Not everyone agrees with Jeffrey’s advice to just watch the show, especially Scott Aniol who is the Executive Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of G3 Ministries and the Professor of Pastoral Theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, Arkansas.
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Aniol wrote on Twitter a day before “The Chosen” addressed the Mormon production issue, telling people not to watch the show because it takes away from Scripture. “Don’t give in and watch ‘The Chosen,’ ” he said. “Your imagination will forever be shaped by the visceral potency of a cinematic interpretation of Bible narratives, and it will therefore be much more difficult to allow the words of Scripture to shape your imagination. God gave us words.”
The professor shared that he is releasing a podcast that gives a “fuller explanation” as to why he believes one shouldn’t watch “The Chosen” or “use any visual images of the triune God.”
Dr. Josh Buice, founder and president of G3 Ministries, says, “based on foundational doctrinal evidence—I can’t embrace Mormons as fellow Christians.”
“While the Mormons do uphold Jesus as “’a god’—they do not embrace Jesus as ‘very God of very God’ who is one with the Father (John 10:30; John 8:58),” Buice explains. “Mormons believe Jesus is a god, but they also believe it’s possible for any human to become a god (Doctrine and Covenants 132:20; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345–354).”
Buice says that “Mormons are not Christians based on several key teachings. Some of those troubling teachings include the spirit brotherhood of Satan and Jesus, the baptism for the dead, a racial problem, a polytheistic view of many gods, and a clear denial of the Trinity,” Buice makes it clear that these type of teachings “stand in clear contradiction to the teachings of God’s Word—and have never been embraced as merely another Christian denomination.”
In conclusion, Buice’s article states that “Mormons have one Jesus and the Christians have a very different Jesus. Make no mistake—they aren’t the same Jesus. For that reason—I can’t call my Mormon friend my brother in Christ. I want to, but I simply can’t.” He shares that he will have gospel conversations with LDS church members and said he prays that God will open their eyes to the truth.
