Don, we watched the first 2 episode's of series 1 last night. Kinda hard to concentrate but it seems like a good series.
We're on the last episode available thus far, and the series is very good. Have any of you been watching the roundtable discussions that accompany each episode? Dallas Jenkins (son of the Left Behind co-author) discusses each episode with the show's advisors, one of them being Jewish, another Roman Catholic, and another Evangelical. Most, if not all, of the concerns that some may have with "The Chosen" are discussed in these roundtables, and I find that almost as interesting as the show. Keep in mind that the show isn't intended to replace the Bible. It's a story built around the Gospels - it's not gospel.
I watched the first season on YouTube right after it came out in 2018 and found it very interesting, entertaining, realistic, well acted, and unoffensive. As the writers concede, they have taken a lot of liberty to develop the characters and scenes beyond the Bible, but simultaneously been careful not to include material that counters the Bible specifically in any way. This, in my view, is commendable since virtually every other Biblical movie I've seen produced by Hollywood contains unnecessary scenes that counter the Bible - as if the Hollywood writers feel their view is better or more important than any historical accountability. I applaud Dallas Jenkin's intent to produce a Christian film of high quality, given the huge number, if not majority, of such films being low rated, bad acting productions. This film series does seem real and appealing enough to attract both believers and unbelievers to the subject. To that point, the series will not only offer many of us good entertainment, but ultimately draw unbelievers to the Lord. It's already being shown throughout America's prisons and elsewhere around the world. In time, it's impact may be more influential for the faith than any other film production. I've decided not to watch the other 6 seasons until they're done, simply because I want to binge watch the whole show at one time.
Naw! The old Bible discussions over how one reads the Bible doesn't appeal to me anymore. I found peace in my twenties with spiritual things and what was reveled to me still holds true for me today without any questioning. So little is known about Jesus and I think the apostles were charlatans. Not one of the apostles really understood the message of Jesus. He was murdered and they stole his body away and made up stories to advance their own agendas. I don't consider myself a Christian, but I do a follower of Christ. Christ had one basic message and that was to love others as you love yourself. Loving others includes not letting them run over you just like Jesus exampled by doing some serious ass whipping in the Temple to the bankers.
I started watching The Chosen a couple weeks ago and have enjoyed it very much. I think the actor playing Jesus is doing a great job. i especially like how the divine and human parts of Jesus are balanced. In some scenes the divine part is evident when he performs a miracle. While in other scenes, the human part is displayed clearly. For instance, he goes off by himself to practice how to word the Sermon on the Mount. He struggles with some passages. This may appear to be a contradiction, but in my opinion, it makes the point that he was human as well as divine.
I don't know if anyone here has been following the controversy of one what's happening on set during Price month. The owner of the flag wears Pride shirts on set and has shown up on other job sites (but not this one) in full drag. Then this: One actor reportedly said "If you don't like it [the Pride flag], then we don't need you as fans," per Brylan Riggs' YouTube channel. Apparently Brylan and his wife are Christian bloggers. I know nothing of his credibility, but he seems to be a known commodity in some circles. Here's a link to the 13 minute video where he discussed the recent goings-on with The Chosen. Reactions on another forum are as mixed about this as they have been about the show itself. Other than the obvious issue of doing this on set of a Christian movie (and how to prevent it in Hollywood), the two concerns are (a) loss of viewership and/or (b) loss of funding.
Dallas Jenkins discusses it at length here. For those who won't watch it, a summary of what he said was that The Chosen is a series, not a ministry, although he hopes the product would be a ministry. The person whose 3" pride flag is shown is a contractor, and they don't police what people have in their personal workspaces. Nor is there a litmus test for actors, employees, or contractors, and they don't police anyone's social media. No one is asked to sign a statement of beliefs or a moral clause, and all manner of people are involved in the production. The only thing important to him is that they do the job they were hired to do. Their personal lives are not his concern nor that of the production.
The Chosen is airing on antenna TV. Season 1 Episode 1 is airing tonight, 8PM on The CW. Episode 2 is scheduled for next Sunday (July 23) Episode 3 is scheduled for the following Sunday (July 30)
Generally I do not watch films or read modern or Hollywood interpretations of the Bible but I was thinking about watching the Chosen. This information saves me a lot of time that I would have spent on it. When a Pride flag is ok on set then it's not for me.