Lecture Series To Bring 'The Chosen' Director to USU

Next week, USU will be hosting Dallas Jenkins, creator and director of “The Chosen,” a popular, free-to-stream show that depicts the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The event — which represents a collaboration between the Arrington Lecture Series, the religious studies program and the Logan LDS Institute of Religion — will be at 7 p.m. March 2 in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall.

The Arrington Lecture Series builds on the annual Leonard J. Arrington Lecture, which brings high-profile speakers to campus to reflect expansively on various intersections with Latter-day Saint history and culture. During the March 2 event, Patrick Mason, the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture, will moderate a discussion with Jenkins with a behind-the-scenes look at how a project like this came to be. It will be live-streamed and feature a Q&A portion where audience members and online viewers can submit questions live via the event page.

“We want to explore what it took for him (Jenkins) to create this TV series about Jesus, which is no small task in itself, but especially to do it with an interfaith audience in mind,” Mason said.

“The Chosen” is an adaption of the life and actions of Jesus of Nazareth. It offers fresh perspectives on New Testament stories through the lives of the characters involved. The show is highly popular among evangelical, Latter-day Saint, and Catholic audiences, among others. The largely crowdfunded series started airing in 2017 and has released two seasons out of a planned seven.

Historically, Latter-day Saints and evangelical Christians have conflicted over their respective understandings of Jesus Christ, but “The Chosen” has successfully bridged those gaps in order to appeal to a wide variety of people who believe in or are otherwise interested in Jesus.

“One of my favorite parts of the show is seeing Christ in a different environment than we typically see him in. He’s portrayed as a more real person and we get to see the interactions we don’t see in the Bible,” said Aric Turner, a junior majoring in kinesiology and exercise science.

A large and diverse audience is expected at the event.

“We invited Jenkins to campus specifically with the hopes that the conversation would appeal to students of various interests and backgrounds, as well as the general public,” Mason said. “This is a special opportunity for our campus to hear from the creative force behind such a popular cultural phenomenon.”

The March 2 event is open to the public and free of charge. Visit the event's web page for more information.