What is The Chosen and is it biblical?

TL;DR:

: The Chosen is an award-winning series that dramatizes the life of Jesus, adding plausible historical and cultural details not found in the Bible. While The Chosen doesn’t contradict Scripture, Christians are divided on whether using creative license in retelling biblical events is appropriate.

what does the bible say?

The Chosen, a series about the life of Christ, came about through the work of Dallas Jenkins, who has a degree in Biblical Studies and is the son of author Jerry Jenkins of Left Behind fame. Dallas Jenkins invited an ecumenical panel to consult on the show to ensure historical, cultural, and biblical accuracy.

The Bible offers some principles that can guide believers in how to approach productions like The Chosen. Both Old and New Testaments exhort believers to know the Word of God well—read it regularly, meditate on it, and pass it on to children (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-2; 2 Timothy 2:15). Believers who do this will know how to distinguish true biblical content in the show from content added for creative license. Still, some worry that unbelievers who haven’t read the Bible will be misinformed by the extra-biblical details The Chosen includes. Another related concern some in the Christian community raise is that passages like Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18-19 warn readers not to add or take away content from God’s Word, and they perceive the show as doing that. While the Deuteronomy and Revelation passages apply specifically to those two books, the general principle applies to all of Scripture. Supporters of The Chosen point to the reach of the show, noting that it can be a tool to introduce Christ to unbelievers around the world; passages like 1 Corinthians 9:20 support this principle. Ultimately, watching The Chosen is a matter of conscience. Paul indicates that our conscience and love of others should guide us in matters the Bible doesn’t explicitly prohibit (Romans 14:1-23; 1 Corinthians 10:23-31).

from the old testament

Many Christians object to shows/movies like The Chosen because they believe it leads to misunderstandings about Scripture, such as people thinking that the details added for artistic license are actually part of the written Scripture. To protect against this, believers should be so versed in God’s Word that they know when something extra-biblical is added (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-2).

from the new testament

The show adds details, storylines, and characters that are not specifically mentioned in the Bible. For instance, Matthew's gospel records that Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14–15), so we know that Peter must have been married, but the Bible provides no more information. In The Chosen, Peter's wife is named Eden and there is much time spent developing the marriage relationship between the two of them. Such additions are plausible for the historical and cultural context and do not contradict the Bible, but they are, nonetheless, creative additions.
Christians disagree about the appropriateness of retelling biblical stories with artistic license as they may see it as not properly handling Scripture. Paul exhorts Timothy to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Critics of The Chosen worry that using popular media will demean the Bible to "just a story" or that viewers will be confused as to where facts end and creativity begins.
Revelation 22:18-19 warns readers not to add or take away from the words of the book. While that passage specifically refers to the book of Revelation, the principle is applicable to all of God’s Word. Critics of The Chosen (and other such productions) fear that since no rendering of biblical events will be precisely accurate, to depict them is to add to or take away from Scripture.
Ultimately, unless the entertainment Christians engage in is obviously anti-biblical, watching a show like The Chosen is up to one’s conscience (Romans 14:1-23). Believers should, however, be aware of how their entertainment choices may impact their witness and another believer’s faith (1 Corinthians 10:23-31).

implications for today

When does an artistic endeavor become a misleading one? At what point does extra-biblical become anti-biblical? Christians grapple with such questions concerning The Chosen. Estimates indicate that 108 million people in 180 countries have seen at least part of The Chosen. The Come and See Foundation's (the nonprofit organization The Chosen partnered with for funding) goal is to reach at least one billion people by translating the show into six hundred languages and distributing it worldwide. The show is free to watch and is currently available through its original distributor (Angel Studios), the show's own app (The Chosen App), as well as major apps like Peacock, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Roku.

Considering that reach, some Christian have raised concerns about the show adding content that isn’t in the Bible. Supporters of the show respond that believers can distinguish the difference between truth and artistic addition, and that unbelieving viewers who don’t know the difference may at least be introduced to Christ and be led to read the Bible. The latter group finds support in some of Paul’s letters, such as when he writes to the Corinthians of how he appeals to various groups: “To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law” (1 Corinthians 9:20). Critics respond with passages like Mark 8:36: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” They fear that the show will compromise God’s Word through the addition of content not found in the Bible.

We should all be leery of any work that compromises God’s Word (Galatians 1:8-9). But each believer’s conscience, honed by the Holy Spirit and supported by God’s Word, can determine whether The Chosen does that (1 Corinthians 10:23-31). We shouldn’t judge others for choices that are not directly addressed in the Bible (Romans 14:4). All believers should be guided by love for God and for others (Matthew 22:36-40).

understand

The Chosen dramatizes Jesus’ life with added details but doesn’t contradict the Bible.
Christians are divided on whether artistic additions misrepresent the Bible.
Viewing The Chosen is a matter of personal conscience that should be guided by Scripture.

reflect

How does watching dramatizations like The Chosen affect your understanding of the life of Jesus compared with reading the Bible directly?
How do you discern between biblical truth and creative additions when engaging with the media about Scripture?
How does your conscience guide your choices in entertainment?

engage

How can we help each other distinguish between what is directly from the Bible and what is artistic interpretation in shows like The Chosen?
What responsibilities do Christians have when sharing media that mixes biblical fact with creative storytelling?
How might viewing dramatizations of Scripture impact our witness to non-believers and their understanding of the Bible?