• Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Biblical Errors in The Chosen

Ascetic X

Well-Known Member
Some data:
  • Total Viewership: Over 300 million worldwide across the dedicated app, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.
  • Non-Religious Audience: Roughly one-third of this demographic (about 100 million people) are non-Christian or have no religious affiliation.
  • Survey Demographics: According to viewer data shared by the show's executives, roughly 30% of their audience is categorized as "curious" about Christianity or has no Christian faith at all.

So while you are busy HATING the Chosen for its “inaccuracy”, what have you done to reach those 100 million non-Christians and generate curiosity in them about Jesus and the Gospel?
What have you done to compare The Chosen with the true gospel?

Should we be happy that a horrible, false depiction of Christ and a distorted, unbiblical version of the gospel is reaching lots of people, who now have warped views in their minds?

When in the Baptist men’s group, after we watched an episode of The Chosen, the guys started talking about fictional, ridiculous scenes as though they were actual events in the gospel, it was alarming. These men should have dismissed those scenes as fantasies that contradicted the scriptures. We should not have discussed the fictional parts at all, except to declare that we reject them as false and misleading.

It is one thing to add something to a gospel event based on the possibility that it might have happened, it does not contradict the scriptures, and it coincides with what we know about the culture back then. It is an entirely different thing to throw something in that is irreverent, unlikely, and opposed to the character of Christ or the gospel message.

Many people just fixate on a film and enjoy it, even an alleged retelling of the gospel, no matter how irreverent or unscriptural it may be.

If we rally behind anything that claims to be Christian, and becomes very popular, we are lacking in discernment and spiritual maturity.

Some very popular megachurch pastors were adored and followed by vast crowds. But then they were found guilty of hideous sex crimes that are too vile to mention.

Popularity is no indication of spiritual benefit.
 

atpollard

Well-Known Member
What have you done to compare The Chosen with the true gospel?
I have only one question: Did you actually WATCH the Chosen and those are YOUR complaints about what they got wrong, or is that all just “hearsay” that someone told you they got wrong?

If you watched it and believe they got the Gospel wrong, we can discuss the details. If you are passing on a report of something that you have not seen, then that is your right, but there is nothing to really discuss.
 

Ascetic X

Well-Known Member
I have only one question: Did you actually WATCH the Chosen and those are YOUR complaints about what they got wrong, or is that all just “hearsay” that someone told you they got wrong?

If you watched it and believe they got the Gospel wrong, we can discuss the details. If you are passing on a report of something that you have not seen, then that is your right, but there is nothing to really discuss.
I have watched The Chosen. I already said I watched it in a Baptist men’s group. I also took a date to see the Triumphal Entry episode in a movie theater. I have also watched episodes on The Chosen app and on YouTube. These are my observations about it.
 

Ascetic X

Well-Known Member
Secular reviews of The Chosen are superficial, written from a worldly viewpoint, calling it enjoyable, fun, emotionally resonant, stressing alleged cinematic quality, character depth, and widely lauded for its high production values, authentic period costumes, engaging storytelling, and humanistic portrayals of Jesus and the disciples.

But what is missing are reverence, scriptural accuracy, devout treatment, and biblical authenticity.
 

Wesley Briggman

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
My hot take is that I have enjoyed watching the Chosen even though I think it uses too much liberty at times. I havent seen anything heretical… and it fills in lots of details that are needed to tell a story with personal details that just arent included in the bible for the most part…
…and its much better than 90% of stuff out there now!
You are aware of the fallacies in the Chosen and still enjoyed watching it?

(Heb 12:8 KJV) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
 

Psalty

Well-Known Member
You are aware of the fallacies in the Chosen and still enjoyed watching it?

(Heb 12:8 KJV) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
I would need you to be apecific… i havent seen anything like is being asserted.
 

Psalty

Well-Known Member
What do you think is being asserted?
Oh, you just said that there are fallacies in the Chosen.

If you could just pick out the biggest, most glaring fallacy that is in one of the episodes I would just love to know what you are referencing.

Hard to talk about it without an example, so just the most obvious glaring one would be helpful.
 

Wesley Briggman

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter

Ascetic X

Well-Known Member
Oh, you just said that there are fallacies in the Chosen.

If you could just pick out the biggest, most glaring fallacy that is in one of the episodes I would just love to know what you are referencing.

Hard to talk about it without an example, so just the most obvious glaring one would be helpful.
The OP lists some of the fallacies.

1. Jesus saying, "I am the law of Moses."

In the gospels, Jesus never said this.


2. Jesus supposedly transgresses (i.e. sins).


3. The writers have Jesus saying, “Some things even I cannot do.”

In The Chosen, Jesus jokes in Season 2 that there are things he cannot do, such as turning a poor dancer into a good one. This fictional, casual, lighthearted moment, in response to Simon's request, is not in keeping with the true personality of Jesus.

We should not imagine Jesus as being a comedian who makes fun of people.


4. Jesus practices His sermons, welcomes advice, and worries about how the audience will react.


5. Mary Magdalene says she first saw Jesus in a tavern, then goes on to say, "He put his hand on mine", adding, "which is not what it sounds like". She recommends that John leave that part out of his book, so people don't get confused... just another way The Chosen creates questions and doubts.


6. Adding questionable things into the storylines (Mary being a prostitute, Simon becoming a spy for the Romans, Roman undercover agent sent to spy on Jesus and his followers, peter’s wife miscarries and is cold and hateful towards her husband, Jesus will raise Jairus’s daughter from the dead, yet he will not raise Peter’s unborn child from the dead.)


7. The feeding of the 5000 is portrayed wrong. The Bible says Jesus went up to a mountain, and taught His disciples. The Chosen has him on a plain, teaching the big group.


8. Focusing on feelings and the heart (Jesus asking Nicodemus, "what does your heart tell you?")

Remember, the Bible says, "the heart is deceptively wicked".

Later in the series, Jesus says, "Soon it'll all be about the heart”. The Chosen distorts the gospel with such mystical new age teachings.


9. Nicodemus kneels at Jesus’ feet and Jesus stops him, telling Nicodemus he doesn't need to worship Him. But Jesus is God and He deserves worship.


10. In the portrayal of the story of the men who bring the paralytic to Jesus, The Chosen has "Tamar" (who is a fictional, made-up character in the series) leading the way, and it’s made clear this is all her idea.

Mary Magdalene reproves Simon when he attempts to stop them from coming through the roof (which would not have been her place in that culture).

Instead of Jesus affirming the faith of the men who brought the man for healing, The Chosen's Jesus commends the faith of the women instead. That’s not being faithful to Scripture, that’s pushing an agenda.


11. Jesus refusing to heal Little James (This contradicts the Scripture that says Jesus healed all who came to Him.)


12. Throughout the series, disciples are running around with notepads and writing down hearsay that will become their supposed Biblical books.

In one case, a woman runs by crying, "He healed me!"

Matthew, in desperation, calls her saying, "Healed you of what?"

The show attempts to deny the inspiration of Scripture, portraying the gospels as common books comprised of hearsay.


13. According to The Chosen, John 21:25 came from Mary Magdalene and not John himself. In their rewritten gospel, The Chosen Mary Magdalene plays an oddly feministic role for that time period.


14. The Chosen's John the Baptist is arrogant, disrespectful, and always questioning Jesus.


15. The Chosen's John the Baptist tells Jesus he is planning on marching into Herod's palace to tell him off, and then adds, "My followers will love it."

This isn’t what happened! In the Bible, John stated, "I must decrease", so why does The Chosen portray him as arrogant?

In one scene, Jesus says he is not ready to get into specifics, and in a flippant voice John the Baptist responds, “You appear to not be ready to get into the specifics on a lot of things”.

In a previous discussion, Jesus speaks to John the Baptist regarding incest and adultery, saying, "I understand it is against the law of Moses, but I am here for bigger purposes than breaking rules".

This gives the impression from “Jesus” that John, who is about to confront Herod, is uninspired and even foolhardy—and that “Jesus” doesn’t care about the Ten Commandments.

While John the Baptist disrespects Christ, Peter disrespects John the Baptist, calling him "Creepy John".

In the show, Peter and his brother describe John the Baptist, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world”—and do so in a way that destroys the beautiful solemnity of that moment. Peter's brother begins, “He said ‘behold’...” and Peter interjects, “I am eating a bug”. This lame, sacrilegious attempt at humor ridicules John's recognition of Jesus as the Messiah and undermines the whole message—including Christ’s divinity.

In the show, Peter comes up to Jesus and says he will go with Him to the ends of the earth, a reference to Luke 22:33. Biblically speaking, this was a monumental point in the conversion of Peter.

But in The Chosen, this moment is destroyed when “Jesus” responds, “I hope so Simon, but I seem to remember there was a problem... something about Andrew's feet.”

This is disgusting. Peter had an unconverted heart that would make it impossible for him to keep his promise to Christ, yet viewers of The Chosen will never know how Jesus reveals the truth to him.

The show subtly distorts the Bible, belittles Christ, and is a subtle error of a most disturbing nature.

16. In The Chosen, season 4 Thomas is betrothed to a woman named Ramah. A Roman soldier stabs her, killing her.

Jesus looks at Thomas, who was pleading with Jesus to heal her wound, and Jesus says “She really loved you!” Jesus does not heal Ramah, because he states "it is not her time.”
  • At many points in the Gospel, we’re told that Jesus healed “all” or “every” sick person that he encountered [e.g. Matthew 4:24, Matthew 8:16-17, Matthew 14:36; Mark 6:56; Luke 6:19].
  • The Bible specifically mentions Jesus raising the dead [e.g. Mark 5:21-43; Luke 7:11-17; John 11].
  • When the Bible explicitly describes Jesus not doing miracles, it is in response to unbelief [e.g. Matthew 5:38].
  • The Bible does not mention Jesus withholding miracles due to timing.
  • Therefore, the decision to have Jesus refuse to heal Ramah in Episode 3 is biblically inaccurate.


17. In Season 4, Episode 5 of The Chosen, Mother Mary washes Jesus' hair in a tender, intimate scene highlighting his humanity and their mother-son bond. Amidst rising frustrations and the burdens of his ministry, this absurd fictional moment makes Jesus look like He needs to confide in his mother, which is not biblical or likely. Mary did not seem to understand His mission, and once thought He was out of touch with reality.

Mark 3:21

When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Jesus went off to lonely secluded places to confide in His Father when Jesus needed support or comfort.


18. In the show, many Biblical characters are depicted as drunks.

The first encounter with Nathanael portrays him as a drunkard and a failed architect (Nathanael is just one of the misrepresented biblical characters). Circumstances prompt him to drown out his failure in the pub, a common backdrop in the series.

Why would the show present Nathanael in such a light when Jesus Himself declared, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile”? This show would lead us to believe that these things are compatible with Christianity.



19. To bring God down to our level, The Chosen includes a scene where Jesus prepares a sermon and rehearses well-known passages, making them feel more human and common than inspired by His Father.

His mother interrupts him during one of these rehearsals, and you can see the frustration in his eyes.

During this same interaction with Jesus and Mary, she says, "I'm proud of you" to which this supposed Jesus replies, “Maybe wait to say that until after I’m done, in case I mess up in front of such a big crowd.”
 

Psalty

Well-Known Member
That article did a good job defending all the different ways it could be taken either way.

I view this is mountain out of a mole hill. This is not scripture. It is faithful to the gospel message.

Does it add extra biblical things? Yes, to flesh out the reality of the scripture. The gospel is history with real people… we dont have that info, so it has been conjectured, probablized, and fabricated to present a real story.

The gospel message is maintained: Jesus died for your sins as the som of God. Its a helpful tool, just like worship songs, creeds, and stories like Narnia and Pilgrims Progress.
 

Psalty

Well-Known Member
The OP lists some of the fallacies.

1. Jesus saying, "I am the law of Moses."

In the gospels, Jesus never said this.


2. Jesus supposedly transgresses (i.e. sins).


3. The writers have Jesus saying, “Some things even I cannot do.”

In The Chosen, Jesus jokes in Season 2 that there are things he cannot do, such as turning a poor dancer into a good one. This fictional, casual, lighthearted moment, in response to Simon's request, is not in keeping with the true personality of Jesus.

We should not imagine Jesus as being a comedian who makes fun of people.


4. Jesus practices His sermons, welcomes advice, and worries about how the audience will react.


5. Mary Magdalene says she first saw Jesus in a tavern, then goes on to say, "He put his hand on mine", adding, "which is not what it sounds like". She recommends that John leave that part out of his book, so people don't get confused... just another way The Chosen creates questions and doubts.


6. Adding questionable things into the storylines (Mary being a prostitute, Simon becoming a spy for the Romans, Roman undercover agent sent to spy on Jesus and his followers, peter’s wife miscarries and is cold and hateful towards her husband, Jesus will raise Jairus’s daughter from the dead, yet he will not raise Peter’s unborn child from the dead.)


7. The feeding of the 5000 is portrayed wrong. The Bible says Jesus went up to a mountain, and taught His disciples. The Chosen has him on a plain, teaching the big group.


8. Focusing on feelings and the heart (Jesus asking Nicodemus, "what does your heart tell you?")

Remember, the Bible says, "the heart is deceptively wicked".

Later in the series, Jesus says, "Soon it'll all be about the heart”. The Chosen distorts the gospel with such mystical new age teachings.


9. Nicodemus kneels at Jesus’ feet and Jesus stops him, telling Nicodemus he doesn't need to worship Him. But Jesus is God and He deserves worship.


10. In the portrayal of the story of the men who bring the paralytic to Jesus, The Chosen has "Tamar" (who is a fictional, made-up character in the series) leading the way, and it’s made clear this is all her idea.

Mary Magdalene reproves Simon when he attempts to stop them from coming through the roof (which would not have been her place in that culture).

Instead of Jesus affirming the faith of the men who brought the man for healing, The Chosen's Jesus commends the faith of the women instead. That’s not being faithful to Scripture, that’s pushing an agenda.


11. Jesus refusing to heal Little James (This contradicts the Scripture that says Jesus healed all who came to Him.)


12. Throughout the series, disciples are running around with notepads and writing down hearsay that will become their supposed Biblical books.

In one case, a woman runs by crying, "He healed me!"

Matthew, in desperation, calls her saying, "Healed you of what?"

The show attempts to deny the inspiration of Scripture, portraying the gospels as common books comprised of hearsay.


13. According to The Chosen, John 21:25 came from Mary Magdalene and not John himself. In their rewritten gospel, The Chosen Mary Magdalene plays an oddly feministic role for that time period.


14. The Chosen's John the Baptist is arrogant, disrespectful, and always questioning Jesus.


15. The Chosen's John the Baptist tells Jesus he is planning on marching into Herod's palace to tell him off, and then adds, "My followers will love it."

This isn’t what happened! In the Bible, John stated, "I must decrease", so why does The Chosen portray him as arrogant?

In one scene, Jesus says he is not ready to get into specifics, and in a flippant voice John the Baptist responds, “You appear to not be ready to get into the specifics on a lot of things”.

In a previous discussion, Jesus speaks to John the Baptist regarding incest and adultery, saying, "I understand it is against the law of Moses, but I am here for bigger purposes than breaking rules".

This gives the impression from “Jesus” that John, who is about to confront Herod, is uninspired and even foolhardy—and that “Jesus” doesn’t care about the Ten Commandments.

While John the Baptist disrespects Christ, Peter disrespects John the Baptist, calling him "Creepy John".

In the show, Peter and his brother describe John the Baptist, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world”—and do so in a way that destroys the beautiful solemnity of that moment. Peter's brother begins, “He said ‘behold’...” and Peter interjects, “I am eating a bug”. This lame, sacrilegious attempt at humor ridicules John's recognition of Jesus as the Messiah and undermines the whole message—including Christ’s divinity.

In the show, Peter comes up to Jesus and says he will go with Him to the ends of the earth, a reference to Luke 22:33. Biblically speaking, this was a monumental point in the conversion of Peter.

But in The Chosen, this moment is destroyed when “Jesus” responds, “I hope so Simon, but I seem to remember there was a problem... something about Andrew's feet.”

This is disgusting. Peter had an unconverted heart that would make it impossible for him to keep his promise to Christ, yet viewers of The Chosen will never know how Jesus reveals the truth to him.

The show subtly distorts the Bible, belittles Christ, and is a subtle error of a most disturbing nature.

16. In The Chosen, season 4 Thomas is betrothed to a woman named Ramah. A Roman soldier stabs her, killing her.

Jesus looks at Thomas, who was pleading with Jesus to heal her wound, and Jesus says “She really loved you!” Jesus does not heal Ramah, because he states "it is not her time.”
  • At many points in the Gospel, we’re told that Jesus healed “all” or “every” sick person that he encountered [e.g. Matthew 4:24, Matthew 8:16-17, Matthew 14:36; Mark 6:56; Luke 6:19].
  • The Bible specifically mentions Jesus raising the dead [e.g. Mark 5:21-43; Luke 7:11-17; John 11].
  • When the Bible explicitly describes Jesus not doing miracles, it is in response to unbelief [e.g. Matthew 5:38].
  • The Bible does not mention Jesus withholding miracles due to timing.
  • Therefore, the decision to have Jesus refuse to heal Ramah in Episode 3 is biblically inaccurate.


17. In Season 4, Episode 5 of The Chosen, Mother Mary washes Jesus' hair in a tender, intimate scene highlighting his humanity and their mother-son bond. Amidst rising frustrations and the burdens of his ministry, this absurd fictional moment makes Jesus look like He needs to confide in his mother, which is not biblical or likely. Mary did not seem to understand His mission, and once thought He was out of touch with reality.

Mark 3:21

When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Jesus went off to lonely secluded places to confide in His Father when Jesus needed support or comfort.


18. In the show, many Biblical characters are depicted as drunks.

The first encounter with Nathanael portrays him as a drunkard and a failed architect (Nathanael is just one of the misrepresented biblical characters). Circumstances prompt him to drown out his failure in the pub, a common backdrop in the series.

Why would the show present Nathanael in such a light when Jesus Himself declared, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile”? This show would lead us to believe that these things are compatible with Christianity.



19. To bring God down to our level, The Chosen includes a scene where Jesus prepares a sermon and rehearses well-known passages, making them feel more human and common than inspired by His Father.

His mother interrupts him during one of these rehearsals, and you can see the frustration in his eyes.

During this same interaction with Jesus and Mary, she says, "I'm proud of you" to which this supposed Jesus replies, “Maybe wait to say that until after I’m done, in case I mess up in front of such a big crowd.”

I dont find many of these compelling. I dont even find many of them as even accurately portraying or having specific knowledge of the show. (See point 2… conjecture with nothing specific… not even worth repeating imho).

I think the question for me is why some people are fine with creative liscense for anything christian if its not the bible, but not ok if it has to do with scripture. Clearly people have different ideas on this. At the end of the day, the question for me is “is the gospel message preserved and presented?” If it is, great, it will be useful to introduce people to Jesus.
 

Ascetic X

Well-Known Member
I think the question for me is why some people are fine with creative liscense for anything christian if its not the bible, but not ok if it has to do with scripture. Clearly people have different ideas on this. At the end of the day, the question for me is “is the gospel message preserved and presented?” If it is, great, it will be useful to introduce people to Jesus.
Creative license is okay, if it does not contradict the scriptures.

The Chosen portrays a Jesus who is very different from the Jesus of the gospels. So, the gospel message is being distorted, not presented faithfully.

Some people just love movies and do not exercise scrutiny on their contents. Scenes in The Chosen will form their ideas of the gospel and those ideas will be mostly wrong. This is a terrible outcome.

I do not want people being introduced to a warped version of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 11:4

For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it very easily.
 
Last edited:

Ascetic X

Well-Known Member
Jenkins has the “power” to do whatever He wants with his “Jesus” character, knowing full well that millions will receive the counterfeit as the real Christ. Jenkins has taken Jesus and tamed him, deconstructed him, and re-formed him—and he has done so with no concern for the "rules" of Christology. But why should he have any concern? He's got a wildly popular "Jesus" loved by millions, and a fat paycheck to affirm this direction. He has no rules, and the heresy of “once saved, always saved” protects him (he believes) from any eternal consequences. He does what he wants with Jesus, and people weep with emotion and applaud.

Jenkins feels free to speak flippantly and crudely of Jesus, and to place false images of the saints in the imaginations of tens of millions, but his quip about “Jesus” struggling to pee is vile, and he is losing his grip and doubling down: “Just wait until I show Him struggling to pee in the middle of the night!” — Dallas Jenkins.
 

Ben1445

Well-Known Member
Well, the guy who wrote that article should not assume that any time someone says church the what he really means is the Catholic Church.
But beyond that, he makes some good points.
 

Ascetic X

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, our current media and visual centric culture demands more than words on a page. We no longer seem to have a sense of contentment based purely on the written word. As Postman writes, we require amusement. When this amusement comes alongside, takes the place of, or supersedes Scripture, we have removed the Bible as the sufficient guide for the Christian life and replaced it with something else. True faith is found in and centered on Scripture and nothing else.
 

Ascetic X

Well-Known Member
What I found disturbing was the way that images from the show would start playing in my head when I read certain stories in the Bible. In some places, the show had taken over my imaginative response to the written word. My ability to meditate on the stories and form my own ideas had been seriously compromised. Indeed, the strong emotions I experienced in connection to the way ‘The Chosen’ interpreted them made part of me not even want to.

I’m sure it’s obvious that that presents a serious problem. Our response to Jesus should come most dominantly from reading his Word—since that’s the only completely trustworthy place we can go to find the true Jesus. So when I realised the propensity for my heart to be more strongly influenced by ‘The Chosen’ than Scripture, I had to make the decision to leave off watching it. The temptation was just too strong to dabble with.

 
Top