Not Your Father's USA

I don't know about you, but I feel like an alien in my own country.

Seriously, do you recognize the place? It's eerie, how quickly the nation has degenerated into chaos. It's almost otherworldly. The changes are so radical, and so damaging, that I wonder every day whether or not recovery is possible.

It's a sad feeling. It feels to me as though the United States of America has already fallen, and I'm at the start of a long grieving process. I recognize grief, and I know that I'm in it.

The problem is not the people. Americans are wonderful people, and I'm willing to bet that a healthy majority of us feel exactly like I do. Next door to me, for the past 35 years, live the best neighbors I've ever had. They are an African American married couple (just to be clear, a husband and a wife). Throughout the years, we never referred to our different races. It was completely irrelevant to our friendship. In very recent years, as current events unfolded, we have talked about it briefly and with bewilderment. As the husband said to me at the close of one such conversation, "We're doing fine. Why don't they leave us alone? "

Why, indeed. Our Communists elites can tell you why--the goal is to divide, denigrate, and destroy the society. It's been the Marxist playbook for more than a century, and it's being applied with dramatic and rapid results in the USA. I find it a blessing that both my husband and my father are long gone. They would have a very hard time dealing with today's America.

Father's Day is coming up, if we're still permitted to acknowledge it. That's not a wise-guy statement nowadays. If the Commies can successfully remove memorials and statues, revise our national history, and prevent us from singing our national anthem, they can certainly eradicate holidays--especially "white supremacist" holidays. The nuclear family, with the husband and father as head of the household, is nothing if not a "white supremacist" power construct that must be obliterated. 

I won't mention that when I wish my next-door neighbor--a husband, dad, and grandad--a Happy Father's Day.

Chosen for Quality

Of course, nothing in today's society can be free of woke agendas. So naturally, The Chosen television series has fallen prey to the clutches of wokeism. The appearance of a "Pride" flag in behind-the-scenes footage on the film set has caused an uproar among many Christian viewers. Quite predictably, a boycott is ensuing.

I find key differences between this event and the Bud Light or Target controversies. Most importantly, the show is not promoting the "Pride" flag or even sexual activity of any sort. The damning footage is from behind the scenes. Does every crew member working on the show need to be Christian? I would hope not.

In the Christian faith, "pride" is considered sinful. The source of our pride is insignificant. In our fallen human nature, it is pride itself that can lead us into trouble. I do believe that. So, I'm no supporter of "Pride Month." But I am a supporter of good television shows, and The Chosen is the best I've seen in several years.

If the "Pride" flag--or anything it represents--shows up in an episode of Season 4, I'll have a different stand. But so far, in my opinion, the depiction of Christ's teachings and miracles have been accurately portrayed. There are many objections to the fictionalized dialog along the lines of "it's not biblical," or "Jesus never said that." It's a television show, not a theological course of study. If it prompts people to read the Gospels, I'm more than fine with that outcome.

I especially enjoy the show's emphasis on the Apostles. The viewer learns each of them had an earlier occupation and a reason to begin following Jesus. In drawing them as vivid people, complete with character flaws, disagreements, and personality clashes, the writers bring the 12 Apostles to life. Their individual story arcs are very well done.

I am also impressed with the creativity in using ancillary characters from the Gospels as connective tissue to knit together various plotlines leading up to Jesus' miracles. Jairus, the Jewish leader whose daughter Jesus raises from the dead, makes his appearance in Season 3. The Roman officer who asks Jesus to heal his servant plays a strong supporting role throughout the series, first appearing as supervisor to St. Matthew, the despised tax collector.

I find The Chosen to be a quality production. I enjoy the set and costume designs along with the story. There are occasional hiccups in the dialog, when modern jargon is interjected. "You've got this," "Easy does it"--really? I can agree that "Jesus never said that." And whoever added the fist-bump handshake should take a seat. But these are tiny quibbles. Overall, I think The Chosen is well worth watching. In fact, I'm watching it for the second go-round.

Jonathan Roumie portrays Jesus Christ in a calm and convincing manner. I like the touches of humor that occasionally pop up in his fictional dialog. I've always believed that Jesus had a sense of humor. In one of his interviews, I heard Roumie tell the story of his own miracle. When he was a down-and-out actor, overdrawn at the bank, he got on his knees and prayed for help. Later that same day he received several checks in the mail for past acting spots, which got him out of his immediate financial crisis. Three months later he was cast as Jesus in The Chosen. That makes me wonder if maybe Someone up there wanted to watch The Chosen, too.

Scene from The Chosen