A Multitude of Peoples: The early church in Africa (Part 1)

After discussing Antipas L. Harris' Is Christianity The White Man's Religion?, I knew immediately the next book I wanted to explore on the topic of reading the Bible in color: A Multitude of All Peoples: Engaging Ancient Christianity's Global Identity by Vince L. Bantu.

Quite simply, this book took my breath away.

Bantu takes the reader through a thorough description of the history of the Church, starting with the issue of why Christianity is so often associated with the Western world, even "though the majority of Christians now live in the Global South" (page 1). But what I want to focus on are the next few chapters, because the wealth in them is incredible. 

Even just focusing this post on Africa is too much to really fit into one post, so I'm going to write in bullet points below. While I have known that truth behind the premise of this book (that Christianity is a global religion and the non-Western world had a big impact and presence on it throughout the last 2 millennia), I learned a lot. Here are just a few things I learned specifically about the early church in Africa:

• Alexandria and Egypt represent the gateway for Christianity in Africa, which attributes the spread of the Gospel to the Apostle Mark. "Alexandria was one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities of the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity—a meeting point of Hellenistic, Jewish, native Egyptian, and other influences. (pp. 72-73, 74)
• Among the Biblical fragments from 2nd-century Egypt is a fragment of the Gospel of John, which is the earliest material evidence of a canonical New Testament text (p. 73).
• Theologians Clement (Egypt), Origen (Egypt), Irenaeus (Libya), Tertullian (Libya), Augustine (Algeria), and so many more were from Africa.
• The painting of the nativity in the monastery at the capital of Dongola from the late 10th century "represents early evangelization efforts from the Nile Valley Christians of Nubia to cultures further south and west in the African continent. The Gospel had already been spreading along the Nile river from Egypt to Nubia and then Ethiopia. This painting represents the continued spread of the gospel from Africans to neighboring Africans. If the Western church had not condemned, oppressed, and isolated the early African church, leaving it open to Islamic domination, the Gospel may have continued to spread to the extremities of the African continent at an early period. Yet this painting raising the intriguing potential of Western and Central African Christians before the advent of Western colonialism" (page 95).

I'm going to stop here and continue this topic next week, because that's exactly what the above quote did to me when I read it: it stopped me in my tracks. It reminded me of Marvel's Black Panther*, and how it is a powerful, undeniable visual of how Africa's story was violently disrupted by Western colonialism in the worst way. This also includes the history of the African church, which is rich beyond what any of us can fully imagine.

What about you? Were any of the above points new information for you? Does it impact or change your understanding of the early church and the history of Christianity at all? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below!

*I wrote this post on Thursday, Aug 27, 2020, and in the writing of it, experienced a renewed desire to re-watch Black Panther. The next night, while staying with a friend, we made plans to watch it on Saturday. After that conversation, I opened my phone and read the shocking news that Chadwick Boseman, the actor playing BP’s main character, King T’Challa had passed away after a 4-year silent war with cancer. Since then, I’ve re-watched the movie 2x, and am still amazed at the incredible- and important- world of Wakanda.

Historic Peace Treaty between Israel and the UAE

Back in June, I talked about how Israel was supposed to annex Gaza and the West Bank on July 1. As time passed, I wondered what happened; why I wasn't reading stories saying "it happened". Then, last week, this incredible news was announced:

WOW!

The United Arab Emirates has become the 3rd Arab nation to strike a peace deal with Israel, the first being Egypt in 1967 and Jordan in 1994.

According to Amir Tsarfati of Behold Israel, "Israel and the UAE have been working together in developing new methods to more efficiently combat COVID-19. As part of this new partnership, the two countries will share in trade, travel, tourism, and even technology." Behold Israel notes that while Palestine, Iran, and Turkey are against this peace deal, other Arab states support it (and might even follow with their own). In fact, one report I heard said that OMan will sign one in the next 2 weeks and Bahrain will follow (Bahrain has already picked out a building for an Israeli embassy!), Morocco, and then maybe even Saudi Arabia. Already Saudi Arabia is allowing Israeli flights to cross their airspace to get to the UAE. 

For more of the implications of this peace deal, you can watch Amir Tsarfati's update here:

What do you think of this historic event?

Important Pupdate!

We interrupt your normally scheduled post for this BIG (teeny) announcement: 

My family got a puppy! I'm so excited! We were so heartbroken over losing our precious Mitsi in June, and then God led my parents and I to this little red girl from Talladega, Alabama. 

Introducing Annie Reba Fancypants! She’ll go by Annie and her initials spell “ARF”. She is 9 weeks old, as sweet as a dewdrop on a peach tree, and has already stolen our hearts with her bright eyes, puppy prance, and southern accent. 🐩💖💃🏽 👢

Needless to say, the past few days (and the next few weeks) are going to be very full of puppydom. It's already been an adventure re-entering this world. Annie is so precious and as sweet as can be! We've only had her 36 hours and she already knows where her bowls are and is pottying outside like a pro. Now to just get her to used to the crate at night. Prayers appreciated! 

We know nothing can replace Mitsi, and we aren't trying to. But it's so wonderful to have a buddy again! You can see more pictures and videos of her at Instagram: annie.reba.fancypants and FB: annierebafancypants.

Acts of Faith Series

Continuing with the theme of the Early Church, I want to share about this really cool series I read a few years ago. The Acts of Faith series is fiction, set in the time of the crucifixion and right after. It follows characters like a Roman-centurion-turned-Christian, the disciples, Stephen and so many more.

Essentially, it's a fictional retelling of the beginning of the book of Acts.

What I love about this series is how the authors brought that world to life. Suddenly, the reader is immersed in the culture and issues of the day. What does it mean for the Roman centurion who now is a follower of the Way? What is it like to be a Jew and suddenly also be a Christian—in a very Jewish culture? How does it feel to be "figuring Christianity out" in this world?

The scene that hit me the most in this series is with Ananias and Sapphira. The reader is right there, seeing Ananias bring his offering, lie, and drop dead, and then the same happening with Sapphira. To us, it's a retelling of a story we know—no big deal. But to the early church... wow. Can you imagine being there that day and seeing what happened? Or hearing about it after? What would your first thought have been after? Would you have been afraid? 

Obviously, the seriousness of what it meant to become a follower of Christ isn't lost on them, as so many were witnesses to Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. But, the "stakes" don't stop there, as now they are trying to figure out what it means to be the Church... and it's not in a bubble, but right in the heart of the Roman Empire, where followers of Jesus are actively being persecuted and killed. 

Unfortunately, this series ends WAY too soon. I was SO EXCITED to get to Paul's story and his journeys, but it stops abruptly. It's still a wonderful read; I just hope that one day I can read the re-telling of the rest of the Acts story through this series!

Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar

I am so excited by this blog post, because I read the most amazing book this week that gave me so much to think about: Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar. This is the 3rd book of hers I've reviewed on this blog, and it won't be the last. In fact, so far, this one is my favorite.

Daughter of Rome is Biblical fiction, featuring the stories of Priscilla and Aquila of the New Testament. Since not much is known about this couple apart from Paul's mentions of them in Acts 18: 1-28, 1 Cor. 16:19, Romans 16:3-5, and 2 Timothy 4:19, it's obvious Afshar put a lot of research into this story. In addition, Afshar herself has valuable insight that I wouldn't have. Born and raised in Iran until age 14, she understands the Middle Eastern world in a way that I'm sure has greatly impacted her novels. And as I talked about last week, it's so important to have the perspectives of the whole Body of Christ as we study the Bible and as we live and engage in the world. 

So, on to the book- what struck me immediately was something that should have been obvious (except that as a Western reader in the 21st century, I didn't catch this!): Priscilla and Aquila were an interracial couple in the Early Church. Priscilla was Roman and Aquila (which, since I don't speak Hebrew, I didn't catch this was a Hebrew name) was a Jew. In "A Note from the Author" on pages 381-384, Afshar describes what she found in her research to reach this conclusion, and it is fascinating. But when I realized this a few chapters into the story, I almost sat straight up at the implications (I was reading laying down on the couch, weighted down by my poodle). WOW! The implications of this, considering how strict Judaism is about intermarrying with Gentiles, is incredible!

With a lack of a documented backstory, Afshar was able to creatively explore how they came to be married and part of the early church. That was fun to see. But for me, the story really picked up when they moved to Corinth and met Paul. There were also other well-known Biblical characters in this story, like Rufus, believed to be the son of Simon of Cyrene (modern day Libya), who carried the cross for Jesus when He couldn't anymore. Again, this really hit home the perspective of this being a multi-cultural, multi-national, multi-racial world—not only in real life, but in the Early Church as well!

I am so thankful to Tessa Afshar for writing this book, because what I knew of this couple really was just that they were dear friends of Paul, part of the Early Church, and that it was important that they served together (that it wasn't just that Aquila was serving and Priscilla was just there. She had an important role!). Afshar points out in her author's note, though, that there are many mentions of Priscilla's name before Aquila's, which suggests "that, indeed, on certain occasions, she might have been considered the more knowledgeable teacher and a respected leader in her own right". And while this book is definitely fiction and should not be taken as Scripture, just the fact of what Afshar shows can be proven—that this is an interracial couple, a Gentile and a Jew, in the Early Church—is pretty much blowing my mind.

You can find this book here on Amazon—I highly recommend it!

Taking a break...

Hey! I'm going to take a break from posting this week, as this week I had to say good-bye to my best friend, my precious poodle, Mitsi. I might end up extending this break, as it's been really hard to focus on anything but how much I miss her. If you're a dog person, I know you understand.

Reading the Bible in Color

In Bishop T.D. Jakes' panel discussion with Christine Caine, Judah Smith, Carl Lentz, Dr. Caroline Leaf, and Ron Carpenter that I shared last week, Bishop Jakes recommended the following book:
Is Christianity the White Man's Religion by Antipas L. Harris. I was so intrigued that I ordered it last week and read it.

I highly recommend this book, as it gives an in-depth, Biblical and historical exploration of how the myth of Christianity being the white man's religion came about—and how centuries of this impacts us today. 

But what stood out to me was Part II, titled "Have we been taught to misread the Bible?". This section, and specifically Chapter 6: "The Color of the Bible" specifically reminded me of the chapter on race and ethnicity in the Bible in Misreading Scriptures with Western Eyes, which I discussed here. In fact... as I re-read this chapter in order to review it on this blog, I just realized that Harris quotes Randolph and O'Brien on this very topic!

Harris points out on page 82 that "... very few people in the Bible had white skin. In fact, most of the central figures in the Bible were people of color and were born in difficult circumstances, including many of the biblical patriarchs and prophets stretching from Abraham to David and, yes, Jesus.... Additionally, most of the authors of the books of the Bible were people of color. In the New Testament, the author of the Gospel of Mark was a Jew from Cyrene, which is located in the modern northeast region of Libya. Most scholars believe that the book of Mark was the first of the Gospel writings, and that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke use Mark as a guide for their outline. This would mean that the author of the first synoptic Gospel was an African Jew" (pages 82 and 83). He goes on to point out, that Apollos, was an Egyptian Jew from Alexandria, and he is believed by some to be the author of Hebrews.

Ultimately, "the Bible features members from a kaleidoscope of ethnicities. From Israelites to Kushites, Egyptians to Babylonians, Romans to Jews, and North Africans to Greeks, the Bible contains rich ethnic threads with accompanying ideological influences" (pages 83-84).

However, it's so easy to miss this as a modern Western reader, partially because some of the clues given don't translate to us (for instance, in the sentence above, a reader might have to look up Kush to know that it was in Africa. The other part (and a big part) is the history of how Christianity became Eurocentric, which Harris describes clearly in pages 85-94. "From Genesis to Revelation, the majority of the Bible in the Bible are from an Afro-Asiatic context with a range of brown skin, thick and thin lips, broad and slender noses, tall and fat structures, and so on. There are indeed people of a European descent in the New Testament, but they have a much less prominent presence than Hollywood would have us believe" (page 97).

I highly recommend Is Christianity the White Man's Religion? because I think it asks a lot of important questions and is a biblically-based exploration of what the modern, Western Church has missed. It's given me so much to think, pray over, and consider as I continue to study God's Word and live for Him. 

In this review, I'm only focusing on one small part because it connects with the topic of both modern-day and ancient Israel, mainly that I encourage every Christian to slow down as they are reading a story or text in the Bible and instead of reading "Apollos from Alexandria" or "the Ethiopian Eunuch" and moving on quickly to the action, to reading the Bible in color.

I'm convinced this will add so much more context and understanding to our comprehension and exposition of the Scripture. Harris is as well, as he calls for more theologians of color (and women), for he states, "We must not continue to trick ourselves into thinking that people's experiences are not important when interpreting Scripture. Of course, we must be faithful to the text, but human experience is as a significant part of interpreting the Word of God in Scripture" (page 73). This is because we all read through the lenses of our own experiences. For instance, as a woman, I might have more questions about stories of women and mentions of women that men might have, an immigrant living in foreign country would read passages about foreigners differently, a single will read differently than a married person or a widow, a child might have a different view than an adult, etc. "Indeed, life experiences inform the questions we bring to the biblical text. Scripture invites all of God's children to the theological task of connecting the narrative of the biblical text with the reader's lived experience" (page 77).

I also wanted to take this time to highlight a friend of mine who is doing this beautifully. Her name is Jennifer Lucy Tyler, and she is passionate about theology and Bible literacy (as well as an author, entrepreneur, and the founder of Soul Circles). I first met her years ago, and in addition to loving her as my sister and friend, have great respect for her walk with God and her calling. She is a leading voice in our generation as a woman who loves the Word, and I hope you check her site out! Click here or on the photo below to learn more about her ministry!

I'm going to end this post with questions to consider, and would love to know what you think in the comments below: Do you read the Bible in color? If you do, how has that impacted your reading of it? How has your life experiences inform how you read it?

A response to racial tensions in Israel

What I'm going to focus on today might seem off topic, because at the outset it doesn't seem to have anything to do with Israel. Ultimately, it's my blog, so I can talk about what I want, right?

But in light of what I talked about last week, and here in April, I feel charged to share this conversation about the Church and Race. Last week, Bishop T.D. Jakes hosted a panel discussion online about recent events in the US—and where to go from here.

At first, I wasn't sure I'd watch. I only recognized 2 faces other than Bishop Jakes (the women), and it's very clear what appears to be out-of-balance about this panel. Why was this about race, when all the invitees (other than the host) are white?

Well, Bishop Jakes explains this at the end, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone. But I will say here that the two women on this panel, Christine Caine of international anti-trafficking organization A21 and Dr. Caroline Leaf, a neuroscientist and mental health expert, aren't from the US. Caine is Australian and Leaf is South African. So they both had very interesting insights, not just from their professions, but as foreigners to the US (and especially Leaf's perspective as someone who lived through the apartheid-era in South Africa).

What I do want to say, is PLEASE GO WATCH THIS DISCUSSION. It's an hour and 37 minutes long, and I had to watch it in 30 minute chunks just because there was so much weighty TRUTH in there that I needed to take time and chew on it. It is worth taking the time to watch.

And, while the topic is obviously focusing on the specific response (and responsibility) of the Church for Race, especially in light of the current events and the horrific history of slavery, injustice, and racism in the US, I think there are truths in here that could be applied to the racial situation in Israel. It could be that these are apples and oranges, but I believe all racial tension has the same root, and connections can be made from this video that we don't want to miss.

I'd love to know what you think! Please watch it (click on the photo or the link above) and let me know below!

Israel to Annex the West Bank

In the past few weeks, a new BIG announcement has come from Israel, following the new government formation by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Benny Gantz: the plan to annex Israel's ancestral lands of Gaza and the West Bank by July 1.

This is a BIG deal, because it would mean that Israel would once again hold all of the land that was given to them by God in the Old Testament, and, as pointed out in this article, fit the Ezekiel's prophecy:

"For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.”

Ezekiel 36:24

This blows my mind, from a historical perspective. From the perspective I talked about here, I can't help but think of the Palestinian Arabs living in this region and what they are thinking/feeling. In light of what is going on in the States right now and knowing of the ongoing tension between Jews and Arabs in Israel, my continued prayer is for peace. Again, I do not feel qualified as an outsider to speak on this situation, but I know God has charged me to pray. So I will. And, as a student of history, continue to watch, wide-eyed at what is to come.

To see an excellent 25-minute short film on the Arab perspective, click here. 

Why THE CHOSEN Shocked Me: An Open Letter to Dallas Jenkins

Dear Dallas,

I've never done this before, and might never again, but I wanted to take the time to publicly thank you for making The Chosen.

When I heard there was a "Jesus show for phones", I wasn't interested. Partially, because the last thing I want to do is watch a long video on a phone screen (now that I better understand how the technology connects to a tv, I think it's really cool), but mostly for 2 big reasons:

1) The "cheese factor": The majority of Christian movies fall into this category and *most* "Jesus movies" definitely do (I say movies, because yours is the first multi-season series! YAY!). The first category is so cheesy that it's painful. There's not enough cheese in France to rival some of these. And, not only are they cheesy, but they are often sub-quality, from the writing to the acting and production—everything. It's the kind of thing that could attract Christians, but not so much people who don't know Christ.

As a Christian and an artist, I'm a firm believer that we have the best reason of all to produce quality Art. It's a big soapbox of mine. We shouldn't have to qualify a Christian movie by saying, "For a Christian movie, it was really good." A question I always have when I hear of another Christian movie is "Does it have 'real' actors?", because that is often the first clue that it will need the above qualification. My second question is usually, "Are these actors actually Christians?" because of my second reason.

2) The "hypocrite factor": Christians in secular movies produced by Hollywood are often one of two things: cheesy, head-in-the-clouds, not-in-the-real-world characters or (worse) monsters. There is no faithfulness to the Gospel or God's Word. We can argue all day that those characters aren't really Christians, but that doesn't change the damage their portrayal does. It even more cringe-worthy, because these characters only contribute to false beliefs about God, Christians, and our faith.

For this reason, I don't go see Christian movies until they've been recommended by a lot of people I trust as both Christians and artists. This is to save my writer's heart from being discouraged again by another work that sacrificed Story for cheese.

But I had enough people tell me about The Chosen, and I had the time thanks to COVID-19, so I figured I'd give it a shot. And I wasn't just pleasantly surprised, as Nicodemus says in episode 7, "my heart was swollen with fear and wonder" (Don't get me started on how much I love that scene- or how many times I've watched it!).

Wonder, because this is high-quality Art that is what Christian Art should be: Story that points to God's character. Every element is so well done. You even have 'real' actors, haha, and from interviews I've seen that many are also followers of Christ. And while I talk here about many of the reasons why I've enjoyed this show, the main reason is because of Him.

As I told a friend, I saw Jonathan Roumie's portrayal of Jesus and thought, He reminds me of the One I love. I don't think I've ever thought that before about any Jesus movie or tv event. From the big conversations to the tiny nuances (a wink, a compassionate glance that somehow reaches straight through the character, through the screen, and into me, or a well-timed joke), God has given you the ability to capture both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus in a way that is a glimpse into who He really is—and who the first century world saw: His person. It's made Him personal in a way I've never seen in a "Jesus movie" before. How in the world are we going to get through the crucifixion episodes (which, I think, is partially the point)? How did his friends and family do it then, when they really thought all hope was lost?

Thank you for stepping out in faith and making this series. I know there's a long road ahead that will be filled with more incredible moments of God at work as He uses this show to reach people around the world. I can't wait to be part of it as a viewer and share-er. That's where the 'fear' comes in, although it's not so much fear as the knowledge that you will also continue to write, film, produce, and release in a great warfare, as this is a Story that the enemy does not want shared in this way. It's way too powerful, too close to the truth. Thankfully, we know who the victor is, and the guy you brought to life on screen looks a lot like Him.

I believe you when you say that you ask for people to lift the show up in prayer, and I will join with them, as this has such incredible potential for astronomical impact—much more so than any "Jesus movie" I've ever seen. I pray that God will continue to give you and those involved with The Chosen great wisdom, good health, and a reach that extends around the globe. May God continue to use this series to bring people to Him for years to come.

I've always believed that there could be Christian Art that tells a great story that is powerful, relevant, and faithful to God's Word. I believe this is one, and am so thankful someone told someone who told someone who told the many someones who told me about it. Now, I'm telling as many people as I can.

A sister in Christ,
Kristen Torres-Toro



*I say "most" because there are always exceptions. Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is an excellent example of a non-cheesy Christian movie.

THE CHOSEN: Jesus and Women

In the last post, I talked about how Jesus is portrayed in such a beautiful way in season 1 of The Chosen, a multi-season, crowdfunded drama about the life of Christ.

I wanted to take a specific post to talk about how He converses with women in this show, because I've never seen anything like it.

The Chosen takes 2 of its 8 episodes to specifically show key stories from the Gospels between Jesus and women, highlighting Mary Magdalene and the woman at the well from John 4.

I'm not going to talk about those episodes specifically, even though they were beautifully done. What struck me most were the little moments with women throughout the entire series, from Jesus and his mother, Mary, to meeting Peter's wife and mother-in-law, and other random women who interacted with Him throughout the story.

He takes the time to see them, and on several occasions, speaks one line that is so powerful it took my breath away—cutting directly to their hearts. 

I cannot wait to see how this continues throughout the rest of the series, from big meetings (like the woman with the issue of blood and the woman caught in adultery in John 8) to these little conversations where He stops what everyone expects what He is to do and talks with the women. 

In first century Near East culture, women were not respected outside of Jewish communities. Jewish women could not testify in court, and were confined to the home. In public, they needed to cover their faces and hair with veils, and had to sit separately in worship. While males went to Torah school, females did not. 

*photo from here*

So, here's Jesus from The Chosen, where the first episode is of Mary Magdalene, who then begins to follow Jesus along with the disciples. We often depict Him as only walking with the 12, but more than that followed Him, including women. Luke 8:1-3 specifically says some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases travelled with him: Mary Magdalene, Joanna the wife of Chusa, the manager of Herod's household, Susanna, and many others. In fact, "The women were helping to support them out of their own means"(verse 3), which means that they had an important role—and knew it. So I love that The Chosen shows this. 

Then, with the woman at the well, it's the first time that He has told anyone that He is the Messiah, and he does it to a woman—from a hated race.

We know too that the first person to see Him after His resurrection is Mary Magdalene—again, someone who couldn't legally testify as to seeing Him (I'd imagine this will be shown in season 8). 

The creator of this show talks often of how the point of this show (even its name) is about those who encounter Jesus, their responses, and what happens afterwards. So far, this has been remarkable to see (and very clearly portrayed). I can't wait to see what happens in the next 7 seasons!

THE CHOSEN: Jesus

This week, we're going to talk about my favorite part of The Chosen:

Him.

I mean, Jesus is everything, right?

So, I'm going to dive right in by saying that I love this portrayal of Jesus, because it's so obvious He is the Son of God, but is also very much man. And that's what He is, right? 100% man and 100% God. 

The incredible attention to detail that this show went in to show Jesus as human—with sore muscles and splintered hands, who likes to tell a good joke one minute while showing that He is very much aware of what is going on in the hearts and minds of those around Him at the same time—is amazing. This Jesus rejoices not only in healing and redemption, but in the journey the characters make to get to that place as well. Conversation after conversation, he isn't impatient, being like, "Why can't you get this? Huh?" Instead, he enjoys the moments things begin clicking in their minds as the characters realize things are so very different than they'd thought. It's like, how a parent, who has vastly more knowledge than a child, enjoys watching the child learn and converse on their level, while encouraging growth. He's not "talking down" to the characters; He's delighting in them as they are, quirks, pain, humanity, and all. 

And don't even get me started on how He treats women. 😭😍That's another blog post for another day.

There are so many scenes that I re-wound and started again (successfully freezing the dvd player accessing youtube a few times), but none of those more than this scene, Jesus and Nicodemus, which I played over... and over... and over again (and over).

I LOVE this scene. The emotion in it is real and it is powerful. Most of all, I love the imagery of it, how One who is God and man is sitting at a table with man as 'equals'. Literally, God and man sitting together to have a conversation. The filming of this scene is beautiful. The story behind the music at the "BAM!!!" moment is incredible. The invitation is there, and it is SO CLEAR that I wanted to say "YES!" again and again and again! There's humor, tears, vulnerability, and genuine relationship in this scene, and I might just need to go watch it a 1,000 more times.

Years ago, I was in a prayer room where the names of God were written on pieces of paper, just lying on a table for people to read. I stopped in front of them, and as I started reading, I was struck by how this was so much more than ink on paper. I couldn't wrap my mind around how that simple wooden table could stand up under the weight of those words.

Last night, while watching this scene about 74 times, I had the same feeling watching a portrayal of what that conversation between God and man could have been like. How could that table hold up under that weight, as if it was just another rooftop conversation and not a holy moment?

I've never seen Jesus depicted like this so well. Back when I was in high school, a made-for-tv movie came out about the life of Christ and had glimpses of this concept. I remember the Jesus in there starting a water fight at a well with his disciples, dancing at the wedding, and petting a dog. And it struck me, especially the water fight, that He would take the time from being holy to being ordinary. Human.

But... we, as humans, are made in the image of God. A water fight, a good-natured tease at a disciple's two left feet, or an exaggerated eye roll doesn't debase Him or detract from His Holiness.... in fact, I think it just shows us more His person, and as Dallas Jenkins (the show's creator, co-writer, and director) says, enhances our understanding of His divinity.

And isn't that what the invitation to intimacy with Him is? To know His heart as well as His teachings? To know this person of Jesus so fervently that we will sake all to follow Him?

The Chosen has given me so much to think about. What about you? What did you think of the depiction of Jesus in this show?

THE CHOSEN: Get Used to Different

There are so many things I loved about The Chosen, and I wanted to talk about them here on the blog because they touch on so many themes we've discussed over the years.

First of all, I love that this a multi-ethnic world. Israel sits as the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the people living there in these films and shows need to look like it. The appearance of so many races and cultures in this series is beautiful and authentic.

Second, while the show does take creative liberties in telling its stories, it does so with a faithfulness to Scripture and established tradition. Creating these well-rounded stories involves imagining conversations and situations not explicitly depicted in the Gospels, but none of these conflict with the Bible.

Third, the show takes the time to establish the quirks and personalities of the different disciples and other major characters, diving deep into their motivations, felt needs, and backstory, which is where the above point comes into play. But I'm making it a separate point because disciples other than Peter and John are standing out to me (and I'm even understanding Peter better as well). They're not just a faceless, personality-less blob of people who are blundering about at times. They are having their brains blown pretty much at every turn and are trying to fit what they are learning with what they thought to be true. Jesus tells Peter in Episode 7 (my favorite!): "Get used to different". That is a process we get to see on screen and it's pretty cool.

Fourth, because the New Testament regularly refers to the Old Testament, they are able to reference and show scenes from the Old Testament and how they were understood by the first century characters.

Fifth, there are many Jewish cultural customs I noticed, from kissing the mezuzah to the importance of hospitality, observing Shabbat, and so much more.

Sixth, the first season follows Jesus' early ministry, before He was officially "public". It's easy to read the Gospels and lose track of when what event happened in Jesus' 3 years of earthly ministry. Other than a possible "clue" being that whatever happened at the beginning of a book was obviously early on; it can begin to run together. During what part of His ministry did Jesus heal the paralytic? Or talk to Nicodemus? Or meet the woman at the well? Does it matter?

I love the clear progression of this season, how it builds it each episode and links them all together in such a way that a viewer can clearly remember what comes when.

Finally, in the spirit of balance I will say one thing that I wish—I wish it could be filmed in Israel, or that more of Israel's landscape could be in the shots somehow. It was filmed in Texas, not Israel. Realizing just how complicated it would be to film in Israel, I think the setting of The Chosen is great. It's more that I just want to see Israel than this is an actual criticism of the series. 😜 Can you blame me?

So, basically, I highly recommend The Chosen. The points above are several reasons why—but not the main one.

Next week, we'll talk about Jesus. 🙌


What about you? Have you seen The Chosen yet? What has stood out to you about how this show is different from other portrayals of the life of Christ?