I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth—the apostle John (3 John 1:4)
By Maria Kneas
There are more problems with The Chosen than the bad theology involved and the Mormon influence on the show.
First, they are making up stories about real people who once lived on this Earth. In other words, they are writing fiction but presenting it as if it’s real history (and claiming they are presenting the “authentic” Jesus). In some cases, what they present constitutes defamation of character. For example, having Peter constantly call John the Baptist “creepy John.” To have such a bad attitude toward somebody who Jesus loved and respected makes Peter look bad (not to mention how it makes John the Baptist look). Technically, if Peter was alive today, the producers of the show could be sued for slander because of that.
Quite apart from the problem of slander, it is morally wrong to present made-up fiction as if it is true because that is lying. And lying is so serious that one of the Ten Commandments forbids it. Commandment Nine forbids people to “bear false witness.” In addition, Jesus told us that the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44).
Second, some Christians think they can watch The Chosen as entertainment and not have it impact their faith. Unfortunately, that is not true. When we see things with our own eyes and hear them with our own ears, those things have an impact on us. And when it comes to TV shows, there is even more involved because some technical aspects of television make viewers highly susceptible to influence and suggestion as some studies have even shown.
Years ago, I was in a grocery store that has an area where people can sit to eat. A man was sitting there, reading a newspaper. I told him it was nice to see somebody actually read a newspaper these days instead of just depending on the TV news. That man told me that he was a psychologist. He said that television flickers in a way that puts many people into a hypnotic state which makes them very suggestible. He said for that reason, he never watches TV. I’ve read that some people are more susceptible to that problem than others are. But even people who are less vulnerable still need to be very careful about what they watch on television.
Third, in Matthew 24:24, Jesus warned us that there would be “false Christs” who would deceive people. Normally these will be real live people. However, because the Jesus presented by The Chosen is so different from Jesus Christ as presented in the gospels, I believe their version of Jesus could qualify as being a “false Christ.” He is certainly deceiving many of the viewers by giving them ideas about Jesus that go against what the Bible says about Him.
In Warren Smith’s booklet, Truth or Consequences, he talks about truth and points out what Scripture says about truth. Below are a few of the verses that Warren lists. You can read his entire booklet for free on this site.
All God’s Works Are Done in Truth
For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. (Psalm 33:4)We Are to Desire Truth in Our Innermost Being
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. (Psalm 51:6)We Are to Worship God in Spirit and in Truth
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)We Are to Serve the Lord in Sincerity and Truth
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth. (Joshua 24:14)We Are to Rejoice in the Truth
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. (1Corinthians 13:6)We Are to Be Men and Women of Truth
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth. (Exodus 18:21)We Are to Warn Those Who Err From the Truth
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)
God’s Truth Reaches up to the Clouds
For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. (Psalm 108:4)God’s Truth Endureth Forever
O Praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. (Psalm 117:1-2)He Who Does Truth Comes to the Light
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3:21)But There Are Those Who Are Not Valiant for the Truth
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:3)No Lie Is of the Truth
I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. (1 John 2:21)
Maria Kneas is the author of two Lighthouse Trails books and several LT booklets.
(drawing from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)
To read our archive of articles and documentation on The Chosen, click here.
There is plenty of biblical material for which to pull truthful content from. Why the publisher has a need to fictionally dramatize the story is mindboggling. The series are so popular , if only they would have stayed with the biblical contents only, it would have been more effective and pleasing to God.
Thank you for your ongoing revealing truths is there any groups in Canada still? We had been to “learn to discern” seminars and got their materials but can’t find any surviving ones here now.
Please pray for my husband who went in hospital, had surgery for bladder surgery, and treatments galore to prolong his stay causing increased health issues and now plan to put him in seniors home as we live in RV and can’t receive homecare. Earls faith is wavering and as his wife of 55 years and no place to see way through don’t know how to handle all this responsibility.
Thank you.
I have watched The Chosen and am continuing with each episode to try and look at it objectively and with discernment. I see some good things and some bad. There are some incredibly moving scenes where Jesus is directly quoting John 3:16 for the whole world to hear. I was shocked when I heard this being broadcast on the CW !! It was an incredibly powerful scene. Or how about Jesus’ touching conversation with the woman at the well. And it never dawned on me that the woman with the issue of blood was an outcast in society. This had never come up in any sermon I had heard. I don’t think it is wrong to give a back story in regard to conversations the apostles may have had. It certainly makes sense that they WERE confused much of time about Jesus’ plans and would have discussed this amongst themselves regularly. I have not seen up to this point one iota of Mormon teaching. Jesus is clearly God in The Chosen – NOT “a god” or a spirit brother of Lucifer, and I haven’t heard any other Mormon teachings in the series so far.
Now for the concerns… I don’t like them making up a whole new story in parts of The Chosen which they did when Peter was angry with Jesus over his wife’s miscarriage. Peter’s wife is not even a character in the Bible, though it is implied that he was married. I think they took the story too far. They showed Peter angry with Jesus. His wife was angry with Jesus. Then the character of Little James (James the apostle) was upset with Jesus because Jesus didn’t heal him immediately (while healing others all around him). Then Jesus convinces James how much better it would be if he did not get healed. There is no indication in the Bible that James even had a disability. These stories are taking liberty where they shouldn’t. BUT… I do want to ask this… how many Christians do you know are upset with the movie, The Ten Commandments? There was a completely made-up story about the relationship between Moses and his fictional love interest, Nefretiri. And then Moses’ wife tells Nefretiri later how she lost Moses when he found God! Many people who watch The Ten Commandments and are not familiar with the biblical account probably believe these stories can actually be found in the Bible. I think that most Christians know that The Ten Commandments and The Chosen are using fictional back stories to fill in the conversations that we never heard. But I can see where this might be confusing for a non-Christian. Anyway, the jury is still out on The Chosen. This is my review so far. I may give an update later.
Carlos,
While we agree that God can certainly use many different means to bring people to Himself, it would be wrong to ignore the Bible’s warnings about deception, false christs, and “doctrines of devils.” In other words, we are told in Scripture to be very discerning, to test the spirits, and to not become deceived. These are strong warnings that the Christian should not ignore. You say that you have gone to the Scriptures and do not find any conflict between God’s Word and The Chosen; yet, Dallas Jenkins himself says that 95% of The Chosen is not from the Bible. We hope you will read some of the material we have provided that shows there is actually much to be concerned about when it comes to The Chosen. And while God can use many ways to reach people, it would be faulty logic to think that this means that we must give all things a pass because God can potentially reach someone. God searches out the heart, and His mercy is so powerful, but the Word also says He will not be mocked. Many things today mock God, and sadly, we believe The Chosen is one of those things.
This show has impacted so many in a positive way, myself included. I believe God uses many means to bring us to him, and this show is no different. I also believe the motives to the director and producers is to spread the word of God. I have gone to the scriptures before, during and after many episodes to read the scriptures being represented in these episodes. I do not find conflict between the two.
I believe the Lord is working in, and through this production and He is using it for His purpose. People truly seeking God will find Him, and many have through watching this show.
Thank you for sharing some of your story Kathy. You may feel that you don’t have much discernment, but actually it is clear that you do, and for such a new believer!! It is evident that you are willing to walk away from those things which are so popular if they prove to be unbiblical – forsaking all and following Christ (the true Jesus Christ of the Bible).
I was saved by Christ in June 2022. A Christian friend recommended The Chosen about 2 months ago. The truth is that I didn’t pay that much attention to the introduction to the series, this is something I need to be diligent about, “testing the spirits, proving all things and holding to what is good” I was grabbed by the “purity” of the show, no profanity, love the time period, as a new Christian, the stories “made sense” to me. I started to feel moved by the actor playing Jesus, the last episode I watched is the scene where Jesus is healing people all day, an argument breaks out by the fire among the disciples and “Jesus” walks by, I started crying and felt so moved. In the following days I felt a bit strange and had the insight that this is not the real Jesus and shortly after I read an article (on a different site) that with compelling criticisms about the series. Shortly after that I came across an article (on a different site) about the dangers of the Alpha program, which I completed a few weeks ago, and then shortly after that, I came across an article on this site about the dangers of the book “Jesus Calling” which I had been reading daily since July 2022…needless to say, I felt dismayed at how easily I was deceived. I continue to read about the Alpha course and pondering presenting the pastors at the church where I took this program with this information, I threw away the Jesus Calling book, I will not continue to watch The Chosen. I have also considered that anything that is so hugely popular with the world requires close examination. Even though I feel at times like I have the spiritual discernment of an amoeba, I praise God for revealing these truths to me. The narrow path gets narrower and narrower. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13, 14). Prior to being saved I spent decades immersed in the New Age world, and so I recognize a lot of the “spiritual” material that you handle on your website.
It’s time to start calling this for what it is. The goal is to produce an ecumenical version jesus christ. Something Dallas has proudly stated on interviews of having all walks of life agreeing on the same jesus. That means everything else, and especially the LDS, is influencing the show. It is just plain anti-Christian.
I’ve watched The Chosen from the beginning and especially the effect it has had on Gen Z. I don’t watch television as I can see the disastrous results of a numbed world population. I read the Bible with Holy Spirit every day and spend time praying for the nation with Him. However as much as I see your point of view I still use The Chosen as a tool to look deep into The Word. I love the discussions between the Rabbi, the Catholic priest and the evangelical. They don’t agree on a lot of things but at least they are talking. Thank you YHVH.
The Chosen plays like a contemporary soap opera with Bible Times costumes which does not even meet criteria for historical fiction. A “based on the Bible” claim is outright false advertising.
Integrity loses big time to big bucks.
Village children meeting with an unknown itinerant outside of town sans parents? Seriously? Would NOT happen — like most, if not all, of the scenes in the series. Non-stop anachronisms are not entertaining in the least.
Off Topic: How is Dr. Paul Wilkinson doing? Any updates on him. Thanks.
Blessings to all.
Christ, our Savior is Born! Yay and Hallelujah! Maranatha
The church is supposed to be a place of discipleship not entertainment.
Pastors ought to be teaching doctrine 101 rather than quickly forgotten and discarded sermons.
Knowing that a great delusion will be sent so powerful that if possible even the elect could be deceived, a loving pastor would make that the top priority.
Why are millions of Christians being duped by strange wind of doctrine?
shepherds are setting them up to be easily deceived. Shepherds are not warning them
of popular heretical books, teachers, musicians or movies.
mormonisim and roman cathoilic deception again where people are being deceived, with another jesus another spirit. 2nd cor 11-3,also the person who plays mary magdaline makes the gospel esoteric. she come right out and says it. pure blasphemy, it’s an ecumenical movie bringing multitudes back to the harlot church, rome, The actor who plays jesus, jonathan roumie, prays the rosary for all the new jewelry called the rosalet, and worship and venerates padro pia. pure satanic. jer 44-25
If given a gold coin… do you want it to be pure gold… or a lead coin painted over with “gold” colored paint? Do you want the real… or the fake passed off as the real? And Jesus Christ is more precious than a gold coin.
Linda, think of it this way: how would you like it if someone wrote a story about your life, admitted that 95% of it was made up (which Dallas Jenkins admits about The Chosen), and then had millions of people watch a movie about it. If those millions of people don’t know the real you, they will believe what the movie says (and even many of those who do know you will start to believe the fictional story, and it will stay in their minds). And in the case of The Chosen, we are talking about the Son of God, the creator of the universe, and the Savior of sinners who is to be respected and cherished above all others. In addition, though, as you stated, the producers admitted The Chosen is a work of fiction, they also claim to be presenting the “authentic” Jesus. That’s called talking out of both sides of your mouth. And there is nothing truthful about that.
I believe this is the hour of testing for all who call themselves Christians, and their leaders who claim to speak for God. “Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner. Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee. Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee? And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. 2 Chronicles 18:18-23. The Lord warned us ahead of time, “…Take heed that no man deceive you.” Matthew 24:4 Peter said, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” 1 Peter 1:7. Those who want truth will get it, those who relish in lies will get that too!
Is it a lie when the producers of The Chosen state that it is a work of fiction and states in the intro to episode 1 (example), “…series is a fictional work primarily focused on the … (episode tale)
At the start of the first episode, “ The Chosen is based on the true stories of the gospels of Jesus Christ. Some locations and timelines have been combined or condensed. Back stories and some characters or dialogue have been added. However, all biblical and historical context and any artistic imagination are designed to support the truth and intention of the scriptures. Viewers are encouraged to read the gospels. The original names, locations and phrases have been transliterated into English for anything spoken. “ This disclaimer begins the series and is easily readable. I do not see any effort at deception or trying to mislead the audience.
The true Jesus Christ is revealed to us in scripture. It is he that I and all men must come to know and trust. God’s written word equips believers in every way (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17). A fictionalized Jesus Christ as presented in The Chosen competes with the true Christ for our hearts, minds, and worship.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:21)