However, with that said, The Chosen doesn’t get a pass on everything.
The shepherd dallas jenkins license#
But in and around that history, the artist has the license to ask and answer the question for us, “what if?” And from that question, we can be inspired to see and experience Christ through a fresh lens-through the experiences of the people who knew Him. The history matters, and the facts should not be changed.
So I think the best way to understand The Chosen is the same way you would read historical fiction. What if the intensity of the gospel writer Matthew and his diligent record keeping resulted from autism? Of course, the Bible doesn’t say that, but-what if?Īnd what if Mary Magdalene and Nicodemus had encountered one another prior to them both meeting Jesus? How would that have impacted them? Of course, the Bible doesn’t depict that, but-what if?Īnd what if the portrayal of the first interaction between Jesus and Nathaniel seriously considered the omniscience of Christ revealed in their first meeting, which elicited the awe of Nathaniel (John 1:48-49)? Of course, the Bible doesn’t depict the backdrop to Jesus’ greeting, but-what if?Īnd while he undertakes this approach, Jenkins manages to balance the history of the times, the words of Christ, and Christian theology, and still sustain his unique and needed form of storytelling. And it is the nature of art to do that-to use artistic license to help us see truth in a fresh way. Instead, The Chosen asks “what if?,” while still being faithful to the Gospels. The Chosen is not intended to recap verbatim the life and teachings of Jesus. Their expectations ignore Jenkins’ objectives. I think critics impose on Jenkins and The Chosen something that was never intended. So why is everyone so confused? It’s artistic license But, ironically, Roman Catholic critics fuss that The Chosen isn’t true enough to RC theology. In a strange twist, however, some evangelicals criticize a perceived Roman Catholic influence on The Chosen. His effort to extinguish this controversy fails and simply reveals his weak grasp of the legitimate problems critics pose. If, by that, he means that both he and his LDS friends hold a biblical view of Jesus, he’s wrong. He has commented that Mormons love the “same Jesus” that he does. His understanding of the difference between a biblical theology of Jesus and the LDS theology is clearly lacking. I have started Season 2, and so far I see no overt LDS influence on the theology of The Chosen.
Jenkins and the staff of the production assert that it does not, and that The Chosen is solidly grounded in orthodox, biblical theology. So a partnership with the LDS church for depicting the life of Christ on screen is, at best, unwise.Įven so, the real issue is whether Mormonism fundamentally influences the theology of The Chosen. The Chosen is distributed by VidAngel, a company founded by two Mormons, and the LDS Church provides many of the resources for the production, including rare access to its replica of Jerusalem in Goshen, Utah.īut Mormonism teaches unbiblical and false doctrines about God and Jesus Christ. Critics of The ChosenĮvangelical critics frequently berate Jenkins for partnering with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints-Mormons, that is.
But even more than that, The Chosen excels in its purpose–to depict the ministry, personality, and life-changing power of Jesus from the viewpoint of the people captivated by His presence.Įven so, popularity by no means equates to accuracy or, especially, approval. Each episode is invested with humor and sustains realism, a combination rarely found in such biblical reenactments. Sometimes Jesus is on stage, and sometimes He is not. As of 2021, viewers had contributed more than $40 million toward its production.īecause Jenkins revisits Jesus from the perspective of the people who met Him and knew Him, segments of the story occur during His ministry, and portions occur before and after the time of Jesus’ ministry.
The shepherd dallas jenkins free#
It’s free to watch, and contributors keep it going. The first season of The Chosen became the largest crowdfunded television or film project in history. Jenkins, son of the famed Christian novelist Jerry Jenkins, tells the story of Jesus in episodes and as a streaming series. The focus is on the experiences of the people who encountered Christ. Packaged for a postmodern audience, The Chosen depicts the life of Christ from the perspective of people who knew Him. That short, gripping episode, called “The Shepherd,” was released in 2017 and ignited the phenomenon that became The Chosen. Filmmaker Dallas Jenkins envisioned telling the Christmas story from the perspective of a crippled shepherd who meets the baby Jesus at the manger in Bethlehem.
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