I’m not here to bash The Chosen—nor to say that no Christian should ever watch it. As someone grounded in the Bible, I can watch the show with discernment. I know what’s dramatized, what’s plausible, and where it veers from the biblical account. But what concerns me deeply is the average viewer—those who aren’t theologically equipped—and what kind of “Jesus” they’re being introduced to.
Popular Doesn’t Mean Biblical
Jesus warned His followers that the way would be narrow (Matthew 7:13–14). If tens of millions—many of them unchurched and unconverted—are connecting emotionally to a version of Christ who never confronts sin or demands repentance, we should all pause.
What The Chosen Gets Wrong
While The Chosen is emotionally compelling and well produced, it often blends artistic license with theological compromise:
- It puts words into Jesus’ mouth that He never said—like “Follow what your heart tells you,” a line that echoes secular and even Mormon thought, not biblical authority.
- It adds dialogue, backstories, and tone that aren’t found in Scripture, often blurring the line between divine revelation and human imagination.
- Some scenes carry theological ambiguity, like a dramatized interpretation of Matthew 16:19 that appears to extend faith leadership to all the disciples, when the Greek text shows clearly Jesus was speaking only to Peter (singular “you”).
When a portrayal of Christ appeals equally to believers, nonbelievers, and members of the LDS Church—that should tell us something. Clarity on sin, repentance, and salvation often gets lost in an effort to reach the masses.
A Gospel That Feels Good, But Doesn’t Cut Deep
Emotion isn’t the same as conversion. Thousands walk away moved, but what if repentance, sin, holiness, or judgment never really entered the story? That type of spiritual longing can be dangerous—because it often leads to sentiment without surrender.
Discerners Can Watch—But Others Can’t
I can watch The Chosen and spot where artistic license begins. But most viewers can’t. And that’s my concern: many will treat a fictionalized version of Jesus as if it’s biblical truth. Their first exposure to Jesus may feel spiritual—but without the clear Gospel, that foundation is shaky at best.
Even the Creator Acknowledges the Risk
Dallas Jenkins himself has admitted that “it would be bad to replace the Bible with The Chosen.” That may not be his intention, but when a show becomes someone’s spiritual substitute for Scripture, we’re no longer dealing with harmless entertainment—we’re dealing with something far more serious.
Spiritual Impact Means Nothing Without Truth
Tears don’t mean transformation. Feeling one is encountering Jesus doesn’t always lead to submission to Him as Lord and Savior. Romantic or cinematic portrayals can be deceptive—and those portrayals often dominate the experience for many viewers.
The concern deepens when we look beyond the show itself and see how The Chosen is being promoted in public. Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, often appears on talk shows and interviews with secular hosts. While he carries himself kindly and prayerfully, he rarely speaks with biblical boldness. He doesn’t mention sin, repentance, or the exclusivity of salvation through Christ. Instead, he offers a general spirituality that sounds sweet but stops short of truth. And when someone becomes the “face of Jesus” to millions yet won’t speak the Gospel plainly, that leaves a dangerous impression.
I’ve written more about how easily false teachings can creep into the Church—even when they look sincere on the surface.
Final Word
If you’re a Bible-believing Christian, The Chosen can be watched with skepticism and comparison to Scripture. But the mass appeal outside the church is exactly why I worry. Popularity doesn’t equal truth. And if people are drawn to a feel-good Jesus who never calls them to repent, that emotional pull may actually push them away from the cross—mistaking soft inspiration for salvation.
True love for souls means preaching the full Gospel—even when it hurts. That’s the only way to lead people to Jesus—the Savior who demands repentance, believes in sin, and offers resurrection.
Arch Kennedy
Bold, Unfiltered, and Unafraid
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Geeeez You don’t want to pick on The Chosen, but you tear it apart. I grew up christian and I enjoyed, many times with tears in my eyes, the Chosen.
I never expect everyone to agree with it, however I thought it was very close to the teaching I have had over the years.
Just because we don’t see the repentance etc (the dark side of the story and christianity), I don’t like your choice to say it leads people to believe the emotion versus the conversion…….That people watch it and feel the emotion very well can lead them to look for more and dive deeper. so I think that is nothing but good for people. I am happy that it is popular!
I truly hear your heart—and I understand why so many have connected deeply with The Chosen. I’m not here to tear it apart or rob anyone of those emotional moments. But I am here to ask hard questions—not because I’m being critical, but because eternity is at stake.
The issue isn’t that people feel something—it’s what they’re being led to believe about Jesus through those emotions.
If what’s portrayed stops short of His full message—like repentance, sin, and surrender—then even powerful emotions can lead people to a version of Christ that feels good but doesn’t save.
My concern is never with sincerity. I believe you’re sincere.
My concern is with truth—and I believe God calls us to speak it clearly, especially when the crowd is cheering.
Arch Kennedy
The full message, not buffet style !
Do you also have the same concerns about other Christian themed films? The recently released animated Prince of Egypt, which was also a success in theaters. How about the Left Behind book and movie series? The traditional hymns with organ accompaniment being replaced with praise music and full bands? Culture has changed the landscape for sure. What does God find acceptable as a means to bring souls to Jesus so the Holy Spirit can convict them?
Great article Arch!
Hey Arch
I just saw you on Becket Cook podcast. Great testimony. I agree with your article about The Chosen. I have watched it and God has used it a few times to draw me to Him. I also think that it could lead a person not towards conviction but towards milquetoast Christianity. God bless you.
I had avoided it, watched a few hours last year.
How about the question, “why watch it?”
For a visual Bible story ? For some emotional connection per a visual/audio ?
Then there’s a language challenge for sure, to ‘enlarge script ‘ with dialogue but stick to truth !
Thank you Arch for the beautiful testimony you gave on Becket Cook’s show!
I also love your boldness and no compromising of truth.
God’s word the Bible is true inspired Revelation…. and every Christian should stand up for it, as you are.
But they can’t stand up for it if they don’t know anything about it and sadly in the current culture, there are few places that reflect ‘the concept of Truth’ nearly as well as The Chosen show does.
Most churches don’t even come that close sadly, and even they avoid discipling & the word.
So I believe your words are valuable about absolute truth is only found in scripture so that point should be stated as you did.
But to illustrate my point may I say that I found Jesus at a youth camp when I saw them raise a person up on a cross and being raised Catholic I knew what that meant but somehow did not not know Go.
But God used that meager display to completely transformed my life.
So my hope is the same for The Chosen show; may God bless it to open peoples eyes up to the Jesus of the Bible that they need to get to know as the living word of God.
Please Check out YouTube channel called Grafted Two Messianic leaders release reactions to The Chosen shows, and bring clarity to people that are enjoying it.
I think that may be a more useful interaction when we are analyzing other people’s attempts at ministry.
I’m so proud of you brother the life transformation that you have LET God take you through, with such courage and now you step in front of all the cultural bullets and repel them with truth .
Keep up the good work, brother even though it looks like I don’t hundred percent agree. We can agree: that we all have flaws.Yet the beauty is in OUR perfect God will use all we do within his will to bring others to the knowledge of knowing creator God through Jesus Yeshua.
I facilitate Bible College by extension courses and have done so for many years and this year. I also took BSF. It’s amazing how a small group Bible study can motivate you into the very realms of heaven. so glad you are promoting BSF, It is an excellent ministry!
Shalom
Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful comment! I’m truly humbled by your words and so encouraged to hear how God transformed your life through that powerful moment at camp. What a beautiful testimony of how the Lord meets us in the most unexpected ways and draws us to Himself.
I agree with you completely—God can use anything to reach people, even flawed portrayals, when hearts are open. My heart behind the blog wasn’t to tear down but to call us all, myself included, back to the authority of Scripture as the final truth. Like you said, if we don’t know His Word, how can we stand for it?
Thank you also for the Grafted YouTube recommendation—I’ll check that out! I love seeing how God is raising up bold voices across the body of Christ, and it’s encouraging to know we can spur one another on, even when we may not agree on every detail. That’s the beauty of iron sharpening iron.
I’m so glad you’re involved in Bible College and BSF—that’s the kind of discipleship we need more of! Thank you again for your encouragement and your boldness for truth. May the Lord continue to bless your ministry and use your voice to lead many to Yeshua, our Messiah.
God bless,
—Arch Kennedy
Arch, I was so blessed by your response! Thank you !
With your gifting, why in the world aren’t you on YouTube? I’m sure it’s a ton of work but nothing outside of what God has truly trained you for in this season.
May I encourage you by saying
that:
Your miracle conversion is the sign post of Hope to many who are lost to various lifestyle deceptions.
I applaud Both you and Becket Cook’s boldness to tenaciously, expose the deception and destruction of your former lifestyles.
This reminds me of the level of courage Paul display in coming against his former man-made traditions..
I’m not exaggerating to say what an encouragement this to Christian mothers and fathers that I know have lost their children in that similar season of darkness. I too lost a child for a while into a very dark season and after many years of prayer, she has returned to her Christian roots and is living her life in truth and for God,. PTL.
Your bold testimony gives us mothers Hope to see both you and Becket strive to expose the cultural narratives and educating the church on their need to understand how to love the lost and be the light in the midst of darkness.
Great will be your reward for you shall snatch many out of the fire that they don’t even know they’re engulfed by.
It’s so sad that every Bible study group I have been a part of for last several years has parents that are mourning the choices their children have made.
I know your mom’s are looking down on you both and smiling!!!
So great is our God’s faithfulness.
May God guide the church into the faithfulness of his calling for us to make disciples not just get people saved.
as you know we all must know the Bible to be able to walk in & reflect its truth.
Grateful mom and grandma
Karen K
I agree with all you’ve said. Narrow is the gate, and few will enter through it. I have watched all Biblical video media available from the dawn of moving pictures and have only found a tiny handful that attempt to present Biblical stories, or direct dramatization of Bible verses without creative license.
I believe that media is fine enough for entertainment, and perhaps some will gain some measure of pleasure from it, but it isn’t the Bible, it isn’t the Living Word, it isn’t the Holy Spirit, it isn’t God.
Leonard Ravenhill is one of my favorite preachers, and he had a great deal to say about entertainment, the modern church, the modern Christian, and what a true Christian, one enraptured in the magnificent and all-consuming glory of a gracious, loving, and merciful Living God can do to one’s life when they crucify the flesh and long to spend every waking moment in the spirit, doting on His every Word, is likely to spend all their time doing.
“Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment you need.
“The only people who want to change the Gospel are those who are unchanged by it.”