Biblical Errors in The Chosen

[Ascetic X]

“The Chosen has been viewed over four million times and has gained an almost cult-like following since its premier in 2017. Its popularity alone should be a red flag. The Bible is pretty clear that Jesus Christ and true Christianity will be largely hated and rejected by the world. So when something about Jesus is accepted and applauded, it’s good for us to pause and ask why. Does this show glorify God? Does it accurately portray Jesus Christ and His Word? Is it something we should watch?”

Should Christians Watch “The Chosen”?

Just who is this Jesus that is so wildly popular? Who is this Jesus who “gets us”? Who is this Jesus that wants to make us happy and never calls us to repent from sin or turn from the w…

growing4life.net

 

[atpollard]

Should Christians Watch “The Chosen”?

Just who is this Jesus that is so wildly popular? Who is this Jesus who “gets us”? Who is this Jesus that wants to make us happy and never calls us to repent from sin or turn from the w…

growing4life.net

Quote from link:

1. Dallas Jenkins – I’ve talked about this before, so I’m only going to touch on it. Jenkins is the producer and creative mind behind the show. He has made it clear that he believes Mormons, Catholics, and Christians “love the same Jesus” and have only a few minor theological differences. He put together a group of spiritual advisors to make sure “he gets Christ right” and that panel consists of a Mormon, a Catholic priest, and a Jewish Rabbi. Is it possible for any of those men to get Christ right? So how can we trust this show to accurately portray Jesus Christ? But God told Dallas Jenkins that this show was going to be a “definitive portrayal of my people” and that “He wouldn’t let him screw it up.” Spoiler alert: that wasn’t God speaking to him.

“that panel consists of a Mormon, a Catholic priest, and a Jewish Rabbi” is false.

The three primary theological advisors for the Chosen are:

• Dr. Doug Huffman: A professor of New Testament at Biola University's Talbot School of Theology.
• Father David Guffey (C.S.C.): A Roman Catholic priest and national director of Family Theater Productions.
• Rabbi Jason Sobel: A Messianic Jewish Rabbi and founder of Fusion Global Ministries.

Biography of Dr. Douglas Huffman:
Before starting his new role at Northwestern in 2025, Dr. Huffman had formerly served the institution as Professor of New Testament, Dean of Enrollment Services, founder of Northwestern’s graduate studies program, and an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow. For the fourteen years prior to returning to Northwestern, Dr. Huffman had been serving in the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, most recently as Dean of Academic Programs, where he taught New Testament courses and supervised the program directors for Talbot’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

Dr. Huffman has a robust publication record, having authored and edited numerous books and peer-reviewed articles, including The Jesus Story Continues: A Survey of the Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2025) and Understanding the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Forms, Features, Framings, and Functions (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2024) among the most recent.

As a professional script consultant for The Chosen, the multi-season television series on the life of Christ, Dr. Huffman has participated as the evangelical expert in the Bible Roundtable discussions debriefing each episode. He has co-authored The Chosen Bible Study Series, co-edited Watching The Chosen: History, Faith, and Interpretation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2025), and spoken at various events about the show. He is now also working with 5&2 Studios on spin-off shows, as The Chosen cinematic universe is expanding.

Dr. Huffman earned a Ph.D. in Theological Studies with a focus on New Testament Exegesis and Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he also completed an M.A. in Christian Thought – Systematic Theology & Philosophy of Religion. Prior to that, he earned an M.A. in Biblical Studies with an emphasis on the New Testament from Wheaton College and a B.A. in Ministries – Christian Education & Recreation from Northwestern College in St. Paul. He is a licensed and ordained minister with the Evangelical Free Church of America.

NO MORMONS, just spreading hatred and lies.
So which are the TRUE Christians?

 

[Ascetic X]

Quote from link:

So which are the TRUE Christians?

The true Christians portray the biblical Jesus, not an irreverent, non-scriptural Jesus of cinematic imagination and frivolous fantasy.

Mormons have a very different Jesus than the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. Dallas Jenkins does not seem to understand this.

Derral Eves, one of two Latter-day Saint executive producers of the hit show The Chosen, knows the show’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, has received pushback for choosing to work with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Jenkins acknowledged working with and developing deep friendships with several members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in recent years with the show.

“I stand by the statement that those friends of mine that I’m referring to absolutely love the same Jesus that I do,” he said.

 

[atpollard]

More hate I see …

So who is Derral Eves and what does he do?

“Eves graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in public relations and advertising. His first job was the assistant director of public relations at a hospital in Utah but he left to start his own interactive agency in 1999, Creatus.

Eves is YouTube certified and has been working with brands and businesses through his agency since 1999. Clients have included Bill Gates, Epic Games, The Piano Guys, ABC, NBC, and ESPN. Eves has generated more than 74 billion views for his clients' videos on YouTube and Facebook.”

“After Eves was introduced to Dallas Jenkins, creator of The Chosen, Jenkins named him to be executive producer, with his primary responsibility being to build the audience through the show's social media platforms.”

Inconceivable, a professional Producer (Dallas Jenkins) dared to hire an expert on Facebook and YouTube (Derral Eaves) as “Executive Producer” in charge of “media platforms”. Insanity! He should have hired a Presbyterian with a Flip Phone for the job (as G-O-D intended).

 

[Ascetic X]

So who is Derral Eves and what does he do?

“Eves graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in public relations and advertising. His first job was the assistant director of public relations at a hospital in Utah but he left to start his own interactive agency in 1999, Creatus.

Eves is YouTube certified and has been working with brands and businesses through his agency since 1999. Clients have included Bill Gates, Epic Games, The Piano Guys, ABC, NBC, and ESPN. Eves has generated more than 74 billion views for his clients' videos on YouTube and Facebook.”

“After Eves was introduced to Dallas Jenkins, creator of The Chosen, Jenkins named him to be executive producer, with his primary responsibility being to build the audience through the show's social media platforms.”

Inconceivable, a professional Producer (Dallas Jenkins) dared to hire an expert on Facebook and YouTube (Derral Eaves) as “Executive Producer” in charge of “media platforms”. Insanity! He should have hired a Presbyterian with a Flip Phone for the job (as G-O-D intended).

Credentials of producers, especially when Mormon, are no criteria for evaluating the biblical accuracy or reverence of The Chosen.

 

[atpollard]

Credentials of producers, especially when Mormon, are no criteria for evaluating the biblical accuracy or reverence of The Chosen.

Derral Evans evaluated the Biblical accuracy of NOTHING (which is the point that I was making). The attacks on the Chosen for hiring him and the accusation that Derral played some part in the theology of the Chosen is just an ad hominem attack seeking “guilt by association” through spreading lies.

Feel free to criticize anything valid that the show actually presents, but attacks based on lies says more about the attackers than the Chosen. The “Mormon” was an expert on spreading messages via media platforms (and succeeded at his job). That has nothing to do with the content except raising funding through generating awareness that the Chosen exists.

 

[Ascetic X]

Derral Evans evaluated the Biblical accuracy of NOTHING (which is the point that I was making). The attacks on the Chosen for hiring him and the accusation that Derral played some part in the theology of the Chosen is just an ad hominem attack seeking “guilt by association” through spreading lies.

Feel free to criticize anything valid that the show actually presents, but attacks based on lies says more about the attackers than the Chosen. The “Mormon” was an expert on spreading messages via media platforms (and succeeded at his job). That has nothing to do with the content except raising funding through generating awareness that the Chosen exists.

You may be right that Mormon producer Derral Evan had no input on the contents of The Chosen, but you may be wrong. What is certain is that there are Mormon ideas expressed in The Chosen.

Mormon content in The Chosen includes the nearly sole emphasis on Jesus’ humanity (his immanence) with tremendous disregard and neglect of His deity (transcendence). This is profoundly Mormon. The official doctrine of the LDS Church is essentially that Jesus was a created human male who progressed into godhood just as can all Mormon males in good standing.

The Chosen falsely portrays Jesus as uncertain, worried about His sermons, committing transgression as a 12 year old when in the temple, seeking comfort from His mother, making fun of a dancer, and other characteristics that degrade the holy God the Son essence of Christ.

"As man is, God once was, and as God is, man can become." This is such vast heresy and blasphemy portrayed so strongly in The Chosen and is exclusively LDS doctrine. It is officially called "Eternal Progression".

As far as the content of the show, this quote comes from a Mormon who interviewed Dallas Jenkins:

"And when my wife and I saw that, we thought there were some serious Latter Day Saint undertones there, you know, our extra-biblical Scripture."

-David Snell (Mormon, discussing scene with Dallas Jenkins)

Also, in Season 4 episode 4 of the Chosen, they include the Mormon teaching of burning in the bosom.

 

[atpollard]

The Chosen falsely portrays Jesus as uncertain, worried about His sermons, committing transgression as a 12 year old when in the temple, seeking comfort from His mother, making fun of a dancer, and other characteristics that degrade the holy God the Son essence of Christ.

See, THIS is attacking the show (which is reasonable opinion - right or wrong) unlike arguing that the Advisor (Evangelical Dr. Doug Huffman) is a "Mormon" or the show teaches "Mormon theology" because they put Derral Evans in charge of their "social media platforms" (his area of expertise).

 

[atpollard]

I was curious about something that you said, so I asked AI:

Does the show "the chosen" portray Jesus committing transgression as a 12 year old when in the temple?

Yes, The Chosen does include a scene where a 12-year-old Jesus is told by His father, Joseph, that He committed a "transgression" for staying behind in the temple, but the show portrays this strictly as a parental joke rather than an actual sin.
The moment occurs during a flashback sequence at the beginning of Season 1, Episode 5 ("The Wedding Gift").

Context of the Scene​

• The Setting: The episode opens with a depiction of the biblical account from Luke 2:41-52, where Mary and Joseph search for the young Jesus for three days and eventually find Him in the temple in Jerusalem.
• The Dialogue: After finding Him, the family prepares to leave. Joseph turns to a 12-year-old Jesus and asks, "What are you going to do for your mother to make up for your transgression?" As the scene transitions, Joseph smiles and laughs, making it clear to the audience that he is teasing his son.

The Theological Controversy​

While the show's writers wrote the line as a lighthearted moment between a relieved father and his son, it has sparked a massive amount of discussion and criticism among viewers:

• The Criticisms: Many Christian viewers and theologians strongly object to the scene. They argue that because a "transgression" is explicitly defined as a violation of a law or a sin, assigning that word to Jesus—even in a joking context—falsely compromises His sinless, perfect nature.
• The Defense: Supporters of the show and its creators argue that the scene does not imply Jesus actually sinned. Instead, they interpret the dialogue as a realistic portrayal of stressed human parents who were terrified after losing their child for days, using gentle humor to relieve the tension once they found Him safe.

Ultimately, the show does not portray Jesus as a sinner; it uses the word "transgression" as a playful expression of parental relief, though the choice of vocabulary remains one of the show's most heavily debated script decisions.

 

[Ben1445]

AI: it uses the word "transgression" as a playful expression

I have edited that because it appears atpollard has said something but unless I am mistaken, it is a quote from AI.

Proverbs 14:9
Fools make a mock at sin:
but among the righteous there is favour.

The liberties taken by the show are visible enough for ai to see.

I don’t see why it is worth defending a show that makes Jesus look like a transgressor.

 

[Ascetic X]

I have edited that because it appears atpollard has said something but unless I am mistaken, it is a quote from AI.

Proverbs 14:9
Fools make a mock at sin:
but among the righteous there is favour.

The liberties taken by the show are visible enough for ai to see.

I don’t see why it is worth defending a show that makes Jesus look like a transgressor.

After reading reviews of The Chosen, the main point by fans is they do not care if the gospels are distorted, ridiculous fiction is added, and Jesus is misrepresented. They like The Chosen because it is entertainment. They like being entertained. They enjoy watching movies. Scriptural accuracy means nothing to them.

Negative reviews focus on the biblical errors and the dumbing down of the character of Jesus. They see The Chosen as misleading viewers and inventing a different Jesus who is very inferior to the true Jesus of the gospels. They also dislike the many unseemly, unlikely, and sexualized scenes (like with Peter and his wife).

So people who just love movies, and don’t care about biblical faithfulness, tend to approve of The Chosen and are offended by criticisms.

 

[atpollard]

I don’t see why it is worth defending a show that makes Jesus look like a transgressor

Is it worth looking to see whether the allegations are true or Christians are posting lies?
(That seems more important than the accuracy of ANY supposed “biblical“ show.)

I found false statements and half-truths, so I pointed them out.

 

[Ben1445]

Is it worth looking to see whether the allegations are true or Christians are posting lies?
(That seems more important than the accuracy of ANY supposed “biblical“ show.)

I found false statements and half-truths, so I pointed them out.

Perception is reality.

 

[atpollard]

Some of the editorial choices in The Chosen didn’t really bother me the way it bothered other people.

1. I think portraying Jesus spending his time aside to refine drafts of his sermons was an inaccurate poetic license, but I also believe that the Biblical narrative is a literary compilation of teachings repeated multiple times in multiple locations recorded by specific authors for a specific purpose (not a verbatim transcription of a single sermon). So this particular inaccuracy does not really bother me. There is nothing in Scripture that specifically contradicts the notion that Jesus “worked on sermons” while he was alone.

2. The death of Rema (Thomas’ fiancé) and Jesus refusal to heal her is a poetic license that bothers me. Scripture NEVER records any instance of Jesus refusing a healing and offers verses that suggest exactly the opposite (Jesus healed EVERYONE that came to him). So this dramatic choice does run contrary to Scripture and THAT is a problem.

3. As far as those that violently reject the portrayal of Jesus as having a sense of humor and being approachable and relatable as a HUMAN BEING … I disagree with the criticism and believe that the INCARNATION was about God being more relatable to the people that he loved than a pillar of flame or an unapproachable “Holy of Holies” ever was. That the show conveys the approachability of God … the humanity of God … the reality that God really was a man like one of us and can relate to us … is a good thing. The scene with Joseph teasing 12 year old Jesus about his mother, was only “evil” to those LOOKING for evil. Most saw it for what it was.

 

[Ascetic X]

Some of the editorial choices in The Chosen didn’t really bother me the way it bothered other people.

1. I think portraying Jesus spending his time aside to refine drafts of his sermons was an inaccurate poetic license, but I also believe that the Biblical narrative is a literary compilation of teachings repeated multiple times in multiple locations recorded by specific authors for a specific purpose (not a verbatim transcription of a single sermon). So this particular inaccuracy does not really bother me. There is nothing in Scripture that specifically contradicts the notion that Jesus “worked on sermons” while he was alone.

2. The death of Rema (Thomas’ fiancé) and Jesus refusal to heal her is a poetic license that bothers me. Scripture NEVER records any instance of Jesus refusing a healing and offers verses that suggest exactly the opposite (Jesus healed EVERYONE that came to him). So this dramatic choice does run contrary to Scripture and THAT is a problem.

3. As far as those that violently reject the portrayal of Jesus as having a sense of humor and being approachable and relatable as a HUMAN BEING … I disagree with the criticism and believe that the INCARNATION was about God being more relatable to the people that he loved than a pillar of flame or an unapproachable “Holy of Holies” ever was. That the show conveys the approachability of God … the humanity of God … the reality that God really was a man like one of us and can relate to us … is a good thing. The scene with Joseph teasing 12 year old Jesus about his mother, was only “evil” to those LOOKING for evil. Most saw it for what it was.

1. Your understanding of biblical narrative comes from theology, not the Bible.

2 Peter 1

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.



2. You discovered a problem in The Chosen. Keep looking. There are many more.



3. Violently reject? Who is being violent? Presenting Jesus as being relatable, by portraying Him as being uncertain, is not biblical.

 

[Wesley Briggman]

Perception is reality.

Do you agree that people have different perceptions of reality?

 

[atpollard]

1. Your understanding of biblical narrative comes from theology, not the Bible.

2 Peter 1
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The verbatim identical portions of Matthew and Mark indicate to most textural scholars that SOMETHING existed as a written reference source from which both writers drew (as each was “inspired by the Holy Spirit to create the Gospels that bear their name). If the Holy Spirit was able to use a ”written notes” to inspire two of the four Gospels, why is it inconceivable that Jesus might have created a first draft of his sermons as part of the process of HIS being moved by the Holy Spirit?

Was Jesus in every way a man as we are, or not?
It seems to me that in your zeal to affirm Jesus’ deity you are stripping Jesus of his humanity.

 

[Ascetic X]

The verbatim identical portions of Matthew and Mark indicate to most textural scholars that SOMETHING existed as a written reference source from which both writers drew (as each was “inspired by the Holy Spirit to create the Gospels that bear their name).

You affirmed how you are basing your opinion on theology, not the Bible. Textual scholars are not the ultimate truth. They just voice speculations, with no proof.

The gospel writers composed as the Holy Spirit inspired them, not as they used a written reference source, which does not even exist.

 

[atpollard]

2. You discovered a problem in The Chosen. Keep looking. There are many more.

Many of what you call “problems” are not true problems.
You do realize that people have made verbatim dramatizations of scripture that include exactly what is in the Bible and add NOTHING that is not … few people watch them. The Chosen deliberately set out to do something different. It is a dramatization whose goal is to bring the PEOPLE and the SETTING and the EVENTS to life in a deliberately dramatic and relatable way.

What is your opinion of Ben Hur? (It contains inaccuracies.)

 

[atpollard]

You affirmed how you are basing your opinion on theology, not the Bible. Textual scholars are not the ultimate truth. They just voice speculations, with no proof.

The gospel writers composed as the Holy Spirit inspired them, not as they used a written reference source, which does not even exist.

Ok, using ONLY the Bible, prove Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark.
(Since we are discarding Biblical Scholars and Theology and only the Bible counts.)