts of speculation about the character and the individual backgrounds of the disciples. Indeed, I enjoyed much of the early episodes. Yes, they are speculative; but they added richness to the stories. But when the speculation extended to Jesus --His person, His abilities, His knowledge-- we ceased having the Bible enriched and entered the realm of having the Bible diminished.

The fact is that Jesus was omnipotent and omniscient, and that is crucial to who He is. Anything that in any way creates doubt in the extent of those qualities surely presents a different Jesus from the Bible. And since Jesus is the ONLY way of salvation, we as Christians --never mind as ministers-- must ensure that He is always presented in the fullness of He is. The eternal destiny of souls demands it.
 

ozaprah

Well-Known Member
The fact is that Jesus was omnipotent and omniscient, and that is crucial to who He is. Anything that in any way creates doubt in the extent of those qualities surely presents a different Jesus from the Bible. And since Jesus is the ONLY way of salvation, we as Christians --never mind as ministers-- must ensure that He is always presented in the fullness of He is. The eternal destiny of souls demands it.
Omnipotent and omniscient. Amen.

As for the show,I guess we are just interpreting it differently.
For example some take offence at the idea that in The Chosen it is depicted that the women around Jesus made decisions on the colour he would wear for the sermon on the mount and interpret that as he needed their help. In my thinking he probably didn't care what he wore. To me it was more a metaphor that while Jesus doesn't need our help, he graciously allows us to help (with the idea of 'help' being loosely applied). A bit like our monetary offerings or our ministries of services. Does he actually need our help to achieve his purposes? No. More than not we just get in the way! But as part of his adopted family in fellowship with him he allows us to partake and help. What a glorious privilege.

Anyway, all I can add is I have seen some non-Christians engage with The Chosen in a way no church or pastor could make them engage. I haven't seen anything in it that risks the eternal destiny of souls. Just my opinion. Maybe if some here are concerned about the intent and direction then they might see fit to contact Dallas Jenkins and pose him the questions directly.

And if the OP is worried in his essay about story-lines in The Chosen 'adding to the word', then I hope he takes a good hard look at whatever westernised Advent play they allow at their church this Christmas season. A vast majority is likely additive to the word.
 

JSTyler

Well-Known Member
Confession... I couldn't get past the first half of the first show for too many reasons to list including the fantastic incites listed above. I didn't have the intestinal fortitude however to broach this topic here in this forum. I wanted to do so, but decided it wasn't worth it beacause...REASONS!

Honestly, I whimped out. So, here and now, hear me roar like a mouse now that I'm in a crowd. :mousedance

David Hunt used to talk and teach at length about the dangers of depicting God and Jesus in images. That always sat right inside of me and stuck to the proverbial spiritual ribs.
 

Jan51

Well-Known Member
Anyway, all I can add is I have seen some non-Christians engage with The Chosen in a way no church or pastor could make them engage. I haven't seen anything in it that risks the eternal destiny of souls. Just my opinion. Maybe if some here are concerned about the intent and direction then they might see fit to contact Dallas Jenkins and pose him the questions directly.

And if the OP is worried in his essay about story-lines in The Chosen 'adding to the word', then I hope he takes a good hard look at whatever westernised Advent play they allow at their church this Christmas season. A vast majority is likely additive to the word.
This brings up the question: if something is unbiblical, or somewhat unbiblical, or questionable, or a gray area, can it be justified if it appears to be a ministry opportunity? if it creates awareness of Christ, of the gospel? if it opens topics of conversation? if we use it to hand out tracts or Bibles? Like for example Halloween? I know individual Christians have freedom of conscience, but what about when a church brings it in as a church-sanctioned activity? Does the end justify the means? Aren't we supposed to measure everything by Scripture? Are people with concerns being narrow-minded or "taking the Bible too seriously"?

Your point about contacting Dallas Jenkins was already addressed in the other thread on The Chosen. He is quite dismissive of such questions.

Every Christmas play I have seen in the churches I have gone to used only the words of Scripture. I don't know what others do.
 
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