In October 2022, the series came under fire for what some believed to be a reference to the Book of Mormon. Jenkins later clarified that he “didn’t pull this quote from anywhere else. I just think it’s a theologically plausible line and it’s, I believe, a cool Jesus as king moment.”
In an interview on “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast,” Jenkins emphasized that his priority is to be faithful to Scripture and that “The Chosen” is not a substitute for God’s Word. “I come from a conservative, Bible-believing background,” he said. “I’m a strong evangelical who believes that the Bible is God’s Word. So we start with that as our primary source of truth and inspiration, and we don’t change it.”
Yet at the same time, Jenkins explained, “As long as we know what Scripture is and what it isn’t, I think that we’re free to imagine and to think about these people because they were people, human beings, just like we are.”
The announcement about the collaboration between Lionsgate and “The Chosen” has led some to speculate the partnership will negatively impact the content of the show. “Wow,” said one Facebook user. “I can’t wait to see all the ways they insist on changing this wonderful series. It won’t be Biblical much longer.”
“What could possibly go wrong?” said another. “Bad decision.”
Others celebrated the decision, and one person pointed out that Lionsgate has distributed other faith-based programming. Examples include “I Can Only Imagine,” “I Still Believe,” and most recently, “Jesus Revolution.”
“Before you begin the naysaying, pause and PRAY,” said Facebook user Richard Andrews. “Not every new move is a bad one…grace and Truth!”
