“The Chosen” is a faith-based 2-season, 16 episode show funded series by Angel Studios on the exploration of the life of Jesus Christ through the eyes of those who he interacted with. The series can be watched free of any charge, possible by donations of devoted believers of the gospel. Currently the show has garnered an astonishing 300 million views worldwide. 

I was playing a mobile game, when the ad for “The Chosen’ app came up, and I decided to give it a try. My family is highly religious. I can’t say the same for myself, so I downloaded it to see what all the hype was about. And I was impressed.

Episode 1 of season 1 opens up to a scene of a little girl and an older man in Magdala, 2 B.C sitting outside of a tent after she came outside admitting to being scared. “Scared of what” the man asked, to which the girl replied, “I don’t know.” They then start to recite “Adonai’s words from the prophet Isaiah” calming the scared pious girl.

The scene then shifts to a woman who appears to be in great distress which has a man screaming “HELP” into the busy market streets of Rome. A rabbi being pulled by a human drawn carriage with his wife is interrupted when one of the servants gestures towards a clan of roman soldiers riding in on their horses. The talk between Nicodemus, the rabbi, Quintis, and praetor of Capernaum is only fake formalities. The rabbi makes small talk with the people of Capernaum when he and his wife arrive saying “I always look forward to my annual visit to Capernaum and your magnificent sea of Galilee.”The rabbi tries to help the woman, Lilith, who appears possessed but quickly retreats when his appearance and holy words don’t make the spirit go away. “We are not afraid of you. You have no power here teacher” says the haunted woman. 

The episode then goes on to show the rabbi talking to the woman later in the episode after she meets with Jesus Christ and is saved. He calls Lilith by her real name, Mary of Magdalene. She cries and he embraces her. The rabbi is confused as to how the man “performs such miracles but seeks no credit” after Mary tells him it was in fact not him who healed her, she doesn’t tell him it is Jesus Christ thought because she herself doesn’t know that it was him.

Angel Studios chooses to hire Middle Eastern actors and actresses instead of white ones like the majority chooses to do which in opposition is just simply  historically incorrect. The app can be downloaded for free on iOS or Android which gives the younger generation access to the word of God. 

The show is entertaining but most importantly it is informative. The fund for Season 3 is currently at about 550 thousand dollars into the 250 million needed to renew the show in 50 days. It can be watched on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Apple TV and 8 other streaming platforms. They make it possible where you’re able to thank the person who donated money for you to be watching the episode for free directly. 

The use of cell phones and other personal devices are obviously at the highest it’s ever been in this day and age. It’s only right for religious organizations to benefit from our obsession, the Quran, Torah and Bible and other religions books can all be accessed in the click of a button making it easy for us to learn. Merchandise like framed art, beanies, posters, tote bags and even face masks are sold on their website, some merchandise being popular amongst teens, especially the tote bags. When donating to fund more episodes you can get rewards like pre-screening passes, name in credits, translation into additional languages; the rewards getting larger when the sum of money is bigger, some including unlimited set pass or co- executive producer title. 

Moral of the story: Technology can and is being used in many ways but one that may not be thought of is promoting religion. Religious group chats, accounts or clubs can be joined which is extremely beneficial in this time of COVID-19 when most of us feel alone or isolated, which then directly results in community not being lost and actually being improved upon. Making sure people who don’t have access to the internet can still participate is also important so physical clubs are still needed. Social media can be used for as much good as it can be used for bad. It is our duty to put positive spirit into the word and watch it spread because social media has a tendency to spread anything that gets enough exposure like a wildfire.

Stay blessed.