What’s your opinion here on the series The Chosen?
I personally, love it.
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I resisted watching it for a while because I assumed it would be cheesy Christian schlock. I was wrong. I love it too.
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I really enjoy it. I mostly enjoy it because they focus on the people and events leading up to the stories in the gospel. Even if it’s fictional, it adds a lot of personality to it and really humanizes Jesus way more than the way he comes off in the Bible or most other Christian series focused on it. He really lacks personality in most portrayals. I also like how snarky they are with their IG account at times against literalist that are like “ BCV when Mary gambled”? and so on.
Often it seems the divine is focused on way more and biblical literalism in the portrays of Christ and his apostles that they all just come off so fake and choppy scenes. I watched it a few months ago. I was hesitant as well but they really brought it to life. Other than it will probably end up being dozens of hours long I think it presents the gospel better than the typical story told when someone is trying to present story to someone they are witnessing to. That’s always been the hardest part to me when sharing the gospel with unbelievers. Some of the tactics people use is pretty bad. Like I’ve heard a guy once suggesting to others to read “The art of seduction” by Greene ( I think ) and tweak it to presenting the gospel to someone in a way that makes them reach their life goals. Such as if someone is lonely looking them present the gospel to them as a family and everyone being together and if someone is struggling with money present the gospel to them by highlighting how they help each other and there are members in the church with spare rooms and some are hiring that pays well and so on. Which it’s not that it’s untrue thst the body is made up of those things but it’s like they are targeting victims and packaging solutions to It in a manipulative way.
So there is always this issue of either the gospel being presented in a way that does not seem like humans are part of it becsuse it’s so fake and robotic feeling or either another persons humanity is basically being manipulated in sharing the gospel through some sort of hell fire preaching or prosperity gospel of some kind, even social prosperity, and I feel like the Chosen is presenting a very human story.
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As a general reply to the thread, another source which would likely be appealing to those who like the approach of The Chosen would be The Man Born to Be King, a cycle of 12 radio plays (available in book form) written by Dorothy Sayers early in WWII.
It was highly controversial at the time for being in modern, often colloquial, English (beyond just being about the life of Christ, whether that was considered to be bad Christian propaganda or blasphemy). Including horrible Americanisms uttered by such sacred personages as Herod Antipas (yes, she actually received a letter to that effect). Apparently, some people also claimed that the fall of Singapore was judgement for the plays.
Enjoyed The Chosen a lot, but have not seen season 2 yet so need to get that. Another movie that is not a cheesy as most is Risen. Seen from the perspective of a Roman soldier, and sort of neat from that standpoint. Good movie for Easter.
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I used to like it. I especially liked Jonathan Roumie, the devout Roman Catholic who plays Jesus. But I found the views of producer Dallas Jenkins too extreme. And the fan base has lots of very vocal anti-vaxxers. So I am no longer am interested.
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Speaking of The Chosen, evidently they had a unusual advertizing campaign, and Russel Moore explained and commented on it in his latest newsletter. Interesting stuff, as they put graffiti on their own ads to draw attention to it. (I also like some of the other comments Moore made regarding persecution and occupation of territory, but The Chosen comments are in the middle of his article.
I personally thought that The Chosen sets a new gold standard for Christian television. There’s so much tat out there that flies under the banner of “Christian TV,” and to see something come along that actually communicates the Gospel message in ways that are innovative, imaginable, relatable, entertaining, and most importantly original, is like a breath of fresh air.
I particularly like the way that it portrays Jesus’s disciples as real people with real personalities and real backstories and real problems and real hopes and dreams. It’s those backstories that show us that they are people just like you and me, and they make them all so much easier to relate to.
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I read an interview with the creators where they said that they were not trying to “be evangelistic” with the series, they were just trying to tell compelling stories about Jesus. Works so much better that way if you ask me.
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Yeah they just came out with this new campaign called “the Chosen is Not Good” and it’s the devil trying to tell people to resist watching it 
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Did not want to create a new thread since it’s about faith and film. Two series actually. Every year for one month I get an app like HBO Max and catch up on some of the movies and films i wanted to see. Though I mainly got it to see the new Batman Film and season 2 of Raised by Wolves.
The series raised by wolves is interesting. It’s set in a universe very much like the one in the Alien and Prometheus universe though it’s unrelated to it. The series is all about faith or the lack of it in a alien and AI horror universe. The basic plot is a religious movement begin over the finding of these tablets hidden across earth and the universe and they believed it foretells the story of a god and their fundamentalism clashes with that of militant atheism and after a war the atheists seemed to have won and the religious ones are treated as second class citizens. Neither side is better or worse than the other really and it’s still not clear what’s happening for sure. But it does a neat way of exploring faith on a rational and irrational coin.
But the main series I wanted to bring up is “ Righteous Gemstones “. Many first explained the series to me as something mocking Christians. It’s about the very flawed life of a mega church. Mostly on the kids ( who are adults ) of the pastor. Neither of these series see for kids. Especially Righteous Gemstones. But as I watched it I realized , as others have and blogged about , it’s laughing with and not so much at Christians. It really shows some good relationships that develop as they work through the ways they failed each other’s and themselves. Over all I really enjoy it. But again it’s definitely not a kids show.
Has anyone seen this and had any thoughts on it?
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I saw a The Gospel Coalition article discussing it, but can’t find the article. The article’s general point was that it was a thorough critique of that type of hypocrisy, but that perhaps it was a bit over-the-top to get people thinking about how they may fall into some of the same patterns.
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I don’t necessarily want to bog down this thread with talk of Gemstones but I’m a huge fan of the creators’ work (Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, Righteous Gemstones, and plenty of movies) and I’m crazy about this show as well. I read an interview with McBride (the eldest Gemstone son) and his mom is a devout Christian so he took great pains to make sure this wasn’t mocking Christianity. He did a lot of research on megachurches and found the business aspects of it fascinating.
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I love it but must keep in the back of my mind that it interprets a lot of things and presents a congenial Jesus in line with evangelical interpretations of the Bible. I cried at the end of the first episode. Still need to see season 2 but a group of us went and saw the Chosen Christmas musical around Christmas time. I enjoyed that as well but sitting in a theater was a bit weird. We wanted to stand and sway with arms raised for a lot of it.
Vinnie
Where do you guys find these things on t.v.? Or is it content you find in subscription services, which we don’t have. Thanks.
Actually - “The Chosen” is a somewhat unique project in that they chose to make it available online with no streaming services (no Netflix or other service needed!) - nor any donations or even so much as a login or registration. Just google Angel Studios “The Chosen”, and it will the top link. Or just click here.
I’ve finished season 1 and I’m hooked.
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I just finished episode 1 on my computer, while I’m wrapping Mother’s Day gifts. Add another to the “hooked list.”
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