In this episode, Russell Brown sits down with the creator of The Chosen, Dallas Jenkins, to talk about how his show has become a global phenomenon. The Chosen is a Christian comedy-drama series that premiered on Comedy Central in 2014 and has since gone on to become one of the most watched shows on the network.
00:02:22.000Instead of me in one tabernacle throwing some information into the abyss, you in your tabernacle receiving it in voice note form or video form.
00:02:32.000I've really enjoyed our video exchange, by the way, Dallas.
00:02:42.000Dallas, there's no doubt that there is a Christian revival taking place across the world.
00:02:48.000People are talking about Christianity in a way that...
00:02:52.000I mean, I know people that have been Christian for a long time.
00:02:54.000I've not been Christian very long, so I can only get my diagnosis from people that know more about it than me, and there's people in this room that know more about it than me, and obviously now I'm in a conversation with you.
00:03:05.000It's, in a sense, no way that we can extract...
00:03:08.000This renewed global interest in Christianity from your show, The Chosen.
00:03:26.000How are you managing your tremendous success, impact and influence with a crowdfunded show that could have, like most crowdfunded projects, disappear into some form of irrelevance but has become a global phenomenon?
00:03:38.000How are you marshalling your leadership and the power that it has granted you?
00:03:44.000How are you handling that, Dallas Jenkins?
00:03:54.000The opposite of feeling any kind of responsibility or feeling any sense of pride.
00:04:01.000I used to chase this kind of thing all the time.
00:04:04.000Ten years ago, the notion of having a show that had reached this level of success would have been the dream.
00:04:12.000The meetings that I'm having with people in Hollywood, I would have killed to meet with the people who were working for the people that I'm meeting with.
00:04:24.000I mean, you've had this recent conversion towards Christ, and I think you would probably agree that the thing that preceded it was a brokenness, some sort of surrender.
00:04:34.000Now, I've been a believer as long as I can remember, but I still needed to break.
00:04:38.000I still needed to surrender, and I didn't do that until my 40s.
00:04:42.000When my feature film that I was all excited about completely failed at the box office and I was faced with, I might never do this again.
00:04:50.000I might not get another chance to do this again.
00:04:53.000And when God just met me there, more than I'd probably ever experienced God before, the brokenness and the humility are what prepared me for this.
00:05:04.000They're what tilled the soil for handling...
00:05:08.000And now, by the time I didn't care about it anymore, it's when it came.
00:05:12.000And so COVID in 2020 is what I think started that convergence between people's interest in Christ and the availability of a show like this to meet that interest and then ultimately lead to more Bible reading, more desire to know Christ.
00:05:31.000But it's always preceded by brokenness.
00:05:34.000Yes, it's been preceded by brokenness in my case as well, as you correctly diagnosed.
00:05:40.000How fascinating that the pandemic, which I might say now as a follower of Jesus Christ was intended for bad, was intended for bad, has ended up being used for good, as so many things are.
00:05:57.000And I'm interested to hear on the personal level that your own material success, but spiritual success, given the nature of the material that you're using.
00:06:07.000I've got so many questions about that because, you know, the word is translated, of course, into numerous languages.
00:06:20.000I wonder at what point it might be regarded as interpretive if I had to describe it to someone now.
00:06:28.000If I had to interpret pieces of scripture or scripture in its entirety, though that would be quite a task, to somebody, would my interpretation in time to them become regarded as sacred?
00:06:41.000I wonder how people in the future may look back at the chosen as a document, even though, of course, it has other considerations, entertainment, the humanizing of the members of the ensemble.
00:06:53.000But before I get to that, this is called Break Bread with Russell Brand, and I would love...
00:06:58.000I'd love to break bread with you, Dallas Jenkins.
00:07:01.000And I'd love to invite Amanda, your wife, to join us.
00:07:05.000I was going to invite my wife, but she's gone off to speak to a psychiatrist for reasons that would be obvious to anyone.
00:07:28.000Your husband, Dallas, mentioned that you would be open to joining us in a voice message, otherwise I never would have been so impertinent to request your company.
00:07:38.000But now that I have you, so lovely to meet you and see you.
00:10:37.000you will continue to get all of our content on break bread we have the opportunity to talk about christ and christianity with well in i say in the case of dallas jenkins but even more so amanda jenkins people that are participating in the revival and reawakening of interest in christianity and how that might impact influence and direct power jesus said to them uh thank you We've got, in John, very true...
00:12:48.000Thank you, Lord, for your broken body.
00:12:50.000Thank you that your body was broken on the cross.
00:12:52.000Thank you that you endured the scourge and the humiliation, Lord, and the bitterness.
00:12:58.000Thank you, Lord, that you endured all this from me.
00:13:01.000Thank you that in your body I participate in eternal life.
00:13:05.000Thank you that I'm redeemed by your suffering.
00:13:07.000Heavenly Father, Thank you, Lord, for your blood and for the covenant of your blood that covers us all.
00:13:13.000Thank you, Lord, for bringing Dallas and Amanda to us today, that we can participate in your wisdom through them.
00:13:20.000Thank you, Lord, for the gift that you granted to Dallas, allowing him to create this incredible artifact that has brought so much interest, that has reawakened and illustrated so much interest in your works, humanized, made relevant, pertinent and germane.
00:13:39.000To new audiences, your honor and your greatness and your glory.
00:13:43.000Thank you, Jesus Christ, for your blood.