Welcome to a special bonus episode of The Russell Moore Show!

Peter Wehner returns for a conversation about the television drama The Chosen, which began its fourth season on February 1, 2024. Wehner expounds on his recent article in The Atlantic, sharing how the series pleasantly surprised him as someone who historically avoided on-screen depictions of Jesus. He describes the ways that Jesus (played by Jonathan Roumie) in The Chosen has a fully-formed personality, displays emotion, and shows how intimately Jesus understood human nature—all elements that have led Wehner to love the show.

Moore and Wehner discuss how The Chosen sheds light on Jewish life under Roman occupation and the role of the Pharisees. They talk about another Christian media phenomenon—the He Gets Us campaign—and consider the wide range of responses to it. Their discussion covers political division, the relationship between the intellect and the heart in belief, and what it means for Christians to be called to faithfulness rather than success.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

The Chosen
“Jesus on the Small Screen” by Peter Wehner
Peter Wehner
The Trinity Forum
Navigating Friendship and Loss with Peter Wehner
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Jesus of Nazareth
He Gets Us campaign
E.Y. Mullins
Further Up and Further In
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
The Jesus Way by Eugene H. Peterson

Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com.

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“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper

Host: Russell Moore

Producer: Ashley Hales

Associate Producers: Abby Perry and McKenzie Hill

Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens

Audio engineering by Dan Phelps

Video producer: Abby Egan

Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

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