Chosen Partnering With Mormons

'The Chosen' Is Putting a Rumor to Rest: 'We're Not Produced by Mormons'
04-28-2022
Steve Warren

Critics of the viral TV series about the life of Jesus Christ titled The Chosen have been spreading rumors that the show is a Mormon production. Now the makers of The Chosen are putting that rumor to rest.

On April 26, the creators of the popular series addressed concerns in a Facebook post, making it clear that the series is not produced by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

One user noted, "God is in it!"

"I love this show. Jesus is all over this because it is bringing people into His kingdom! I tell anyone who will listen to watch because I've been a believer for 38 years and the Gospels came alive like never before. I have the devotionals. This show has brought me closer to my Savior! I also quote the show. I identify with Peter and I adore the way Matthew was written. I am an instructional aide in SPED. Matthew is close to my heart. God bless this series and all who participate in creating it! God is in it!!" the user wrote.

Another user wrote, "I haven't seen anything yet that goes against Scripture... if I do, I'll walk away from it. So far, it's been very respectful and realistic and the disclaimer does tell the viewers to READ THE GOSPELS and if everyone does that, this show will have done a magnificent duty to spread The Word."

Christian Headlines reports the rumor about a Mormon connection with the series has circulated on blogs and social media in recent months.

As CBN News has reported, The Chosen, a production distributed by Angel Studios, is the first multi-season story about the life of Jesus Christ. Garnering millions of dollars in support, it has become the top crowd-funded media project of all time.

So far, The Chosen's worldwide audience has paid it forward to completely fund seasons one, two, and three with the hope of having a fully-funded season four in 2023.

Dallas Jenkins, the series creator, writer, director, and executive producer is an evangelical Christian. Deseret News reports during a recent question and answer session in front of a receptive audience at Utah State University, one person in the audience asked him, "When are you going to make the episode about Jesus coming to the Americas?"

Contrary to the Bible, Mormons believe that after his death and resurrection in Jerusalem, Jesus Christ visited the Americas. "Not anytime soon," Jenkins said, which drew laughter from the crowd.

The director told the audience he didn't have an agenda when he felt divine inspiration to begin creating The Chosen, but he has watched it bring people of different faiths and religions together in remarkable ways, according to Deseret News.

"To me, one of the joys of this project is seeing the religious walls that come down when we're focused on Jesus himself," he said. "It's just been so beautiful to watch."

During an interview in March posted to YouTube, Jenkins told Ruslan KD his series does not receive any funding from Angel Studios or any organization, including any religious organizations. 

Angel Studios has LDS members within it, but the studio is a "distribution partner," and "they don't actually fund it," he said.

"I am an evangelical," Jenkins told the YouTube content creator. "I consider myself a conservative evangelical. I believe in the Bible. It is God's Holy Word. It's the inerrant word of Scripture."

He also explained that he alone is responsible for the series content. 

As CBN News reported last December, "Christmas with the Chosen: The Messengers" was released in 1,700 movie theaters becoming Fathom Events' best-selling and most highly attended event in its history.

The film, which depicts the birth of Jesus Christ from the perspectives of Mary and Joseph, soared to $9 million in box office receipts over one weekend.

Despite becoming a box-office hit last holiday season, Jenkins told CBN News' The PrayerLink he does not look at numbers as a measure of success.

"For me, it's about the impact and seeing what God is doing," Jenkins said. "God has something to say and I'm just wanting to be a part of it."

"People just seem to be responding to what God is saying and I'm just lucky to be a steward of it," he added.

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/entertainment/2022/april/the-chosen-is-putting-a-rumor-to-rest-were-not-produced-by-mormons

Watch the series for FREE, click here.

Season 2 of The Chosen and its ties to Utah
Mar 31, 2021, 8:59 AM | Updated: 12:58 pm

HEART OF UTAH — ‘The Chosen’ CEO Derral Eves would be one of the first to tell you they wanted their show to be different. So, instead of pitching the idea for their multi-season show about the life of Jesus Christ and his followers to any of the big Hollywood studios, they went to the public.

“I think it’s really important that everyone knows this is not an LDS project. This is 100%, written and directed by an evangelical, my partner Dallas Jenkins,” Eves said.

“And basically, we had this self-funded from all different faiths and backgrounds all around the world. We got 19,000 people backing the project and we broke the all-time crowdfunding record in film and television and raised over 10 million dollars. For a Jesus show. Like that’s amazing!”

That first season debuted about this time a year ago and has seen some pretty remarkable success. To date, the first season has been viewed over 100 million times in more than 180 different countries around the world. It’s also been translated into more than 50 languages.

The Chosen: Utah connection
Season 2 of The Chosen is set to release on Easter Sunday, and a large portion of it was filmed right here in Utah, but its genesis as a show is in Utah, too.

Eves said he was approached by his friend Jeffery Harmon who is one of the founders of Angel Studios at a conference he puts on every year here in the Beehive State.

“And he said you have to see this, and I’m like, I’m trying to put on a conference,” Eves recalled. “And he said no you have to see this. And that’s where I was introduced to Dallas Jenkins’ creation of the Nativity, through the eyes of the Shepard.”

That unique way of telling the story hooked him and that conversation eventually led to the creation of The Chosen.

Just as filming began and season one was about to be released… COVID-19 hit.

That’s when they decided to do something different again. They released the whole season for free.

“We decided to do something so disruptive for a for-profit company, we decided to give The Chosen away for free, and I’m here to tell you that one decision to do that led to funding season two.”

Securing funding was just one hurdle they had to overcome. They still had to figure out how to film an entire production in the middle of a pandemic and keep everyone safe at the same time. That’s something they had to get right the first time, because halting production after they started would cost millions of dollars.

“We had pretty much decided on Malta, Bulgaria, or Utah, and we found out Utah was a no, and that was because of COVID,” Eves said.

At that point, Dallas Jenkins, the writer and director, went back to the farm where he’d filmed the short that inspired The Chosen and prayed they’d be able to keep going.

“It was the next day that we got an answer that hey, Goshen is a go,” Eves said.

Locking down a location was just one hurdle. Next, they had to figure out how to meet the safety requirements set up by the Screen Actors Guild. So the show hired a crew of 11 people to administer COVID tests to the cast and crew on a frequent basis.

Eves said that process cost them something north of $800,000 dollars.

It all paid off though. Throughout filming season 2 Eves said they had just one isolated case of COVID.

https://kslnewsradio.com/1946024/heart-of-utah-the-chosen/

Sadly Jan Markell had a woman on her show that was saying the same thing.....but I have to wonder if they have ever even watched it? The Bible is the Lord's word and the only place to get the final answer ( as Regis used to say....lol) The show is advertised as a TV show and I have watched all of it, knowing scripture tells me what is fact vs fiction. Dallas tells everyone to get into the Word and to learn about the disciples and Jesus. His depiction of the disciples and their humanness make it easier to believe that He can use a wretched sinner like me. The series has moved me even closer to scripture study and the Bible and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. :rose:

Perhaps it comes down to whether to divide and condemn the Chosen and then crusade about the affiliation..., or to do something else.  One of the options is to examine the series for blasphemy.  If blasphemous, then pray for wisdom about how to proceed.  If not blasphemous, pray for those who watch the series that the Spirit would move them to see that Jesus is the Son of God Almighty.  If blasphemous and you need to protect the Gospel, consider your limitations (and God's lack of them) to protect the few people you touch.  Tend to those who don't know Jesus and present the Gospel from the Word.  Think "wheat and tares," those God can separate and you don't even know.

Consider Luke 9:49-50 -- "John answered, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.'  But Jesus said to him, 'Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.'"

Regarding the presumed motives of the Mormon supporters, consider Philippians 1:15-18 -- "Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.  The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice..."

I personally have enjoyed the possible perspectives portrayed in The Chosen.  I felt the Spirit speak to me in more than a few places in the series.

Pastor Oswald has a perspective.  Perhaps the Spirit led him to proclaim it.

There are many that need to be caught, swimming right next to our boat.  Let's catch our own fish and fry them as the Lord leads.

My $0.02

:prayer-hands:

I would like to watch the series as I did enjoy the first shows.  I still love my mom’s pastor and his teaching is usually pretty accurate.
Appreciate the info you provided Kolleen ☺️.

MWS said “There are many that need to be caught, swimming right next to our boat.  Let’s catch our own fish and fry them as the Lord leads.

My $0.02”

Love this and your post I agree with!!

:rose: :bible :rose:

I'd love to know you try watching The Chosen again Melissa. :heart: I hope the rumors and doubts going around could be set aside, and The Chosen will be watched from the heart and not the rumors. Too many people to deny, are witnessing to it as having moved their spirit and soul, and that it has drawn them to, or closer to the Lord. We know the enemy will use Anything to keep Everyone from Anything that draws the lost or the lukewarm to Him.

I am sure that I will watch more. I did enjoy about 5 episodes but just couldn’t get back to it.  Since there is so little to watch on tv would love to be able to enjoy this series, especially if the Mormon doctrine is not in it ☺️👍