The Chosen, a rapidly growing Christian TV drama depicting the life of Jesus, faced intense controversy after hanging a rainbow pride flag on set during June 2022 Pride Month celebrations. The show‘s decision sparked heated debate among conservative viewers over whether displaying the flag violated biblical principles or amounted to an inappropriate political statement.
Groundbreaking Success Before the Storm
Since premiering in late 2019 as the brainchild of Christian filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, The Chosen has quickly become a sensation as the first ever multi-season show focused on the life of Jesus. The episodes provide a faithful yet creative interpretation of Jesus’ ministry and teachings as chronicled across the four Gospels.
Rather than a verbatim scriptural account, The Chosen aims to bring emotional depth and relatable humanity to well-known figures like Peter, Matthew and Mary Magdalene – depicting how ordinary people may have encountered an extraordinary Savior.
Fans around the world have praised the show for its atmospheric sets, meaningful character backstories and dedicated attempts to capture Jesus‘s personality alongside eye-opening lessons. In part thanks to captivating word-of-mouth marketing, by April 2021 the first episode had become the most watched entertainment crowdfunding project ever, raising over $10 million from over 19,000 investors.
Having recruited talent like composers Hans Zimmer and Peter Kingsbery, The Chosen seemed poised to make an increasingly significant cultural impact. But the pride flag flap would pose a major test.
Rainbow Flag Flown Front and Center
In June 2022 as Pride Month celebrations were underway, a rainbow pride flag was flown on The Chosen’s set where it appeared clearly in the background of a behind-the-scenes video.
Show creator Dallas Jenkins later explained the flag was put up to honor Pride Month, make LGBT crew members feel included and signal that "people from all walks of life are welcome". But he hadn’t anticipated the move would stir such a tempest.
Wildfire Debate Ignites Across Ministries and Media
Displaying the rainbow pride flag quickly ignited fiery debate among the show‘s fans across ministries and conservative media outlets like The Daily Wire and The Blaze.
Critics argued displaying the flag symbolized advocating or approving of LGBTQ relationships, thereby violating biblical principles for sexuality. Some Christian leaders threatened to stop supporting or promoting The Chosen, arguing the flag amounted to a partisan political statement out of step with the show‘s nonpartisan ethos.
“The rainbow was given by God as a promise to Noah after the flood, now it’s being used by Hollywood to try to normalize the LGBTQ agenda,” said pastor Mark Burns in a viral video condemning the decision.
Prominent figures like evangelist Franklin Graham disagreed, tweeting: “The rainbow was given by God as a promise, not exclusively as a symbol for people to use promoting their sexual perversions."
Meanwhile Dallas Jenkins defended the move as simply welcoming, tweeting in response: "If you think that flag ‘advocates sin’ but are okay with the greedy, slanderous, unloving friends of Jesus that we depict, I think your problem is with that flag, not the show."
Allegations of Dismissal for Displaying Pride Symbols
Part of what blew sparks into flames revolved around allegations from fans that a camera operator had been dismissed from the production after displaying a small rainbow pride flag on a piece of equipment used during filming.
Addressing this, Dallas Jenkins emphasized the show‘s duty to hire competent crew members capable of sustainably realizing the production‘s remarkably ambitious vision. Budget overruns could risk The Chosen’s entire mission.
Jenkins echoed sentiments Kanye West once expressed when asked about working with non-Christian mixing engineers like Mike Dean to produce his gospel-inspired albums:
"I hire the best mixer in hip hop to work on my albums. Now that person might not necessarily love Jesus, but they will mix that album better than a lot of Christians…we can work alongside non-believers to complete a vision."
This principle traces back thousands of years. When King Solomon constructed the original Jewish temple in Jerusalem, the Bible records how he requested the finest cedar timber and most skilled craftsmen from King Hiram of Lebanon, a pagan ruler. Like West and Jenkins, Solomon understood that delivering an exceptional finished product sometimes requires collaborating with those of differing convictions.
But in the modern media era, such nuance seldom satisfies calls for black-and-white judgement from The Chosen‘s more conservative fans.
Parallels to Heated Debates in Gaming Culture
As a lifelong gamer tracking the growth of virtual reality (VR), this controversy reminds me of similarly complex recent debates related to identity and inclusion across the gaming industry.
For context, the blockchain-fueled rise of virtual worlds like The Sandbox and Decentraland represents VR‘s biggest potential. Tech giants like Meta (formerly Facebook) have invested billions pursuing an interoperable "metaverse" future that could supersede the mobile internet revolution.
Yet like The Chosen flap, discussions about introducing pride flags or symbols into these new virtual spaces have also faced scrutiny. Religious conservatives and some developers fear identity symbols could muddle focuses on gaming mechanics and technical foundations.
"This such a distraction from the core promise of the metaverse being about new creation tools and economic opportunities," one former Meta engineer told me anonymously. "Debates about flags or skin tones make building accessible user interfaces much more complex and divisive."
Of course, others at Meta feel representing diversity matters greatly for ethical reasons given VR‘s potential to impact society‘s future evolution. There are good arguments on all sides.
And similarly mixed reactions have emerged from announcements across gaming like Overwatch confirming certain characters‘ sexuality. Public companies must weigh many factors in navigating sociopolitical issues.
Leadership Approach: Openness to Critique and Staying the Course
Amidst the swirling criticism and defenses for showing the pride flag, Dallas Jenkins has promised continued transparency and willingness to actively receive feedback around The Chosen’s handling of complex topics. He continues directly engaging detractors through social media.
Production of The Chosen’s massively popular third season is currently underway in Texas, fonschedule for a late 2023 release.
And Jenkins remains committed to ensuring all feel welcome in the show‘s community, while conveying timeless biblical lessons that transcend ideological divisions even in a fractured era.
"We pray a lot and try to hear all sides," Jenkins explained regarding his leadership approach during a June 2022 interview. "I ask God to check my heart and motives while also trusting the values we stand for.”