New!
articles • book quests • news • library
reviews • podcast • gifts • archives
Crew manifest Faith statement FAQs
All author resources Lorehaven Guild Subscribe for free

A Crown of Chains
Reviews, Jan 27, 2023

The Magician’s Nephew Taught Me Christ’s Compassion in the Midst of Grief
Elijah David in Articles, Jan 26, 2023

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, Jan 25, 2023

Library

Find fantastical Christian novels

fantasy · sci-fi · and beyond
middle grade · young adult · grown-ups
All novels Search Add a novel
Silver Bounty, Victoria McCombs
A Sword for the Immerland King, F. W. Faller
Calor, J. J. Fisher
Once Upon A Ren Faire, A. C. Castillo
Exile, Loren G. Warnemuende
Aberration, Cathy McCrumb
The Truth Beyond the Lies, Kathleen Bird
Frost, Winter's Lonely Guardian, E. E. Rawls
Dream of Kings, Sharon Hinck
The Change, Bradley Caffee
Quest of Fire: Desperation, Brett Armstrong
Wishtress, Nadine Brandes
Flight, Kristen Young
The Deliverer, Jason William Karpf
Podcast

Get the Fantastical Truth podcast

Podcast sponsors | Subscribe links
Archives Feedback

146. How Did Animators Adapt The Wingfeather Saga For Streaming TV? | with Keith Lango
Fantastical Truth, Jan 24, 2023

145. How Did Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ Shape Christian Fantasy? | with Rebecca K. Reynolds
Fantastical Truth, Jan 17, 2023

144. Which Top Six Fantasy Franchises Gave Fans Grief in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 10, 2023

143. Which Top Ten Lorehaven Stories Proved Most Popular in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 6, 2023

142. What Christmas Gift ‘Tools, Not Toys’ Helped You Grow As a Person?
Fantastical Truth, Dec 20, 2022

141. Ten Years After ‘An Unexpected Journey,’ Must We Really Hate The Hobbit Films? | with Rilian of NarniaWeb
Fantastical Truth, Dec 13, 2022

Quests

Join our monthly digital book quests.

Lorehaven Guild Faith statement FAQs

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, January 2023

Prince Caspian
Book Quests, January 2023

Dream of Kings
Book Quests, December 2022

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
Book Quests, November 2022

Reviews

Find fantastical Christian reviews

All reviews Request review

A Crown of Chains
“A Crown of Chains creatively retells a biblical tale to explore themes of providence, racism, faith, and fidelity.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 27, 2023

Lander’s Legacy
“Lander’s Legacy stacks modern thrills and complex characters on a foundation of biblical what-ifs.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 20, 2023

Prince Caspian
“Pacing starts slow but creature lore grows in C. S. Lewis’s sequel, introducing practical tyrants and talking-beast politics into a Narnian resistance.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
“New and returning readers of all ages would do well to seek deeper magic within C. S. Lewis’s faithful classic.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

Gifts

Find new gifts for Christian fans

Archives

The original SpecFaith: est. 2006

Speculative Faith | archives

Lorehaven issues (2018–2020)

Order back issues online!
About
Library
Reviews
Podcast
Gifts
Guild
Archives
SpecFaith
Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
Subscribe free to Lorehaven
/ Magazines / Summer 2020

The Chosen’s Speculation Meets a True Savior

This series may be one of the best Christian stories in our lifetime.
Cap Stewart | No comments

A critic of faith-based films, such as myself, could look at The Chosen with easy skepticism: “Why is someone trying to make yet another Jesus biopic? It’s not like we’re hurting for films inspired by the gospels. Why play it safe rather than branch out and take some real creative risks?”

Nevertheless, I have good news of great joy: The Chosen is anything but your typical faith-based project. This streaming series (at TheChosen.tv), led by writer, director, and producer Dallas Jenkins, boldly goes where no gospel story has gone before.

These filmmakers use the format of a multi-season TV show, giving the narrative room to breathe instead of just hitting the highlights of the gospels before credits roll. Furthermore, the show approaches Jesus’ ministry not primarily from Christ’s perspective but from the perspective of those around him. As Jenkins himself has stated, “If the audience can encounter Jesus through the eyes of those who met h, the audience can be impacted in the same way they were.”

The genius behind this approach seems obvious in retrospect. There are limits to how a sinful and finite audience can relate to a holy and infinite character.

To be sure, Jesus is the focus of The Chosen. But it is his work in others’ lives that drives the story forward. As such, we connect better with the characters because we are just like them. When they encounter Jesus and are transformed by his presence, we can relate that much more fully to their experience.

Make no mistake, The Chosen is historical fiction, imagining what may have happened alongside the gospel narratives. As a work of historical fiction, the show is similar to other cinematic Bible stories embraced by the Christian community over the years, including The Passion of the Christ (2004), The Ten Commandments (1956), Risen (2016), The Prince of Egypt (1998), and The Young Messiah (2016). All of these films embellished their biblical source material for dramatic efficacy.

The Chosen’s use of artistic license always exalts, not dishonors, the Biblical narrative. Its fictional details are healthy speculation and not subversion.

Some Christians would shy from embracing this approach. Fortunately, the show’s producers have taken great pains to show reverence for God and his word. This reverence is evident, even when the story inserts dialogue into well-known scenes, or adds completely new scenes not detailed in the Scriptures.

The Chosen’s scripts are smartly written, fleshing out characters we know and love so much that we know and love them even more. Most episodes are structured, at least loosely, with a small narrative arc. Of course, with this being a multi-season show, some episodes end with soft cliffhangers. Viewers may spy anachronisms here and there, but nothing drags down the quality of the production.

Production values are all top-notch, including the cinematography, sound mixing, costumes, editing, and set design. Visual effects are also outstanding, and mesh so well with practical sets that some effects might pass unnoticed.

To top it all off, the actors are uniformly good, and some actors—such as those who play Matthew (Paras Patel), Nicodemus (Erick Avari), and Peter’s wife, Eden (Lara Silva)—are outright superb.

If I had to critique something, it would be the musical score. While it more than adequately serves the dramatic needs of the show (sometime to powerful effect), I’d have preferred less musical “droning” and more thematic texture. Viewers hear a few repeating motifs (including one for Jesus), but it would have been stellar to hear more recognizable themes associated with each of the main characters. Of course, this is only the first season, so it’s possible that those character themes already exist in part and will come to greater fruition later on.

Moviguide.org says of The Chosen season 1, “At the core of its success is brave, artistic storytelling choices. They bring new life to the familiar tales. The writers balance perfectly between faithful biblical interpretation and a willingness to use their imagination. . . . There’s little doubt that THE CHOSEN will soon become one of the most well-known and celebrated pieces of Christian media in history.”

That last may seem presumptuous. Still, I believe The Chosen may truly become one of the most well-known and celebrated Christian stories in our lifetime.

Yes, The Chosen is that good—not by playing it safe, but by taking creative and calculated risks. By veering so deeply into uncharted waters, and by choosing a long-form multi-season format, The Chosen paradoxically upholds rather than undermines the gospel narrative. It does not seek to replace Scripture, but to complement Scripture. And it needs to be seen to be believed.

An earlier version of this article was published Feb. 7, 2020 at SpeculativeFaith.com.

Cap Stewart has developed his love of stories through drama, radio, freelance writing and editing, videography, independent filmmaking, and collecting and reviewing film scores. He has written for several print and online publications. Cap instructs online audiences on the Christian’s forgotten duty when confronting a pornified culture. He has also been blogging at Happier Far since 2006.
Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Cap Stewart
Cap Stewart has developed his love of stories through drama, radio, freelance writing and editing, videography, independent filmmaking, and collecting and reviewing film scores. He has written for several print and online publications. Cap instructs online audiences on the Christian’s forgotten duty when confronting a pornified culture. He has also been blogging at Happier Far since 2006.
Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter

Share your fantastical feedback. Cancel reply

Lorehaven magazine, spring 2020

Wear the wonder:
Get exclusive shirts and beyond

Listen to Lorehaven’s podcast

Authors and publishers:
Reach new fans with Lorehaven

Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter