I want to start by saying, that I am unabashedly a fan of Dallas Jenkins and The Chosen. As I have watched The Chosen and so many of the messages Dallas has shared over the years selling people on his narrative of the life of Jesus Christ, I feel I have truly come to love and appreciate him and his contributions to spreading the message of Jesus Christ.
Obviously, Dallas is not a perfect man, he hasn’t been baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for instance. Ha, Ha, Ha. I’m just kidding. None of us are perfect. Not even members of the church. But what I do love is his desire to do good. He desires to tell the best story he can. I consider Dallas to be similar to me in one way. We both have a desire to talk of Christ and preach of Christ. He calls it “Kingdom Work.” Helping to build the kingdom. Dallas has made much of his life’s work centered on religion. I also did this, having spent 10 years managing LDS bookstores and starting a business selling LDS products and apparel.
DALLAS IS NOT LDS – Let’s just get that out of the way.
BYU invites various people to speak at their Tuesday devotionals throughout the school year. These could be religious leaders, secular leaders, as well as various people who have a compelling message to share. I think Dallas Jenkins and The Chosen are of particular interest to BYU due to the Jerusalem set in Goshen Utah being used for the filming of The Chosen TV series. The Jerusalem set is managed by the LDS Motion Picture Studios which was formerly the BYU Motion Picture Studios. BYU and the LDS MPS both deserve a lot of credit because they have truly raised the bar on the programming they have produced. Without the Jerusalem Set, this relationship with Dallas Jenkins would never have happened. I also think Vid Angel or Angel Studios (and their leadership) likely have a lot to do with it also.
The beginning of this talk is so funny. Dallas says a bunch of stuff that is sure to get the Evangelical world losing their minds. He starts by talking about missionaries coming to his house two by two for 40 years. It’s about time for him to come to us. Everyone loved that.
“Just yesterday I was having my annual meeting with the quorum of the twelve. Every year we get together, they give me instructions on the scripts for The Chosen. In fact, at this point, I just let them write the scripts. It’s just easier that way.”
“I was laughing and having a good time with Reverent Holland, or Jeffy as I call him because we’re close. Or, JDAWG, you know. We were debating the new temple garments and I just thought to myself, since I converted I haven’t even missed coffee. It’s amazing.”
I’ve seen a lot of the accusations accusing him of caving to LDS influence. I can’t see that, but I have seen all the accusations and hysteria. The Evangelical world seems to feel if The Chosen has even a sliver of LDS influence it is of the devil. I think that makes a ton of what Dallas said all the funnier. And, I think it shows how strong of a man he is to face the criticism and speak at BYU. What a wonderful opportunity for an Evangelical. Not only that but to be so warmly and openly embraced by the LDS community.
“The reason we shoot it in Texas of course is because Texans believe that Jesus actually lived there. So, I figured we might as well shoot there. It’s funny because that joke actually plays differently here I’m sure there are some of you here that I’m going to look in Mosiah right now, I didn’t know if Texas. I thought it was New York.”
That is so funny. It’s a funny joke in general but the whole Mosiah and New York thing makes it even funnier. I’m sure given who Dallas is, he never thought he would have a captive LDS audience like this and be able to tell a joke like that to their face. But honestly, it is fun that he has integrated so many things into this talk that shows he knows the LDS history and culture.
His main message is about failure. Such a lovely message. I would encourage you to listen to the talk and hear the words from his own mouth. I’ve listened to his message a few times about the loaves and fishes. It is an inspiring message and has proven to have been inspiration from God.
There was a section of his talk where he talked about being legitimized, having gained the success and notoriety of the world. He would practice accepting his Academy Award in the mirror. It’s a bit sad, but I must say there is so much in today’s world that tries to convince us all to do the same thing. We seek the vain things of the world before we seek the Kingdom of God. The way he said all of it caused many memories of my worldly pursuits to come to mind.
“All movies you haven’t heard of because you’re Christians.” Did Dallas Jenkins just call all his LDS audience “Christians?” Well, if he did or didn’t, I’m going to keep that on the down low.
I went and watched the trailer for “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone.” It looks incredibly well done and funny. Possibly better than many of the other religious movies made.
A thought in the middle of this. Dallas mentions a post that he had written in the midst of his failure. How that post was the most liked social media post he had made and it was about failing. As I listened to him, I couldn’t help but think of how often all we see only the pretty and flowery parts of people’s lives. The happy times, the vacations, the best side of someone’s face. But, we never see the struggles and the failures that resonate with everyday people. Even though there is a degree of envy that makes others want to have the life of luxury that a celebrity or influencer has, in reality, most are just looking for hope. How can I make it through another day? It’s no wonder his post acknowledging his failure and his hope was so well received.
The short film The Shepherd was really a great film. I’ve watched it a few times. It was great.
Five Loaves and Two Fishes is Impossible Math. Again, the full story is awesome to hear in Dallas Jenkins own words. I hope you will take the time to go watch the full message.
A Side Note. There are a few things that have really been troubling me personally as of late. I was just talking to my wife this very evening asking her, how could X, Y, or Z happen. I feel I have been asked by God to do this and I don’t see the path to fulfill X, Y, or Z. But, I have followed in faith. It wasn’t until I was listening to the end of this message that I realized it fits within this message of impossible math. If I approach God with my loaves and fishes, he can do the rest. He has the power to do the rest. In the past, I have seen him do the rest. Even in the midst of complete and utter failure, he has the power to raise us up.
ACQUIRING THE JERUSALEM SET and ELDER HOLLAND
I was looking around at a few things and came across a story in Meridian Magazine where Dallas Jenkins explained how they were approved to use the Jerusalem Set. Naturally, Angel Studios had a lot to do with connecting the dots (Thank you Angel Studios). But in this story, Dallas shares a few tid-bits about the experience and they are very positive.
Dallas told me that President M. Russell Ballard, a prominent leader in our faith, had binge-watched season one (which is a funny thing to imagine) and then told the other senior leaders about it. Dallas eventually met with Elder Holland and Elder Bednar. Elder Holland (or as Dallas called him, “brother Holland”) was funnier than he expected—and these leaders only asked the filmmaker a couple of questions about his intent. Like Dallas, I was surprised by how little they wanted to know. Dallas said something to the effect of wanting to ‘share Jesus with the world.’ That seemed to be enough for Elders Holland and Bednar because not too long after, Dallas received approval.
So, Dallas is buddies with Jeffrey. Ha, ha, ha! (I mean Elder Jeffrey R Holland)
Wow, such an excellent message. Well done Dallas.