{"id":6968,"date":"2021-02-25T00:26:31","date_gmt":"2021-02-25T04:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/?p=6968"},"modified":"2021-02-25T10:32:45","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T14:32:45","slug":"chosen-realistic-world-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2021\/02\/chosen-realistic-world-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Is \u201cThe Chosen\u201d Realistic to the World of Jesus?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"The Chosen\" — \u201cThe Chosen\u201d \/ YouTube \/ The Chosen<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
This is the first of a series of posts about the good and bad of Jesus-movies like \u201c<\/span>The Chosen.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n
Some weeks ago, I finally gave\u00a0<\/span>*\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0a fair shot. Months earlier, I found some clips of it moving, impactful, and well-acted. I get sentimental too, okay?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n*
But even those highlights were soaked in Western distortion. This amplified a thousandfold when I watched entire episodes. As with\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThe Passion of the Christ\u201d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0before it,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0doesn\u2019t give you the Gospel scenes realistically, but instead Westernized people playing with accents and costumes. The Jesus of \u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em> is yet one more **congenial Jesus<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n**
Why don\u2019t Jesus Movies \u201cget\u201d Jesus?<\/span>**\u00a0Here is a video presentation for you\u2014<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n**
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><em>\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em> & <em>\u201cThe Passion\u201d<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Remember \u201c<\/span><strong><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Passion of the Christ\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? Mel Gibson\u2019s film remains beloved, considered by many to be the gold standard in dramatic presentations about Jesus\u2019 life. Some tragically imagine it to be as if Gibson time traveled and actually filmed the last hours of Jesus\u2019 life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This Thursday, February 25, marks the 17th anniversary of Gibson\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cPassion.\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Working in campus ministry, I vividly recall a Lenten screening at Florida International University seven years after its release. A particular professor, brilliant in math but like a kindergartner in the Faith, assured me that the movie \u201cis at it was!\u201d She was quoting\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/11\/jpii-disaster-for-the-church\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pope John Paul II\u2019s reported reaction<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0when he had screened\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Passion.\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When I respectfully disagreed, our friendship of over five years ended. It was dead on the spot. She never spoke to me again. But I later learned that Professor Super-Catholic, a daily communicant, tried to get me fired.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u266b<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2026And you\u2019ll know they are Christians by their love!\u266a\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">No,\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Passion\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is not \u201cas it was.\u201d Even though in several ways\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Passion\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0is a beautiful and brilliant film. But like D. W. Griffith\u2019s \u201c<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Birth of a Nation<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Passion\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0is likewise terribly problematic. In some ways, it is a circus show of terrible theology and morbid Christology. It is blatantly anti-Semitic. Terrifyingly, Catholics use\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Passion\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0as a vehicle to propagate the faith.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mention any criticism of\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Passion\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0to many a U.S. Catholic, and watch what happens. Typically, you\u2019ll get, <em>\u201cI just don\u2019t understand why people have a problem with the greatest Jesus movie ever made!\u201d<\/em> or some similar nonsense. But is it really,<em> \u201cI don\u2019t understand\u201d<\/em>? Or rather, more honestly, <em>\u201cI refuse to understand\u201d<\/em>? Because actually, taking criticism of\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Passion\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0in a serious manner demands repenting of Christian triumphalism, theological boiler-plate, and disgusting anti-Semitic tropes. Who wants to admit these, much less do it?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Enter: <em>\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Now here comes another doozy,\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Chosen.\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Taking a different path from Gibson, creators of this televised historical drama focus more on Jesus in his ministry, meeting various beloved Gospel figures. You see (American caricatures of) Simon Peter, Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, to name a few.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Writer and director of\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Chosen,\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Dallas Jenkins, is a fundamentalist. Jenkins is the son of Jerry B. Jenkins, co-author of the prolifically ignorant \u201cLeft Behind\u201d book series. He has high goals for <\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Chosen.\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Jenkins wants to raise funding for six or seven seasons of it. He may accomplish this. The first season, completed in 2019, has eight episodes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The show is free to watch and very popular among many U.S. Christians, including Catholics. Like\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Passion,\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Jenkins\u2019\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0has the veneer of presenting an \u201cauthentic depiction\u201d of what really happened. Far too many Catholics, including religious and clergy, mistakenly think it is the real deal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What To Think of <em>\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em>?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What I am about to lay down should not surprise faithful readers. If you\u2019ve read this blog carefully, you should readily understand why I would take a serious issue with this series. <em>\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em> is regularly praised by many as <em>\u201ca realistic portrayal of Christ\u2019s life and those who encountered him.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Each episode is flooded by the perennial enemies to authentic Bible study\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Anachronism<\/span>\u2014force-fitting Jesus and the Bible into our time.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Ethnocentrism<\/span>\u2014making Jesus and the Bible fit our social system.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Honest Ignorance<\/span>\u2014honestly substituting what I think biblical a passage means in place of researching it.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Sincere Stupidity<\/span>\u2014dishonestly replacing what I believe a biblical passage means in place of researching it.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">And, of course, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Fundamentalism<\/span>\u2014making the Bible mean what I want or need it to mean.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jenkins makes these five pitfalls to authentic Scripture study his close friends. They drown his series. You can see this right off the bat in the first episode, \u201cI Have Called You by Name.\u201d It begins some evening in Magdala, 2 A.D. A father coughs, sitting by the entrance to his home. Is it a Bedouin tent? Or his shop?<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Then, his young daughter emerges, frightened about something. We learn she suffers head problems. Who is this girl? Could this be Mary Magdalene, maybe? We\u2019ll see.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Daddy Dynamics in <em>\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cAbba\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/10\/biblical-abba-never-will-mean-daddy\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>a term Jenkins apparently misunderstands to mean \u201cAmerican daddy\u201d<\/strong><\/a>) points up to the new star in the sky. No doubt\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0means <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/01\/celestial-honor-star\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>the Christmas star of \u201cMatthew,\u201d<\/strong><\/a> found in no other ancient writing. However, it\u2019s not honest to what \u201cMatthew\u201d describes in his infancy narrative, namely, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/01\/celestial-honor-star\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>a comet<\/strong><\/a>. Our first unwarranted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/12\/manger-deconstructed\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>harmonization of elements from different Gospels<\/strong><\/a> is mixed up together like a cake batter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Presumably, this is two years since Jesus\u2019 birth. Does Jenkins think Jesus was born in the year 0? Does he believe, like many in the pews, that there actually\u00a0<em>was<\/em> a year 0? I bet you he does! But even if Jenkins thinks that the year before 1 A.D. is 1 B.C., Jesus was born probably born a few years earlier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The little girl is terrified. Then, Abba-daddy tells her to memorize a bible verse, not unlike an American Evangelical daddy. Later on, this pays off when she gets saved, like an introspective U.S. person accepting her personal savior Jesus. But was that how biblical people really viewed salvation?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How To Live Biblically? Part One\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N595lVC3Zxk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><em>\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em> vs Middle Eastern Parenting<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">By the way, what was the emotional bond between fathers and daughters in Herodian Palestine? Can you describe that? Was it like this tender scene from\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? Was it like the emotional bond between an American daddy and his daughter?\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWho cares? This scene is beautiful! It makes our American selves feel good! That\u2019s all that matters!\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What role does a (Middle Eastern) biblical father have in parenting daughters? Did you know that he has no role whatsoever in parenting any children until they reach puberty? Even then, he only \u201cparents\u201d (read: brutally physically disciplines) his post-pubescent sons, never his daughters. In fact, he has no role in raising daughters\u2014that\u2019s the job of women. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Does that shock you? I bet you aren\u2019t familiar with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/sirach\/1\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Sirach<\/a>,<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/proverbs\/1\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>Proverbs<\/strong><\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/hebrews\/1\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>Hebrews<\/strong><\/a> then, are you? I know Bible-quoting Jenkins isn\u2019t. For all his Bible-quoting, he doesn\u2019t have a clue about what is being communicated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What if I told you that biblical daughters were seen as posing lifelong problems for biblical fathers? The biblical daughter is a personified heart-attack. What does that do with this cute scene at the start of\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? Why not read\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/sirach\/42?9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Sirach 42:9-10<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and list six concerns that keep an Israelite father awake at night. Then tell me about how culturally plausible this scene is with \u201c<em>abba<\/em>\u201d and the little girl of Magdala.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus Sunday School in <em>\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There is another endearing scene with children featuring another adult male. The adult is Jesus, distorted into being an American Sunday school teacher with a Middle Eastern accent. At one point, Jesus tells his star pupil, a young girl, to let others try and answer his questions. And like a good American teacher, he gives her a wink.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jesus Loves the Little Children (The Chosen Scene)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GvOpb1sxx8Q?start=194&feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Now, for a moment, let\u2019s pretend that I am the Cowboy from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jbZJ487oJlY\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><em>\u201cMulholland Drive\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (a genuine spiritual masterpiece). And like the Cowboy, I tell you to \u201cstop for a little second, and think about it.\u201d I want you to think about winking. Can you try that for me?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Is winking the same in every culture? What does winking mean in the cultural world of Jesus? Did you know that\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/proverbs\/16?30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Proverbs 16:30<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0assigns a certain culturally-conditioned meaning to \u201cwinking the eyes\u201d? Look how winking eyes plays into\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/proverbs\/6?12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Proverbs 6:12-15<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0(NABRE, \u201cshifty of eyes\u201d means winking) describing a worthless person who needs to be destroyed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ever wink at a child? In our Western culture, does winking suggest you are trying to harm or kill someone with the deadly Evil Eye? It does in the Bible, folks. The Evil Eye was something biblical people believed in as much as we Westerners believe in oxygen!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Winking or Evil Eye in<em> \u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Of course, mainstream U.S. folks don\u2019t believe in the Evil Eye. And because we will not tolerate a Jesus who doesn\u2019t buy American values and American understandings, we simply can\u2019t see Jesus believing in the Evil Eye either. But Jesus most assuredly believed in the power of the Evil Eye. He even took apotropaic measures to protect his life from its attack! Look how he healed fellow Israelites (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/7?23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mark 7:23<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">;\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/8?23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mark 8:23<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">;\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/john\/9?6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">John 9:6<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">)\u2014ever wonder why he used saliva in healing the blind?\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Saliva as therapy? That\u2019s not biomedical science!<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Incarnation is messy, folks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Do you see how culture suggests or proposes certain behaviors and assigns these behaviors culturally-specific meanings? Jenkins and the actor who plays Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) apparently don\u2019t. They either don\u2019t know or don\u2019t care. But like Gibson, they surf the ignorance-wave of \u201cit is as it was!\u201d Please don\u2019t pool ignorance about\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Chosen<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201d being this incredibly realistic portrayal of Jesus and friends from first-century Galilee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>More To Come on <em>\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Cowboy from David Lynch\u2019s masterpiece \u201c<em>Mulholland Drive\u201d<\/em> has salient wisdom for us Catholic Christians reading <em>Messy Inspirations<\/em>, my blog, and watching my <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCDWJ4BePsRwheCFhAhJMqpw\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>Bible Alive Presentations<\/strong><\/a><\/em> videos. I might paraphrase it like this\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cA [person\u2019s] attitude goes some ways in determining how their faith-walk might be. Is that something you might agree with?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This is just a kiss. More on\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Chosen\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0tomorrow. Much more.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mulholland Drive - Cowboy Scene\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fd5HEJdcBwM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is the first of a series of posts about the good and bad of Jesus-movies like \u201cThe Chosen.\u201d Some weeks ago, I finally gave\u00a0\u201cThe Chosen\u201d\u00a0a fair shot. Months earlier, I found some clips of it moving, impactful, and well-acted. I get sentimental too, okay?\u00a0 But even those highlights were soaked in Western distortion. This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4218,"featured_media":6974,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3911,3908,3896,3902,423,624,1694,3905,30,3899,3460,3197],"class_list":["post-6968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-left-behind","tag-left-behind-book-series","tag-the-chosen","tag-the-passion-of-the-christ","tag-american-christianity","tag-bible-scholarship","tag-christianity","tag-dallas-jenkins","tag-jesus-christ","tag-jesus-movies","tag-mel-gibson","tag-who-was-jesus"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Is \u201cThe Chosen\u201d a Good Jesus Movie? How Realistic Is It?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is the first of a series of posts about the good and bad of Jesus-movies like "The Chosen." Why do so many Jesus movies not "get" Jesus?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2021\/02\/chosen-realistic-world-jesus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is \u201cThe Chosen\u201d a Good Jesus Movie? How Realistic Is It?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is the first of a series of posts about the good and bad of Jesus-movies like "The Chosen." 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