“” is not adding to Scripture but is a work of art meant to capture people’s imaginations and point them to the Bible, says Dr. Doug Huffman, a professor and a theological advisor on the show. Huffman joined Dr. Ed Stetzer on the set of “The Chosen” for an exclusive interview ahead of the show’s release in theaters today.

When people express concerns to him that “The Chosen” is “blasphemous” or “adding to the Bible,” said Huffman, “I have to remind them: This is not the Bible. This is a TV show. It’s a work of art.”

Huffman is professor of New Testament at the Talbot School of Theology at 51. During the interview with Stetzer, who is dean of the Talbot School of Theology, Huffman described his role as advisor and gave insight into how the show’s content is developed with an eye to both accuracy and relatability.

Doug Huffman: ‘The Chosen’ Aims To Be Faithful, Plausible and Relatable

Dr. Doug Huffman is one of three theological advisors who give input on the content of “The Chosen,” the popular TV series based on the life of Jesus Christ. The other two advisors are Father David Guffey, a Roman Catholic priest, and Messianic rabbi .

Huffman explained that as a consultant on “The Chosen,” he and his fellow advisors see the show’s scripts ahead of time and offer feedback to the writing team based on the advisors’ areas of expertise. After the episodes are filmed, the three advisors watch the show with creator and give additional feedback.

The professor said that his role is to give advice and that he does not make final decisions regarding what goes into the episodes. He does, however, participate in the available for every episode, in which the three advisors and Jenkins discuss the episodes after they are filmed.

Huffman emphasized that the purpose of “The Chosen” is to encourage people to read the Bible, not to be a substitute for it. Jenkins’ hope is that people will “read the gospels with a proper sense of imagination,” said Huffman. “I think that’s one of the problems in the world today. We’re too familiar with the Bible…we’ve forgotten how to read it the way that it was intended to be read.” Instead, there is a tendency for people to see scriptural accounts as “flat Bible stories.”

“I mean that people have forgotten that these are not two-dimensional characters,” Huffman elaborated. “They are three-dimensional people. They had concerns.”

The professor reiterated what shared with Stetzer last year on “,” which is that the writers’ first priority is to stay faithful to Scripture. Then, as they adapt the Bible for film, they consider, “What’s the plausible backstory to what we have in Scripture?” After that, they consider what will be most relatable to the viewer.

“The Chosen” is a work of art, similar to Leonardo DaVinci’s painting, “.” But because the series is adapting a literary form into an audiovisual art form, “there is no way to not have to add stuff,” Huffman said.

So the writers make plausible decisions, such as having the character of the tax collector Matthew be on the or choosing a name for Peter’s wife. These artistic decisions humanize the people we read about in the gospels.

When Stetzer asked if there is a danger in fixing an image of biblical characters in viewers’ minds that is not necessarily accurate, Huffman acknowledged, “There is a danger there.” However, the biblical roundtables can help people process the show’s content, and “The Chosen” can actually, as a work of art, encourage people to explore Scripture more than they would otherwise.

“People write me and tell me that they feel like Jesus is so much more human in this show than they imagined, and I really appreciated that,” said Huffman. “That’s part of what I mean by ‘a proper sense of imagination.’”

Regarding how can leverage the show’s popularity to spread the gospel, Huffman suggested churches could hold viewing parties and have discussions afterward. Churches could also hold Bible studies related to the show.

Huffman, Jenkins, and Jenkins’ wife, Amanda, have co-authored a Bible study titled, “” The study is not a study of the TV series, said Huffman, but a study of Scripture that references the series.

“The Chosen” is already impacting people’s lives in remarkable ways. Huffman said that he and his wife know several people who have come to faith in Jesus as a result of watching the show. One woman was contemplating taking her own life before the show was instrumental in turning her life around.

“If this show can pique [people’s] interest to go to the Scriptures and read the Scriptures the way they’re supposed to be read,” said Huffman, “then the show has been a success. And that is happening around the world.”

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