“The Chosen” Fiction

[RedRx]

Satan knows he’s already lost the battle that is coming. He’s just trying to take down as many people with him as he can.

 

[ozaprah]

Just back from watching the Series 3 finale at the cinema.
Personally I found it uplifting to God and inspiring.

 

[Amethyst]

Just back from watching the Series 3 finale at the cinema.
Personally I found it uplifting to God and inspiring.

Are you saying that there was not a thing theologically wrong with it?
How many liberties did they take?

 

[daygo]

Thanks for the comments not long been told about it, and people in UK are quite keen on it.

 

[Dan the Elder]

Thank you Brother Chris. You have given substance to my conviction. You have the credentials/background to be "critical". Many Christians (previously myself included), will brush off "changes" in depicting Biblical scenes as "literary license". This is not only applied to movies but also to many books that have been published. I started watching an episode of "The Chosen" -- didn't like it, turned it off and haven't watched any since. They plan on showing "The Chosen Movie" at my church (for a Sunday evening event) - an SBC Church. My spirit was telling me "this isn't right", but I couldn't support the reasoning. Now I can.
The only "movies" that I have felt were "worthy" have been "The Passion", and Dr. Jeremiah's "Why the Nativity" -- but now I understand what you are getting at -- after watching, people "substitute" what they have seen -- for the Real Jesus!!! How many wouldn't accept Jesus unless he looked like Jim Caviezel?
"Graven images" and the "Word of God" don't mix! We too often compromise, by giving the excuse "if it's not a statue -- its not an idol" -- WRONG!!!
Thank you again for your insight.

God Bless, Dan

 

[ozaprah]

Are you saying that there was not a thing theologically wrong with it?
How many liberties did they take?

No, I am not saying that there was not a thing theologically wrong with it. I don't profess to be a theologian.. I said I personally found it uplifting to God and inspiring.

Is there fictional backstory around the events.. yes. That was clearly outlined in the opening credits of Episode one Season one
Does it follow the Bible fully? No. eg Jesus didn't arrive to the feeding of the 5000 on a boat. Also, there were images of John the Baptist in prison after the feeding of the 5000. In the bible his beheading came first in timing. Gnat stuff IMO.

 

[cheeky200386]

No, I am not saying that there was not a thing theologically wrong with it. I don't profess to be a theologian.. I said I personally found it uplifting to God and inspiring.

Is there fictional backstory around the events.. yes. That was clearly outlined in the opening credits of Episode one Season one
Does it follow the Bible fully? No. eg Jesus didn't arrive to the feeding of the 5000 on a boat. Also, there were images of John the Baptist in prison after the feeding of the 5000. In the bible his beheading came first in timing. Gnat stuff IMO.

Yet it's not Gnat stuff since the Bible writes things in the way it does for a reason.

 

[ozaprah]

Yet it's not Gnat stuff since the Bible writes things in the way it does for a reason.

Do you honestly think that if you sat down with Jesus right now and asked him if it was a problem that John the Baptist wasn't depicted as beheaded before the feeding the 5000 miracle, that he would find it a big concern? Personally, I would guess probably not.. Maybe I'm missing some great theological point in it.

 

[Jan51]

I wonder if perhaps one of the sinister ways the devil is using The Chosen is to get Christians to say that it doesn't really matter if the Bible is presented accurately, as long as it is presented? Kind of like those who think the literal interpretation is making a big deal about words and details that are really not all that important. He wants people to have an open-minded approach to Scripture. The Bible was not meant to be depicted or interpreted through actors. Dramatic presentations add all kinds of extra-biblical interpretation, often through unbelievers. So is that important or not?

 

[Amethyst]

that it doesn't really matter if the Bible is presented accurately, as long as it is presented?

My thoughts exactly.
Who decides what passages are “inconsequential” and which ones aren’t ?
Man decides.

I can just see it now- in one or two years time, the Chosen will have Jesus saying : “as long as man is sincere, it matters not who or what he believes in. We are all Gods children.”

 

[cheeky200386]

Do you honestly think that if you sat down with Jesus right now and asked him if it was a problem that John the Baptist wasn't depicted as beheaded before the feeding the 5000 miracle, that he would find it a big concern? Personally, I would guess probably not.. Maybe I'm missing some great theological point in it.

I would read the two comments below yours. The expressed my sentiments perfectly to answer your question. I do believe Jesus would have an issue with his Perfect Word being altered and then excused as no big deal. My question is why make the change at all? The other problem is that there are MANY changes that have been made that are grotesque like Jesus being unsure of what to say on the Sermon on the Mount, or that he needed to consult with Matthew before it?? Seriously?!

That is the great theological point you are missing; the Word is Perfect as is and is written as it for a reason. Every word is meant for our teaching, and I would say even the details shared and not shared are important. I'd love to hear what reasons you think are good enough to make changes to it.

 

[ozaprah]

The other problem is that there are MANY changes that have been made that are grotesque like Jesus being unsure of what to say on the Sermon on the Mount, or that he needed to consult with Matthew before it??

Is it possible that you have misinterpreted what that was about? Jesus doesn't need our help, just as Jesus doesn't need our finances. He let's us help (to do a work in us) despite us probably being a hindrance , and let's us give. That episode was partly about the progression and development of Matthew, and the way Jesus did this. But your mind is made up about it and that is OK. This season has made it very clear that Jesus, in consultation with the Father, is very much in charge of his own decisions and actions.

As far as conjecture (@Amethyst) that the Chosen will have Jesus saying “as long as man is sincere, it matters not who or what he believes in. We are all Gods children.”. That is your notion, a strawman argument with no evidence.

@Jan51 "The Bible was not meant to be depicted or interpreted through actors." Says who and where? There has been biblical accounts acted out throughout the last 2000 years through theatre, dramatic reading, film, TV. Even most sermons in churches is a partial dramatic depiction. Should we ban sunday school / vacation bible school reenactments then?

There's a scene at the end of Ep 8 where some Pharisees are trying to gather evidence of what happened at the feeding of the 5000. On hearing about the miracle from a Gentile, the head Pharisee immediately hopped onto the fact that Jesus broke the law by eating with Gentiles. They completely missed the beauty and wonder of miracle which by extension meant evidience of Christ being the Messiah. The Gentile walked away shaking his head.
My point. We're all intelligent. If you haven't witnessed it yourself, be careful on making strong assertions on things.

I gave my personal impression through first hand observation, and that impression stands despite the prevailing opinion here.

Edit: by the way, the depiction of the feeding of the 5000 in the book of Luke does not include details of Jesus arriving by boat that the book of Matthew includes. Using the above arguments, are we to cancel the book of Luke also? Of course not.

 

[Jan51]

Is it possible that you have misinterpreted what that was about? Jesus doesn't need our help, just as Jesus doesn't need our finances. He let's us help (to do a work in us) despite us probably being a hindrance , and let's us give. That episode was partly about the progression and development of Matthew, and the way Jesus did this. But your mind is made up about it and that is OK. This season has made it very clear that Jesus, in consultation with the Father, is very much in charge of his own decisions and actions.

As far as conjecture (@Amethyst) that the Chosen will have Jesus saying “as long as man is sincere, it matters not who or what he believes in. We are all Gods children.”. That is your notion, a strawman argument with no evidence.

@Jan51 "The Bible was not meant to be depicted or interpreted through actors." Says who and where? There has been biblical accounts acted out throughout the last 2000 years through theatre, dramatic reading, film, TV. Even most sermons in churches is a partial dramatic depiction. Should we ban sunday school / vacation bible school reenactments then?

There's a scene at the end of Ep 8 where some Pharisees are trying to gather evidence of what happened at the feeding of the 5000. On hearing about the miracle from a Gentile, the head Pharisee immediately hopped onto the fact that Jesus broke the law by eating with Gentiles. They completely missed the beauty and wonder of miracle which by extension meant evidience of Christ being the Messiah. The Gentile walked away shaking his head.
My point. We're all intelligent. If you haven't witnessed it yourself, be careful on making strong assertions on things.

I gave my personal impression through first hand observation, and that impression stands despite the prevailing opinion here.

Edit: by the way, the depiction of the feeding of the 5000 in the book of Luke does not include details of Jesus arriving by boat that the book of Matthew includes. Using the above arguments, are we to cancel the book of Luke also? Of course not.

Says who and where? Well, God gave us His Word, which He spoke to various people and had them write it down. We have been given the written Word. That was God's "chosen" method. Yes there have been many depictions besides The Chosen. When actors portray Bible characters, it is impossible to not add their personal (not inspired) interpretation, through facial expression, tone of voice, pauses, etc., all of which determine a meaning that Scripture did not tell us. Some depictions, such as children's Christmas plays, depict scenes with only the actual words the Bible gives us. Movies add much more, concocting conversations that are not in the Bible while influencing people's understanding of Scripture. The Chosen strays even further from Scripture by creating many events that are not in the Bible, while failing to portray all the events and conversations that God gave us. Why would they do that? And why does Dallas Jenkins claim that God told him, He would not let him screw this up--in other words, we cannot question The Chosen because God has guaranteed Dallas's interpretation of Scripture. Even when he changes Bible doctrine by having Jesus state "I am the Law" even though Jesus actually said He fulfilled the Law? And the Bible teaches we are no longer under the Law? Really??

 

[Everlasting Life]

This might be a helpful thread with some good info:


https://www.raptureforums.com/forums/threads/the-chosen-tv-show.177740/

 

[ozaprah]

--in other words, we cannot question The Chosen because God has guaranteed Dallas's interpretation of Scripture.

Sorry, that's your words and interpretation, not his. A strawman argument.

Anyway, it's clear there's a majority camp here (most who haven't even seen the season) who are for whatever reason comfortable having this production placed under 'Apostasy'. We're obviously not going to agree on this one, so going to bow out here for now. Shalom Shalom.

 

[Chris]

Is it possible that you have misinterpreted what that was about? Jesus doesn't need our help, just as Jesus doesn't need our finances. He let's us help (to do a work in us) despite us probably being a hindrance , and let's us give. That episode was partly about the progression and development of Matthew, and the way Jesus did this. But your mind is made up about it and that is OK. This season has made it very clear that Jesus, in consultation with the Father, is very much in charge of his own decisions and actions.

As far as conjecture (@Amethyst) that the Chosen will have Jesus saying “as long as man is sincere, it matters not who or what he believes in. We are all Gods children.”. That is your notion, a strawman argument with no evidence.

@Jan51 "The Bible was not meant to be depicted or interpreted through actors." Says who and where? There has been biblical accounts acted out throughout the last 2000 years through theatre, dramatic reading, film, TV. Even most sermons in churches is a partial dramatic depiction. Should we ban sunday school / vacation bible school reenactments then?

There's a scene at the end of Ep 8 where some Pharisees are trying to gather evidence of what happened at the feeding of the 5000. On hearing about the miracle from a Gentile, the head Pharisee immediately hopped onto the fact that Jesus broke the law by eating with Gentiles. They completely missed the beauty and wonder of miracle which by extension meant evidience of Christ being the Messiah. The Gentile walked away shaking his head.
My point. We're all intelligent. If you haven't witnessed it yourself, be careful on making strong assertions on things.

I gave my personal impression through first hand observation, and that impression stands despite the prevailing opinion here.

Edit: by the way, the depiction of the feeding of the 5000 in the book of Luke does not include details of Jesus arriving by boat that the book of Matthew includes. Using the above arguments, are we to cancel the book of Luke also? Of course not.

Well, if you want to take liberties with God's Word like the creators of this show do, then that is your business.

There are some of us who do not want to take liberties with God's Word and therefore will resist those who think it is alright to depict things "according to man" rather than "according to God" said they are to be. To be honest, taking liberties with God's Word is how error crept into the church and how it continues to do so in this current day.

Even minor changes will add up significantly if you allow enough of them.

If you want to watch the show, that is your business. Just as it is our business to not watch it when very reputable ministries like TBC have issued warnings about it. I don't have time to watch every show or movie out there, so sometimes we have to go by our trusted sources.

And yes, I have learned over time that God doesn't make any "innocent" or "accidental" or "randomly worded" stories in the Bible. I believe everything in the Bible is written by the Living God who makes no mistakes and that everything in His Word is there for a reason.

Many times I have read things like the Leviticus verses on homosexuality and thought "Wow! God could see the day when people were going to try to justify this despite all the stories about Sodom and Gomorrah, etc. and how they try to compromise His Word in this day and age with the love is love nonsense."

Everything is in the Bible for a reason. There are no accidents, coincidences, etc.

Compromising and making subtle changes is a very slippery slope IMHO when it comes to God's Word.

 

[Jan51]

This latest article from Lighthouse Trails addresses these same concerns we have just discussed.

Hard Lessons in Discernment​

February 6, 2023 by Lighthouse Trails Editors
By David Dombrowski

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. (Ephesians 4: 13-15)

People often wonder, whether they verbalize it or not, why Lighthouse Trails has taken on the task of “criticizing other ministries.” After all, isn’t unity the most important thing in all of Christianity?

Recently, for example, our office received an e-mail from someone who was very upset over our critiques and concerns of the movie series, The Chosen. Below is a portion of the comments we received from this person:

With all due respect, you’re absolutely wrong, and bearing (in a documented way) false witness against a brother [Dallas Jenkins] and his ministry. Maybe check up on what the word says about those practices, eh? . . . [Lighthouse Trails] is an organization that fashions themselves after the Pharisees of scripture . . . and gatekeeping the faith. . . . It’s sad but true that there will always be that percentage of Christians who relish judging others and being purveyors of gossip and false witness, and you’ve found purpose in providing them fodder for their sinful attitudes. For shame.

It is difficult to read such harsh criticism; but we also know we don’t stand alone; many of our readers have been accused of ungodly behavior when expressing concerns over practices or teachings they felt were unbiblical and spiritually dangerous.

If you have read my booklet, My Journey Out of Catholicism,1 you know that I was raised Catholic and found the Lord after being drafted and sent to Germany as the Vietnam War was just ending. During this era, many young people in the ’60s and ’70s found the Lord as the Gospel was presented to hearts that were searching and hungry for truth. After my military duty ended, and I returned home (now as a born-again believer), I first got involved with a group in the Catholic charismatic movement. One of the great ironies of my Christian walk is that it was the charismatic Catholics who told me I had a “gift of discernment.” I say ironic because it was discernment that led me out of the Catholic Church. As difficult as that time period was, it was also somewhat amusing that the spiritual gift the Catholic charismatics said I had was actually rejected by them as I began questioning practices like “inner healing,” contemplative prayer, “slaying in the Spirit,” and deliverance rituals.

Lessons in Harsh Criticisms​

Over the years since then, I’ve given a lot of thought to what biblical discernment is all about and have come to realize that it’s so important to be sensitive to what the Lord wants us to do as a ministry. For one, we know we can’t cover every topic, so we seek the Lord on what He would have us to do.

This may come as a surprise, but some of the harshest criticisms we’ve ever received were not about exposing error in the church but that we weren’t doing enough. In at least two cases, the offended party told us they would do all they could do to destroy Lighthouse Trails and the ministries of some of our authors because we would not post or cover an issue they felt we should cover. At this point, their initial request that we would post their material now became a demand! The argument in each case was basically that because we would not expose a particular person or error, we must be in league with the enemy, and consequently, heretics and deceivers. These threats were brutal in that these parties said they would use whatever means or media they could avail themselves with to destroy Lighthouse Trails. As far as handling such situations, we made the decision many years ago that if an attack was unwarranted, rather than quickly coming to our own defense, we would lean on the Lord’s protection and trust Him to vindicate us as He saw fit.

There were a few reasons why we refused to post these materials on our website: first and foremost, we wanted to be led by the Lord and not by intimidation and threats; second, in these severe cases and in others as well, the materials being presented to us were vehement, poorly researched, and even slanderous and erroneous. Lighthouse Trails has always tried to be careful in our treatment of those who bring false teachings into the church. As much as we can, we try to keep our focus on the false teachings themselves with the hopes that these false teachings might cease—or at least be exposed and avoided. We realize it is not our job or even within our ability to know the heart and motives of those presenting false teachings. But, at the same time, we are not naïve enough as to not see the apostasy that is presently sweeping our world and the church.

One of these individuals who said he would destroy Lighthouse Trails (largely because we wouldn’t post his materials) said that when he exposes someone, he likes to go for the “shock and the awe” as he attempts to destroy someone’s reputation. As we see it, such an attitude goes against the purpose of a biblical discernment ministry, which is to aid and serve the body of Christ by exposing things that are a dangerous hinderance to finding or walking with God and exhorting the church to remain anchored to the truth found in God’s Word.

The Chosen: An Unpleasant Task in Discernment​

In First John chapter 4, John distinguishes the spirit of antichrist from the true Christ by using the Gospel itself as the standard for measurement. I have written about this before: It is the idea that anything that tears down the Gospel is not of God, and whatever builds it up is of God. This standard has also been the tool we employ in deciding what subjects to write about. You see, the Gospel has everything to do with our eternal destiny, so it is essential that we defend and protect it. It’s important to remember too that the spirit of antichrist is not always portrayed as hatred of Christ, but it can often come in a much more subtle form as a substitute for Christ or an imitation (i.e., false) Christ.

In this article about difficult lessons in discernment, I decided to use The Chosen as an example. What I said in the previous paragraph is why we took on warning about it. Doing this has not been a pleasant task; we already had friends, family members, and readers who felt, at first, that The Chosen was a wonderful way of presenting the Gospel, and after all, Christian leaders are recommending it.

But there was something amiss; and as we did our research, it became apparent that a subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) dismantling of the Gospel was taking place where Jesus, the Son of God, takes on more and more human qualities to the point that He is just like us. Now, it may seem OK to some to do this since the Gospel teaches us that Jesus is fully God and fully man; but what happens when we see, on the screen, that Jesus is just another one of us? What happens when we see one of Jesus’ disciples helping Him recite His lines for His sermon on the Mount? And what will happen to Derral Eves’ (The Chosen’sMormon CEO and Executive Producer) teenage son, who rushed to his father in the middle of the night with joyful tears in his eyes, saying “Dad, Jesus really does live, doesn’t he . . . and he’s a real person, right?” His son said this after viewing a scene in The Chosen in season three where “Jesus” was “blowing raspberries” (i.e., making flatulence sounds with his lips) while interacting among children.2

This scene was obviously intended to be funny, but it was clearly an attempt to bring Jesus down to our level which very much lines up with Mormonism (which teaches that Jesus was just a man who attained divinity, just as Mormon believers will attain godhood). As we learn more about Mormonism, we find that Heaven will be a place where Joseph Smith will be seated next to the Father (in as much prominence as Jesus Christ), and Jesus will be further removed sitting among various historical figures.

Then consider John the Baptist who is depicted in The Chosen as “Creepy John.”3 At face value, John could have been seen as creepy to his culture; after all, he was out there in the desert eating locusts and honey. But if we search the Scriptures to see what John was really like and how people perceived him, to call him “Creepy John” is not “plausible”4 as Dallas Jenkins likes to call his version of Bible stories—it is fabrication and slanderous!

As it turns out, John was loved and respected by many—both Jew and Gentile. More importantly, we should note how God perceived him. In Luke, chapter one, an angel spoke these words about John:

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. . . . And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:15, 17)

Then in Luke, chapter 7, Jesus spoke of John’s ministry as very honorable saying, “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (Luke 7:28). With these verses in mind, it is puzzling, then, that The Chosen would depict “creepy John” as someone Jesus felt was going off the deep end and needing correction.5

Reading further in Luke 7, and in light of the depiction of John in The Chosen, it is amazing to see what Jesus said next because, while multitudes of people went to hear and be baptized by John, a small minority would not hear him, and these were “the Pharisees and lawyers [who] rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him” (Luke 7:30). What caught my attention first in this Bible passage is the fact that Jesus addresses the Pharisees and describes what they are like; so I was curious to see what Jesus had to say about them, having been freshly accused of being modern-day Pharisees ourselves. Speaking of these men, Jesus said:

Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! (Luke 7:31-34)

Now, let’s be careful here in understanding what Jesus is trying to say: Jesus is not authenticating the view that Jesus (or His disciples) are party animals who go out and get drunk, nor is He authenticating the view that John the Baptist is creepy or mad or “hath a devil.” No actually, He is denying it.

Reading these verses reminded me again about The Chosen episode where Jesus has a disciple help recite His lines for the Sermon on the Mount. In Scripture, did Jesus have something to say on that subject? Let’s consider the following words of Jesus:

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. (John 8:28)

Does this sound like Jesus practiced His lines with the help of a disciple, where in fact, He only wanted to speak what He received of the Father? Jesus spoke the things He received directly from the Father because Jesus was eternally God with the Father. And He is telling the people here that when they see Him crucified, die, and rise again, they will know who was with them. Again, we see a gradual whittling down of Jesus in The Chosen to being just a man. Dallas Jenkins claims to be presenting the “authentic Jesus”6 in this series while only using five percent of Scripture.7 It seems more like they are trying to present an authentic Jesus while contradicting Scripture (something impossible to do!). Again, the die has been cast, and it appears that the Jesus of The Chosenresembles more that of the Book of Mormon than that of Holy Scripture.

A Lesson in Finding the Truth: The Chosen and the Mormons​

Given that the Mormon producers of The Chosen are obligated by their religion to stay true to the Book of Mormon, how can they justify depicting Jesus as revealed in the Holy Bible when their Book of Mormon supersedes the Bible? This is a real predicament as the Mormons have invested heavily into this production. Perhaps for a time, it will be possible to ride the fence of neutrality, but the day will surely come when they will have to abide by their true persuasions. Most likely, by then, the damage will already be done in gradually sizing Jesus down to just a man who eventually became “god” just as all Mormons will one day become gods—that is, as the Book of Mormon teaches.

A while back, Dallas Jenkins made a statement indicating that it is OK to have Mormons involved in the creation of The Chosen series, by saying that Mormons and Christians believe in the same Jesus.8 What he should have said is Christianity and Mormonism have entirely separate views of who Jesus was and who He is. Jesus, according to Mormonism, was never part of the eternal Godhead but attained godhood just as they believe man can attain godhood. Consequently, Jesus can never become one’s Savior under that belief system.

What we see happening in The Chosen series is a subtle and gradual dismantling of Jesus Christ, the disciples, and the Bible itself. This is serious because, while this series may be entertaining, the distortions to Scripture can have eternal consequences. Some argue that The Chosen will stimulate people to read their Bibles; but just like the Book of Mormon, this series may easily supplant the Bible (and probably already has because of its powerful seduction of the senses), and it will be the only “Bible” many viewers will ever know. We have already seen this happen with Jesus Calling, where readers of this book contacted us to admit that they had become so “addicted” to and enamored with the romantic nature of this “Jesus” that they increasingly set their Bibles aside and used this book for their devotional reading.

A Lesson in Knowing Who We Are and Who He Is​

In closing, I would like to make a few remarks about distinguishing truth from error. First, in referring back to the e-mail we received from our critic who parenthetically injected a keen observation about our position on The Chosen, I am very thankful. She said we present our information “in a documented way,” which, in and of itself, is a compliment. We research things carefully to get to the truth on any issue. For example, when we said that only five percent of The Chosen is from the Bible, we were quoting Dallas Jenkins himself who said this. The point being, it’s valuable to do the research though it takes much time and effort before making an observation or a criticism. Another point she made was in referring to us as gatekeepers of the faith, which I also take as a compliment, but one that we have neither earned nor deserve. Jesus is the sheepgate. He stated that when He said:

I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9).

By this, Jesus was indicating that He is our all in all things. Paul expanded on the various aspects of what Jesus does for us when he said:

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

In other words, Jesus provides everything we need for salvation and Christian living. Indeed, He is both the gate and the gatekeeper of our faith, enabling us to discern what is good and what is not.

There will come a time when we will meet the Lord, and there will be plenty of surprises when God reveals how much that was done “for God” was actually counter-productive. May we humbly seek Him to help us to build His kingdom and not tear it down. On that day, God will test our lives (and ministries) as with fire to a house—some built with straw and some built with stone.

I find myself described in the same chapter from Paul when he says:

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1: 26-31; emphasis added)

Do you find yourself described in these verses? If so, you are in good company, and God can use you even through the hardest lessons of discernment.

David Dombrowski is the co-founder and chief editor of Lighthouse Trails and the author of several booklets and articles.

https://www.lighthousetrailsresearc..._qDESgZpT6zDl3JecImxh35yFzMvQqH5uDwke7omIpr_w

 

[Everlasting Life]

Given that the Mormon producers of The Chosen are obligated by their religion to stay true to the Book of Mormon, how can they justify depicting Jesus as revealed in the Holy Bible when their Book of Mormon supersedes the Bible? This is a real predicament as the Mormons have invested heavily into this production.

After researching and becoming aware of the Mormon "gospel" and false teachings, this info was an immediate red flag for me.

A while back, Dallas Jenkins made a statement indicating that it is OK to have Mormons involved in the creation of The Chosen series, by saying that Mormons and Christians believe in the same Jesus.

What he should have said is Christianity and Mormonism have entirely separate views of who Jesus was and who He is. Jesus, according to Mormonism, was never part of the eternal Godhead but attained godhood just as they believe man can attain godhood. Consequently, Jesus can never become one’s Savior under that belief system.

And then to learn (by his own words) of a severe lack of biblical discernment (at best) of the creator of this series is another red flag.

As a voracious reader, there's been too many times that I've come across books of cleverly put together bodies of works that did just what is talked about in this article. Starting with Jesus and then subtly dismantling truth until biblical truth has been twisted or scrapped altogether, whether it's the person of Jesus or the Gospel of Jesus. Then, I'll learn (usually in response to the increasingly observing unbiblical concepts and researching theological stances) that the author is more new age, RCC persuasion or a universalist or embracing unbiblical ways God has said not to embrace, etc.

In this case, it's sounding like a nod towards Mormonism, 'Jesus was just one of us and then became God.....just like we can', which explains the human focus.

So now, I research 'christian' material very carefully before diving in and that has really saved me from some problems.

What seems to circumvent discernment in some cases is strong emotional pulls. I remember one pastor publically repenting for promoting a book that took the Christian church by storm. To his credit, he warned the church to be very careful, explaining how God and the Gospel are diminished (bringing God down to human level rather than how God is holy with His ways infinitely higher than ours) and the tool of strong emotional pull being employed to circumvent discernment.

 

[soundingthealarm]

During the Olivet Discourse, when asked about the end of the age, Jesus exhorted that people should take heed and let no man deceive you, "for many will come in MY NAME" The most deceptive places in the late 90's and early 2000's was Christian Bookstores, cause they didn't vet out anything and people would be consuming so much junk written in Jesus Name!! We are living in this tech/information/explosion age and tik tok prophets and you tube prophets and movie producers etc are easily accessible sharing the very things Jesus told us to take heed of!!!

I've heard it said, "if its not in the Word, forget what you heard." Then in Revelation is a very sober warning about adding too and or taking away from Scripture.

Anything Ecumenical is ANOTHER JESUS, its a BROADWAY Jesus, wrapped as an Angel of Light ...appealing and easily accepted!

I think it very wise to follow the words of Paul, "I decided to know nothing amongst you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

Because the Chosen has mass appeal does NOT equate anything as it pertains to being "of God" and just because there are only a few voices warning of it, doesn't discount the warning. Noah only had 7 people heed his message! So numbers aren't validation and all of the testimonies of it "touching" lives is VERY SIMILAR to all of the masses touting "how good they feel" after worshipped at a seeker friendly (modern day golden calf) where SELF is central and Christ demoted to a cosmic santa clause.

 

[JSTyler]

During the Olivet Discourse, when asked about the end of the age, Jesus exhorted that people should take heed and let no man deceive you, "for many will come in MY NAME" The most deceptive places in the late 90's and early 2000's was Christian Bookstores, cause they didn't vet out anything and people would be consuming so much junk written in Jesus Name!! We are living in this tech/information/explosion age and tik tok prophets and you tube prophets and movie producers etc are easily accessible sharing the very things Jesus told us to take heed of!!!

I've heard it said, "if its not in the Word, forget what you heard." Then in Revelation is a very sober warning about adding too and or taking away from Scripture.

Anything Ecumenical is ANOTHER JESUS, its a BROADWAY Jesus, wrapped as an Angel of Light ...appealing and easily accepted!

I think it very wise to follow the words of Paul, "I decided to know nothing amongst you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

Because the Chosen has mass appeal does NOT equate anything as it pertains to being "of God" and just because there are only a few voices warning of it, doesn't discount the warning. Noah only had 7 people heed his message! So numbers aren't validation and all of the testimonies of it "touching" lives is VERY SIMILAR to all of the masses touting "how good they feel" after worshipped at a seeker friendly (modern day golden calf) where SELF is central and Christ demoted to a cosmic santa clause.

Really good thoughts.

It reminds me of the times that pastors and teachers get stuck in the rut of preaching and teaching from commentaries and or the latest best seller rather than scripture. David Hocking (of the Calvary Chapels) has said in many of his teaching series that having all of the books and commentaries on his shelves (thousands) over the years made him realize that they truly don't help him understand the Bible but rather the Bible helps him understand them (my paraphrase). And hearing that always comes across to me as a solid view on ANYTHING extra-biblical.

You've expressed that idea in very well thought out fashion. Thank you!

My take on stuff like the Chosen is it's little better than graffiti. I love the dramatized audio series of Left Behind but still understand that it is simply graffiti that appeals to me. I do my best to not have it influence or inform my understandings from scripture. However, LaHaye and Jenkins did a fantastic job with that, and sought much counsel as they proceeded with their series.

That said, The Chosen wandered into heretical territory from the get-go. We didn't last a single episode before being repulsed by some of the obviously poor representations. Peter was soyboy.