Is The Chosen Biblically Accurate? Honestly…

Yes. No. Sheepishly hides behind hands. I don’t care and I mean that in the best way.

I Love Fiction — Always Have, Always Will

Before I became a Christian (you can read about that - here), I was and still am, a huge fantasy and fiction enthusiast. I love it all: Lord of the Rings, Famous Five, Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter (you get the gist).

Stories give me so much joy. That hasn’t changed just because I'm now a Christian. 

I truly believe our humour, wit, imagination and love for storytelling are gifts from God. We’re made in His image and that includes creativity.

However, the Bible does talk about discernment (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22) which is, 'the ability to judge well; the skill or ability to perceive, understand, and distinguish between what is true, right, or appropriate' Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 

So, I believe we have to use our discernment when deciding what entertainment we are going to consume.

The Chosen Isn’t Perfectly Accurate and If you're after accuracy you're missing the point.

Is The Chosen historically or biblically 100% accurate? No. And the creators are very open about that. But that doesn’t disqualify it from being deeply meaningful or spiritually helpful.

The Chosen website has this to say on the matter: 

'As we’ve said from our very 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. Backstories and some characters or dialog have been added.

However, all the bible and historical context and any artistic imagination are designed to support the truth and intention of the Scriptures. Viewers are encouraged to read the scripture and the Gospels.' 

Love it, I could have just copy and pasted that as my blog post and be done with it, but where would the fun be in that?

Dallas Jenkins 

Side note, Dallas Jenkins is someone with the type of name you have to say together at all times eg. 'Dallas Jenkins would you pass me that please?'.

If you’ve ever listened to Dallas Jenkins (the creator and director) you would know this guy is the real deal, like he really cares.

He seems to be a sincere Christian trying to create a space for people to meet Jesus through the modern medium of 'bingable' series. 

The Chosen Pundits

One of my favourite parts of The Chosen app is the bonus content. I love the roundtable discussions and my husband jokingly calls them “The Chosen pundits.” They're actually fascinating and thoughtful discussions about the show.

He brings together three experts such as Rabbi Jason Sobel (a Messianic Jewish Rabbi), Dr. Doug Huffman (an Evangelical New Testament scholar) and Father David Guffey (a Catholic Priest and theologian).

These men review scripts and provide feedback from different theological perspectives. They talk through any inaccuracies or creative decisions and they don’t shy away from discussing where the show adds or shifts things for storytelling purposes.

If you're interested in the time of Jesus, the culture He lived in and the bigger biblical picture, they’re well worth watching.

It’s Made Me Want to Go Deeper…

so I did my homework and found a course called 'SImply Jesus - A Walk Through the Life and Times of Jesus'.

It looks amazing. It is an online course that explores the life, teachings and historical context of Jesus. 

This is the real power of the show: it doesn’t replace your Bible but it might just make you want to pick it up more.

Justifiable Concerns

Some people have raised concerns about certain creative choices in the show for example the addition of fictional characters, the expanded backstories or the very human portrayal of Jesus (my favourite part).

I can completely empathise with these sorts of concerns because faith is a serious business and I can understand why some people don't want it being 'muddyed' or turned into a circus. 

But the thing is, The Chosen doesn’t claim to be a word-for-word retelling of the Bible. It’s a creative work of story telling that for many people (myself included) has deepened their love for Scripture and made the life of Jesus feel real and approachable.

The Portrayal of Jesus

I'd say playing Jesus would be incredibly daunting. I can’t imagine having to face Jesus after portraying Him in front of the world. It's not for the faint hearted.

I genuinely believe that one of the reasons Jonathan Roumie was put on this earth was to play this role. Like he couldn't be better cast or suited to play Jesus.  He's a devoted Catholic who cares deeply about how Jesus is portrayed and this point matters: he is humble and respectful.

I think the reason his portrayal has touched so many hearts is that he has really leaned into what Jesus' humanity could have looked like and for that I'm so grateful. 

It’s not about whether it’s exactly how Jesus was as we won’t know that this side of heaven. But it shows us that Jesus walked, danced, got minor cuts, laughed, wept, had friends, played games, ate at a dinner table (you get my point).

Sometimes, when I do day-to-day things like drink a glass of water, I'll think, 'Jesus, also experienced this'. Does anyone else do this or am I the only weird one?

Silliness aside, on a bigger scale it is comforting to me that Jesus has had first hand experience of what it feels like to be human. 

Final Thoughts

No, The Chosen isn’t a word-for-word Bible translation. But it doesn’t claim to be. What it does do is invite people into the story. It helps us ask questions. It inspires us to open Scripture. It builds bridges for those who might not otherwise pick up a Bible.

And for me, someone who loves stories, who values imagination and who found Jesus later in life. That’s enough.

If The Chosen gets people thinking about Jesus, talking about the Gospels and growing in their faith... then maybe it’s doing exactly what it was made to do.