How THE CHOSEN Transformed Christian Entertainment
By Movieguide® Contributor
Dallas Jenkins explains how his approach to creating THE CHOSEN transformed the entertainment industry’s views of Christian content.
“I was mowing my lawn one day and praying and just thinking through my career, and I just felt so strongly and powerfully God putting it on my heart, ‘I want you to make films and tell stories about me,’” Jenkins told the “Jesus Calling” podcast.
“And I said, ‘Well, I don’t really want to do that. They’re so bad.’ And He said, ‘Well, make good ones.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, I hadn’t really thought about that.’ And so in that moment, I really felt a calling. A strong word from God to stop apologizing, stop being embarrassed, and just make the stories that you really want to make,” Jenkins continued. “And [He said], ‘I do want you to point people to me.’”
Jenkins has done just that, spending his career learning the tricks of the trade before forging his own path to point people to Christ through genuinely entertaining content. Because he comes from a story-first mindset, making the content engaging comes naturally as he tells these incredible stories.
“One of the reasons why we don’t call ourselves a religious show — and one of the reasons why I don’t actually struggle to walk that line between historical drama and religion — is because we’re telling the stories of Jesus,” he explained. “And how people react to that, or whether they do react or not, or whether they believe or not, it’s really not up to me. I’m just focused on being as accurate to the history, to the culture, to the context, and to the person of Jesus as I possibly can.”
This accuracy and storytelling have made THE CHOSEN one of the most successful pieces of Christian media of all time. Movieguide® has recognized the excellence of THE CHOSEN multiple times, awarding several Teddy Bear Awards® including the Grace Prize® for most inspiring TV performance, the Epiphany movie prize and the Best Family movie throughout the years.
THE CHOSEN only gets better and better as the show progresses and Jesus walks closer to his death on the cross. Last season ended on an extreme emotional high, and Season 5 will follow Jesus through the final week of his life. A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:
THE CHOSEN: SEASON 4 EPISODES 7-8 provides an excellent, dramatic finish to Season 4. There are many powerful scenes with well-written dialogue that brings out the conflicts. The acting is particularly good. It makes the story and dialogue come alive. Like the Bible, THE CHOSEN: SEASON 4 EPISODES 7-8 uses the resurrection of Lazarus to preach the Gospel. Episode 8 also has a nice reference to the Passover lamb that highlights Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
READ MORE: THE CHOSEN: SEASON 4 EPISODES 7-8 REVIEW
As Jesus’ death approaches, Jenkins has been careful to match the mood and tone that He and his disciples would be feeling at the time, rather than putting on rose-colored glasses because we know the end of the story.
“I think that an important theme of this entire show is that yes, there is sweetness. Yes, there is joy and victory and hope and all of those things, but it’s mixed in with some pain,” Jenkins said. “And the Christian life and the Gospel and Jesus’ life and the walk of those who chose to follow Him, it was not cute and charming and fun all the time. It was actually the opposite. Things almost got more difficult.”
Finally, Jenkins’ main goal with the show is to reveal to viewers just how badly the Lord wants to have a personal relationship with us. After all, that is the reason Jesus came to die on the cross in the first place; so we could be with Him in eternity.
“He wants an intimate relationship with you,” Jenkins said. “And in the who, you’ll see all of these moments when Jesus is calling you or healing you or rebuking you, just like in the Gospels. It’s specific to your heart’s needs. He knows your specific heart. He knows your specific personality. He loves it. He created it. And so, yes, while salvation is the same for everyone – it’s one message, it’s one Savior, how He communicates that to you, how He brings you to Him or how He rebukes you –is specific to you. And that’s why you want to know His voice as much as possible, primarily through His Word, of course.”
READ MORE: DALLAS JENKINS EXPLAINS HOW GOD USED HIS PAST TO PREPARE HIM FOR THE CHOSEN
THE CHOSEN Season 5 is slated to hit theaters with Episodes 1 and 2 on March 27.
“The table is set. The people of Israel welcome Jesus as king while his disciples anticipate his crowning. But — instead of confronting Rome — he turns the tables on the Jewish religious festival. Their power threatened, the country’s religious and political leaders will go to any length to ensure this Passover meal is Jesus’ last,” the season’s official synopsis reads.
Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, told The Christian Post that “rubber hits the road at this point. We’re in the final days of Jesus’s ministry and earthly life.”
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