Watching The Chosen: History, Faith, and Interpretation

by Robert K. Garcia (Editor), Paul Gondreau (Editor), Patrick Gray (Editor), Douglas S. Huffman (Editor)

Overview

What makes The Chosen so popular, and how does it portray Jesus and his disciples?
 
The Chosen is the first-ever multiple-season television show about Jesus Christ and his first followers. With over half a billion views on its free electronic media app, the show has amassed a worldwide following and has now become available on cable networks, streaming services, and broadcast television venues as well as making appearances in theatrical releases. But what, exactly, makes it so appealing to viewers? And how do its theology and storytelling technique compare with the biblical narratives?
 
These and other questions are addressed in this fascinating collection of essays written by theologians, biblical scholars, and other academics from a variety of disciplines and perspectives. The authors discuss the theatrical portrayal of Jesus, the theological ideas and ideals represented in the program, and the ways it utilizes—and sometimes overutilizes—artistic license in bringing the stories from the Bible’s four canonical Gospels to the screen. Although approaching the television show as academics, the authors are sympathetic to the faith implications of The Chosen and are themselves writing from a range of theological perspectives. This thought-provoking volume will appeal to people interested in the intersection of theology and popular culture, church leaders seeking to utilize The Chosen in their ministries, and fans of the television show.

Contributors:
Daniel M. Garland Jr.
Robert K. Garcia
Paul Gondreau
Patrick Gray
Matthew Grey
Kenneth Gumbert
Liz Hall
Todd Hall
Jeannine Hanger
John Hilton III
Douglas S. Huffman
James F. Keating
David Kneip
Dolores Morris
Joy E. A. Qualls
Deborah Savage
Jesse Stone
Gaye Strathearn
T. Adam Van Wart

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802885463
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	07/29/2025
Pages:	275
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Robert K. Garcia is associate professor of philosophy at Baylor University. His research interests include analytic metaphysics and philosophy of religion. He is coeditor of Watching The Chosen: History, Faith, and Interpretation.

Paul Gondreau is professor of theology at Providence College. His research interests include moral theology, Christology, and sacraments. He is coeditor of Watching The Chosen: History, Faith, and Interpretation.

Patrick Gray is professor of religious studies at Rhodes College. His research focuses on the Greco-Roman context of early Christianity and the history of biblical interpretation. He is coeditor of Watching The Chosen: History, Faith, and Interpretation.

Douglas S. Huffman is professor of New Testament and dean of academic programs at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. His interests include Christian thought, the story of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, and the story of the early church as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. He is coeditor of Watching The Chosen: History, Faith, and Interpretation.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
List of Abbreviations
Part One: Imagination and Interpretation
1. Balancing Authenticity, Plausibility, and Relatability in The Chosen
          The Interaction of Three Key Principles
          Douglas S. Huffman
2. Imaginative Retellings, Serious Interpretation
          The Church Fathers and The Chosen on John 1:43–51
          David Kneip
3. Evil and Divine Hiddenness
          Feeding the Philosophical Imagination in The Chosen
          Dolores G. Morris
4. The Dialectical Imagination, the Sacramental Imagination, and the Appeal of The Chosen
          Different Christian Approaches
          Kenneth Gumbert
Part Two: Storytelling and Narrative
5. The Knowledge Spiral in The Chosen
          How the Visual Medium Conveys the Relational Message
          M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall and Todd W. Hall
6. The Sufficiency of Story
          Narrative, Theology, and The Chosen
          T. Adam Van Wart
7. Strong Feelings and Potent Senses
          Three Johannine Moments in Conversation with The Chosen
          Jeannine M. Hanger
8. Teaching with The Chosen
          Helping Students Connect with Scripture through Cinema
          John Hilton III
Part Three: Christology and History
9. Too Divine to Be Human?
          The Chosen’s Portrayal of a Fully Human Jesus
          Paul Gondreau
10. The Voice of the Bridegroom
          The Johannine Biblical Theology of The Chosen
          Daniel M. Garland Jr.
11. The Chosen as a Contribution to the Debate over the Historical Jesus
          A Child of the Third Quest
          James F. Keating
12. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
          Portraying the Evangelists in The Chosen
          Patrick Gray
Part Four: Emotional Resonance, Women, and Personhood
13. “You Are Mine”
          Jesus and the Emotional Resonance of The Chosen
          Jesse D. Stone
14. Jesus as Personalist
          Recognizing the Other in The Chosen
          Deborah Savage
15. Counting Sheep with Jesus
          The Significance of the Individual in The Chosen
          Robert K. Garcia
16. “Behold the Handmaid(s) of the Lord”
          The Chosen’s Amplification of Women’s Voices in Scripture
          Gaye Strathearn
17. Meaning and Calling
          A Rhetorical Analysis of Jesus’s Interactions with Women in The Chosen
          Joy E. A. Qualls
Notes
Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

While reading this book, I was so enthralled by what I was learning about Christ and his Word that I forgot I’m the one who makes the show they’re referencing. Conversations like the ones in this fascinating book, even in the moments when I disagreed, are what I’ve always hoped the show would engender. We must go deeper in our relationship with and understanding of Christ, and this book is an essential tool in that pursuit.”
—Dallas Jenkins, creator of the TV show The Chosen

“The groundbreaking, provocative series The Chosen deserves groundbreaking, provocative analysis. The contributors to this volume have done just that. They have demonstrated how philosophy and theology can successfully enhance, enrich, and challenge us in our engaging this extraordinary series on Jesus of Nazareth. Essential reading.”
—Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf College
 
“The Chosen probably presents Jesus’s heart and life to more people in the world right now than any other medium. This book helps us understand and articulate in a more sophisticated way why that is the case. Granted, biblical scholars like myself will have quibbles here and there about some historical details (though overall The Chosen is careful); but had biblical scholars been in charge of the script, it would have been a different genre (documentary) with not a fraction of the impact! Like the ancient practice of lectio divina or medieval Corpus Christi plays, The Chosen engages our imaginations to enter the world of Jesus and invites us to consider for ourselves what it was like to be with our Lord in fully human form.”
—Craig S. Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary
 
“This volume features scholarly yet accessible essays on The Chosen, perhaps the most remarkable cinematic depiction of the life of Christ in American history. The essays, addressing topics from Jesus’s divinity to his interaction with women, demonstrate that the series stands alone not just because of its widespread popularity but also because of its theologically rich depiction of the life of Christ.”
—Thomas Hibbs, Baylor University

From the Publisher