‘The Chosen’ Creator Responds to Dustup About Employee’s Pride Flag

When asked about actors who’ve come to faith in Christ in part because of the show and their on-set experiences, Jenkins said that’s another reason people of different beliefs and backgrounds are allowed to participate. “We love it,” he said. “Where else are they going to get this kind of exposure to a story like this and to someone who’s leading the team, who has the beliefs that I do and the passion that I do for Christ?”

How That Response Is Landing So Far

Dallas Jenkins’ Instagram post has already received more than 12,000 likes, plus lots of lengthy comments. One comment is from Jon Root, the Turning Point USA contributor who spread word about the on-set Pride flag and called for a boycott. Root wrote to Jenkins:

Dallas, for clarification, none of what I’ve posted is a “GOTCHA!” or anything but biblical accountability [in my opinion]. It’s concerning that a shows [sic] official stance, from your official social media account seemingly defends the display of the Pride flag that is antithetical to the Bible and the “authentic Jesus” y’all claim to honor. I’m not saying gay people can’t work on set or that they aren’t talented but it’s another thing to allow symbols of sexual depravity, such as flags, t-shirts, etc to be on display on the set of a show about our Savior Jesus Christ. Also, you’d have to admit it is concerning ESPECIALLY during Pride Month when prominent figures on the show are LGBTQ affirming…No one wants to bury you or thinks you’re a horrible person. I sure don’t but there are countless questions that need answering. DMs are open.

Other responses to Jenkins’ explanation are mixed. Some people point out that “Jesus loves everyone” and “never condemned anyone for their sins.” We can’t judge a TV series based on one employee’s “legally allowed” personal items, they say.

But other commenters warn Jenkins about allowing “The Chosen” to be associated with homosexuality and appearing to validate it via the rainbow logo. “There’s a difference between who you hire and what symbols you allow,” one person wrote, adding that the Pride flag is “an affront to Biblical teaching.”

Others emphasize the importance of speaking the “truth in love,” saying it’s OK to hire anyone, but that Jenkins should “step in and protect the Biblical beliefs that Jesus preached and still love the people.” On Jenkins’ set, someone stated, the director should communicate, “Your idols are not welcome here. While in our space, you need to respect what we believe.”