Should Christians Watch “The Chosen”?
Before sharing my answer to this question, let me share with you some personal background.
I started studying television and film through a community college course as a high school senior. I graduated college with a degree in broadcasting. Christian TV or film wasn’t an option at that time because, in my opinion, the quality was terrible in every facet. Had I not been a follower of Christ, I would have gone to Hollywood and tried to make it behind the scenes of movies and television.
Because of this, I knew I wouldn’t be content anywhere except where I could use my passion and skills directly in mission work. So, I came to work for my dad’s ministry, documenting the outreach that was taking place. After five years, I moved on to a career in ministry management and the rest is history.
Fast-forward to five years ago. Our family heard about a fundraising campaign for a new series about the life and ministry of Jesus called The Chosen. My son was interested and gave some of his tithe money toward the campaign. I was highly skeptical, however, with my decades-long bias against Christian film still fully intact. (I do want to acknowledge that there certainly are Christian filmmakers out there today trying to raise the standard of Christian productions.)
Seasons 1 and 2 of The Chosen came and went. I didn’t give it much thought until the time came for the debut of season 3 in theaters. Someone invited me to the premier, so I went. While the sets weren’t (and still aren’t) spectacular at times, just about everything else from the writing to the casting and acting to the cinematography and score was a marked improvement from the poor quality that has plagued Christian television and film for far too long.
Since then, my wife and I have gone back to watch the show from the beginning. You can see the overall quality and execution increase with each season as the resources available to the show have increased. Currently, there is a massive global audience that continues to build.
Now to the question at hand. Should Christians watch and support The Chosen? In my opinion? Absolutely. Let me share why.
I know some Christians are against the series. One of the reasons I’ve heard is that it contains a lot of scenes and words not in the Bible. Since this is most certainly true, they believe it should not be taken seriously. However, I can assure you that every movie or show about the life of Jesus—even if only quoting directly from the Bible—has taken A LOT of creative liberty in every scene. They are making assumptions about what people looked like, how they dressed, what a miracle looked like when it happened, and so on. I could make a long list of added details that were not mentioned in a particular Bible passage.
Let me give you an example. The Jesus Film has been translated into over two thousand languages and watched over ten billion times, making it the most-viewed film in human history. It has a white Jesus with long, flowing hair. Is that accurate? Most certainly not, but God has used it to reach countless lives. He can do the same with The Chosen or The Passion of the Christ, for that matter.
The series creator, Dallas Jenkins (a sinner saved by grace), is not claiming that The Chosen should be taken as a word-for-word, scene-for-scene remake of the New Testament, so why should you? Plausibility is the word Jenkins uses a lot to describe how they come up with the plots and scripts that venture outside of the words found in the New Testament.
I believe the show can help people perhaps better see this most amazing of all people, the One who is both fully divine and fully human. It also helps them understand the broken people Jesus surrounded Himself with as followers. Broken people like you and me.
If you’re skeptical, consider getting a taste of the show. Some impactful scenes, in my opinion, include Jesus and Nicodemus, the healing of the paralytic by the pool, the woman at the well, Jesus and Little James, and Jesus declaring “I am the Law of Moses.”
Let me leave you with some warnings about The Chosen:
- It is produced by sincere but sinful people.
- It should not be taken as gospel.
- It should not replace Bible study.
Let me also leave you with some benefits:
- It can spark good discussion with family and friends.
- It can engage the lost, the hurting, and those who are searching.
- It can inspire other, higher-quality Christian shows that can compete with today’s immoral content.
The Chosen points people to Jesus and does so with quality execution, so I’m for it. If, in the future, the show ever strays into anti-biblical territory, I will speak up. Until then, I’ve already bought tickets for the premier of the first three episodes of season 4.
Joseph
PS—I have received no compensation whatsoever for writing this article.