“The Chosen” Fiction

[athenasius]

Margery, have you seen the Jesus Revolution movie? I watch hischannel which Chuck Smith was on before he passed away. No one is talking about how great the movie is or what they thought of it.

No, not planning on it.

Like you I lived thru those years and they were a mixed bag.

Not all who call on Jesus as Lord Lord belong to Him. Wolves among the sheep, tares among the wheat. This is why Paul begged the church thru the ages to be Bereans, to check on teachers and root out the false ones.

This article here by Ministry Watch is an accurate picture of Lonnie Frisbee and his relationship to Chuck Smith, and his failings. https://ministrywatch.com/lonnie-frisbee-the-sad-story-of-a-hippie-preacher/

To Chuck's credit he eventually wised up and kicked Lonnie out. But it took Chuck way too long and how many lives were ruined along the way?

This movie will no doubt be used to push homosexuality in the church as a necessary change by using the example of Lonnie. They'll dance around the edges of his active homosexuality during all the years of ministry and focus on the good things that happened. Like every lie of Satan, it will come with a pile of good stuff that ignorant Christians will eat right up.

Chuck did a lot of good, but some things like the date setting, weren't good.

He didn't do a good job of delegating authority in that denomination he founded. He knew his time was short but he was as blind to his successors as he was to Lonnie Frisbee. He didn't specify who should take over. Because he didn't delegate in life, after his death it left a vacuum.

Brian Broderson --his son in law after his death fought with Chuck's other family and split Calvary Chapels into 2 groups--the conservative ones who followed Chuck's line who had to opt out to stay true to Chuck's roots and Broderson took the rest, including any that didn't opt out. Broderson has taken that side of Calvary Chapel off into more of an NAR direction.

Consequently when Calvary Chapel started a church plant in my town I was stunned to find them importing a bunch of NAR speakers that are out and out heretical or border on it. Turned out to be one of the Broderson bunch.

This from wikipedia: "In November 2016, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa left the Calvary Chapel Association and formed the Calvary Chapel Global Network. The latter continues to count the association's 1,700 churches as members unless they opt out."

That comes down to Brian wanting the money that comes with the 1,700 member churches and the power to sway those churches away from Chuck's vision.

 

[ItIsFinished!]

No, not planning on it.

Like you I lived thru those years and they were a mixed bag.

Not all who call on Jesus as Lord Lord belong to Him. Wolves among the sheep, tares among the wheat. This is why Paul begged the church thru the ages to be Bereans, to check on teachers and root out the false ones.

This article here by Ministry Watch is an accurate picture of Lonnie Frisbee and his relationship to Chuck Smith, and his failings. https://ministrywatch.com/lonnie-frisbee-the-sad-story-of-a-hippie-preacher/

To Chuck's credit he eventually wised up and kicked Lonnie out. But it took Chuck way too long and how many lives were ruined along the way?

This movie will no doubt be used to push homosexuality in the church as a necessary change by using the example of Lonnie. They'll dance around the edges of his active homosexuality during all the years of ministry and focus on the good things that happened. Like every lie of Satan, it will come with a pile of good stuff that ignorant Christians will eat right up.

Chuck did a lot of good, but some things like the date setting, weren't good.

He didn't do a good job of delegating authority in that denomination he founded. He knew his time was short but he was as blind to his successors as he was to Lonnie Frisbee. He didn't specify who should take over. Because he didn't delegate in life, after his death it left a vacuum.

Brian Broderson --his son in law after his death fought with Chuck's other family and split Calvary Chapels into 2 groups--the conservative ones who followed Chuck's line who had to opt out to stay true to Chuck's roots and Broderson took the rest, including any that didn't opt out. Broderson has taken that side of Calvary Chapel off into more of an NAR direction.

Consequently when Calvary Chapel started a church plant in my town I was stunned to find them importing a bunch of NAR speakers that are out and out heretical or border on it. Turned out to be one of the Broderson bunch.

This from wikipedia: "In November 2016, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa left the Calvary Chapel Association and formed the Calvary Chapel Global Network. The latter continues to count the association's 1,700 churches as members unless they opt out."

That comes down to Brian wanting the money that comes with the 1,700 member churches and the power to sway those churches away from Chuck's vision.

BINGO!

 

[alisani]

No, not planning on it.

Like you I lived thru those years and they were a mixed bag.

Not all who call on Jesus as Lord Lord belong to Him. Wolves among the sheep, tares among the wheat. This is why Paul begged the church thru the ages to be Bereans, to check on teachers and root out the false ones.

This article here by Ministry Watch is an accurate picture of Lonnie Frisbee and his relationship to Chuck Smith, and his failings. https://ministrywatch.com/lonnie-frisbee-the-sad-story-of-a-hippie-preacher/

To Chuck's credit he eventually wised up and kicked Lonnie out. But it took Chuck way too long and how many lives were ruined along the way?

This movie will no doubt be used to push homosexuality in the church as a necessary change by using the example of Lonnie. They'll dance around the edges of his active homosexuality during all the years of ministry and focus on the good things that happened. Like every lie of Satan, it will come with a pile of good stuff that ignorant Christians will eat right up.

Chuck did a lot of good, but some things like the date setting, weren't good.

He didn't do a good job of delegating authority in that denomination he founded. He knew his time was short but he was as blind to his successors as he was to Lonnie Frisbee. He didn't specify who should take over. Because he didn't delegate in life, after his death it left a vacuum.

Brian Broderson --his son in law after his death fought with Chuck's other family and split Calvary Chapels into 2 groups--the conservative ones who followed Chuck's line who had to opt out to stay true to Chuck's roots and Broderson took the rest, including any that didn't opt out. Broderson has taken that side of Calvary Chapel off into more of an NAR direction.

Consequently when Calvary Chapel started a church plant in my town I was stunned to find them importing a bunch of NAR speakers that are out and out heretical or border on it. Turned out to be one of the Broderson bunch.

This from wikipedia: "In November 2016, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa left the Calvary Chapel Association and formed the Calvary Chapel Global Network. The latter continues to count the association's 1,700 churches as members unless they opt out."

That comes down to Brian wanting the money that comes with the 1,700 member churches and the power to sway those churches away from Chuck's vision.

Just curious...is there anything you don't know? You are such a wealth of information, I appreciate your posts so much. Educational and edifying!

 

[daygo]

Not seen it.

 

[caligal]

Not going to.

 

[yeshua'sbride]

Count me out.

 

[lightofmylife]

Count me out.

They sure have made more money off that movie than they thought.

 

[athenasius]

So my thoughts are these: pray and know how The Lord speaks to you. Know what the Bible has witnessed to you. Never allow the show to be all you need to be a believer. I would hope the show would make some who are visual thinkers to become interest to read the Bible even just to see it was based on the Bible.

And the show made me want to reread places I forgot about in the Bible to discern. I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal what I didn’t quite understand and was guided to the answer.
Overall I didn’t feel like it caused a rift with my relationship with Jesus. As I now study with a Greek to English version and as we’ll understand Jewish rituals and some symbolism I understand the Old Testament better than before.
Basically it was no different to me than a play. I hope it leads people to the Gospel that they would seek and find Jesus and it felt good to not have curse words and sex and etc….,
If it leads someone astray then of course that is wrong but feel that it may make someone more curious and they may ask a believer to explain?

These are all good responses, and informed Christians should react like this. You are a critical thinker and act like a Berean.

These are the best possible reactions.

But there are a lot of bible illiterate people out there who are fuzzy at best on what is truth and what is Hollywood.

If a show is going to be leading people to the Lord, then it's important to be the right Jesus. The Biblical Jesus.

People have been led by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus in the past even thru musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar (that brought a lot of the Hippie movement into the church) or The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson (a very Catholic theology promoted all thru it) and I expect a certain number will find Christ thru the Chosen.

In the past, many gave an emotional response to a feel good Jesus who accepts everything and demands nothing. People can think they know Him, but have never really known Him. That's a perilous position. They need the real Jesus taught to them.

There is a great danger that people will give their heart to the Jesus of Chosen or the Jesus that turns a blind eye to sin as portrayed in films nowadays to avoid irritating the homosexual activists. The politically correct Jesus vs the real Jesus.

There were a lot of people who joined the Jesus People for a time and fell away later, never having really put down roots in Christ. They were there for the party, the social movement, the next trend and for a short, odd time being part of the Jesus people was trendy. Didn't last.

Without good teaching, people miss that the cross of Christ saves because we are sinners -- sin is real, we need a saviour, and Jesus is the perfect sacrifice to pay for our sins if we only believe in Him as the Son of God, the only begotten son of God (Mormon theology is that He is simply one of many sons of god and Lucifer is one of his brothers) and pure and sinless. Very God and very man, yet without sin. Not as the Chosen portrays him, unsure of His next move as reported above. Looking to his disciples for validation.

I know that the Chosen has avoided outright Mormon theology-- the business of many gods and Lucifer on par with Christ, in fact that little gem is something they prefer to keep hidden until people are further up in the Mormon system but this is part of the background of this series. Like Mel Gibson's Passion movie, it hides some of the more overt signs of Catholic theology to avoid turning people off.

Matthew 13: 13-8 and
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

If I'm going to get out and advocate people watch something or read something, it will be something I'm sure is preaching a solid Christ centred, Bible based theology.

It's great if people get saved. By any and all means get them saved, but it's even better if the gospel is preached without compromise.

 

[lightofmylife]

So true athenasius(Margery), a movie is not the real gospel if it doesn't stay true. We are not to add or take away from The .

 

[Belle of Grace]

but it's even better if the gospel is preached without compromise.

Yes, as this is the only hallmark we're given. If someone claims to be born again based on a movie they saw or the portrayal of a character named Jesus who was in that film, I might have to pause and ask a few more questions to see if it's the real gospel message they heard and responded to by faith. If not, then I would think it is necessary to go over it with them.

 

[SarahRose]

I watched Jesus revolution after hearing Andy Woods recommend it. I went to see it with my dad in theaters. The last time we saw a movie together I was in elementary school. We both were tearing up at different points. For him it brought back a lot of memories. He and my mom became believers around that time. They were a couple of hippies themselves.

My suggestion for anyone, whether you’re a longtime Bible believer or just testing the waters, would be to dig into the Word — like @Drayanna did while watching the chosen. The Bible is more accessible now than it has ever been. Read or listen to John’s gospel. It’s not very long, but it’s abundant with Jesus and who He really is.

There is a lot of garbage out there as far as entertainment goes. And our culture is obsessed with fast information — which movies and shows accomplish. But if something is making people want to brush off a dusty Bible, there could be some good to it. Not all good, surely, but some.

God uses all sorts of ways to reach people.

 

[athenasius]

But if something is making people want to brush off a dusty Bible, there could be some good to it. Not all good, surely, but some.

God uses all sorts of ways to reach people.

100% agree. We might have to fill in the gaps, do some explaining, teaching etc to help people go from their initial emotional reaction to help them get thoroughly rooted and grounded in the Word. There was a lot of that going on in the early church too, where enthusiastic new believers were in need of a Paul or Barnabas to teach them so they could mature in faith.

And we may have to counter some bad teaching they absorbed watching a movie or a series. I'm still concerned that the LGBTQ activists inside the liberal and now even the fundamentalist evangelical church will use this movie and Lonnie's life as a gay rights in church banner to rally support.

So there may be a mop up operation required, much as there was in the aftermath of Jesus Christ Superstar. New Christians needing teaching and discipling, (not a bad problem) and a weather eye out for new forms of heresy and bad teaching coming out from the films.

Shepherding had it's beginnings back then to try and disciple the new hippy believers. Unfortunately it went off into control and abuse and is still part of some churches to this day. But many of those hippy believers grew up into strong faithful mature saints that continue to bless the church to this day.

 

[LoudRam]

I think I mentioned it earlier in this thread but my sis-in-law (wife's oldest sister) has become interested in the Bible again. She bought a new one, devoured a book I loaned her teaching Revelation verse by verse, and she's been going to church with us every week. We're going through John verse by verse at the moment. She's loving it. All this because of watching The Chosen. She also went with us to see Jesus Revolution.

God is definitely using these things to reach people. I believe this is happening at a faster pace and to a greater degree because of the latenesses of the hour. I believe we are so close to going home!

 

[dseno]

I think it's ok to dramatize stories that take place in biblical times as long as it is communicated that it is indeed dramatization and not biblical.

Netflix recently went through this with The Crown series

 

[ItIsFinished!]

I think it's ok to dramatize stories that take place in biblical times as long as it is communicated that it is indeed dramatization and not biblical.

Netflix recently went through this with The Crown series

But the question will always remain,
why divert from the Scriptures??
There is absolutely NO reason to.
So why do these movie/series makers do it ?

 

[Jan51]

But the question will always remain,
why divert from the Scriptures??
There is absolutely NO reason to.
So why do these movie/series makers do it ?

Money/entertainment value will always trump Scripture.

 

[dseno]

Well yes, if you're going to create a product for entertainment purposes, you'd want that product to be entertaining.

 

[ItIsFinished!]

Well yes, if you're going to create a product for entertainment purposes, you'd want that product to be entertaining.

The Word of God should NOT be perverted for entertainment purposes.
The Word of God should NOT be used for ill gain.
That is to say, The Word of God should not be
used for filthy lucre's sake.

 

[TimeWarpWife]

Another movie I won't be seeing.

 

[dseno]

The Word of God should NOT be perverted for entertainment purposes.
The Word of God should NOT be used for ill gain.
That is to say, The Word of God should not be
used for filthy lucre's sake.

Again, I personally don't think there's anything wrong with dramatizing events that may or may not have happened during biblical times, as long as it is not contrary to the Bible itself.

I don't know anything about this particular series tho.