The Chosen series is causing a sensation thanks to its remarkable creativity, originality, and freshness, as it portrays the figure of our Lord Jesus Christ in a way that’s accessible to today’s sensibilities. And, as expected, it’s enjoying worldwide success because the figure of Christ leaves no one indifferent; He is the Lord and the center of the story.

On the other hand, I think The Chosen fulfills the proposal that Saint John Paul II made to Catholics: a faith that is not reflected in culture is a faith that is not sufficiently lived or sufficiently thought out, and that is in danger of disappearing.

For all these reasons, let’s praise these kinds of initiatives rather than hinder them, for as our Lord said: “He who is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40). In this Gospel passage, the apostles tell Jesus that someone is casting out demons who are not with us, and the Lord tells them not to stop him. This biblical passage came to mind when I observed how some social media influencers, who are Catholic priests or Protestant pastors, have created unrest regarding The Chosen, even going so far as to prohibit its viewing. I think these people do a disservice to evangelization because it is proper for the first proclamation of faith to make known the figure of Jesus Christ, the center of our faith, with the resources of art, as has been done in other times, and today, as the philosopher Julián Marías affirmed: “cinema is the great educational power of our time.” There will be time later to delve deeper into the figure of Christ by reading the Gospel or other books, but as a first announcement, I think this series does a fantastic job.

And regarding those supposed errors or heresies in the series, which aren’t such, it seems that the series’ critics, when they talk about them, are unaware of the most basic rules of audiovisual narrative and misinterpret the scenes, hiding key elements to make the characters say what they want, without respecting what the scenes are actually telling. They can be attributed to what happened to the good Don Quixote: they see giants where there are only windmills.

And on the other hand, these critics display a zeal for orthodoxy that leads them not only to distort what they are seeing, but also to fall into other heresies (for example, Docetism, an ancient heresy that denied the human nature of Christ). That is why I find it interesting to indicate in this article, and in other upcoming ones, some keys to interpretation to clear the conscience of viewers who watch this series in good faith and enjoy it. It helps them pray and get to know Jesus, and serves as an evangelizing element to make Christ known to those who do not know him. Obviously, as with any work of art, a person may not like a film about Jesus Christ, just as they may not like a painting or sculpture about Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary. But to prohibit its viewing, citing doctrinal errors against the faith, seems to me to be an abuse of authority or conscience, and ultimately reveals a lack of thorough understanding of Catholic dogmas or audiovisual narrative.