One of these things is not like the other:
That's right, the 'Tomatometer' score, that is the compilation and average of individual, professional critics, is missing on The Chosen. I looked it up, and that means for a production already released, that not enough such critics have bothered to review the show or movie in question. Despite its mammoth, global success or that it's been out now for almost eight years, still not enough have bothered.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’"
That's from the Gospel of St. John, chapter 15. 18-25. Now, liberal and leftwing Christians often make a mess of this passage. Not infrequently they'll claim the reason why the world hates Christianity, Jesus or the Church today is that there are Christians who still refuse to vote Democrat or support the latest leftwing activism or talking points. Perhaps they confuse their politics with God or the Faith. Or they really think the Left to be so infallible that to not support it is akin to rejecting God, despite the Left's increasingly open advocacy for the most egregious evils and mortal sins. I don't know.
I just know that's not what the passage means. It's not really about where one falls on the political spectrum, be it left or right or center.
No, I'm not equating The Chosen with God or Jesus. But let's face it, whatever you think of it, it's clearly trying to promote the Christian Faith and the Gospel. And despite being a global phenomenon of staggering levels, with worldwide audience views in the hundreds (not tens) of millions each episode - it's crickets from the critics. That's what all those thousands and thousands of professional critics around the world have to say.
The other shows? Just random ones. I searched popular shows and movies on Rotten Tomatoes and grabbed a few. One of them actually had a story about how they've gone from 1.5 million to 3 million viewers! Huzzah! As opposed to those hundreds of millions watching The Chosen that critics haven't appeared to notice.
Again, the Church always believed it must have some impact on the world. Perhaps we didn't know what to do when the world decided it no longer wanted what the Church was selling. But a perusal of the Bible or Christian history should demonstrate that however much God loves us and reaches out, we will forever smack His hand and tell Him to take a hike. As we're seeing now.
Oh, it's different now, as Rod Dreher pointed out. For centuries and eons, the Gospel moved into new lands that had never heard it, and then made inroads. Not all was accomplished at the end of a sword or gun, despite what the modern narrative says. Sometimes the message came and was eagerly accepted by those living in the darkness of paganism and heathen gods.
But today, the World that once heard the Gospel is now tired of it, and wants to go back to that world of paganism and heathen gods, at least from a secular angle. An angle that has a vague religious underpinning that says I'll either die and become worm food or perhaps, if not, there'll be some happy light place we all go when we die because of course we do. Otherwise, the trappings of old paganism are becoming popular among our best and brightest. And they are increasingly willing to demand conversion to the cause by rhetorical sword and figurative gunpoint. Because that's what the World does. See John's Gospel above.
Does this seem a lot to hang on a single show, however popular, that is missing reviews on Rotten Tomatoes? If this was the only thing I could point to, then perhaps. But you know as well as I do that this is only one of a million examples of the World's increasingly open hatred for God, Christ and His Church. Those who say the problem is that Christians don't vote the way I do, one way or another, are worthless in confronting this development.
Because even if we did everything the modern World wanted - bring back race based hatred, dabble with broadening the mass extermination of undesirables, porn sex younger and younger children, embrace Marxism outright and end national identities and tear down principles of equality, freedom, forgiveness, and religious liberty (or fully embrace a Free Market for that matter) - the World simply would find other reasons to continue the hatred of Christ while openly embracing the rulers of darkness of this world. Because we know from our Bible studies, that's what the World does. And I'm sure I don't know how much more the modern world could do to make that clear.
Those who don't follow the ways of the World are about one of four. If the Parable of the Sower has anything to say about statistics. And if we work to remain in that group and avoid making excuses for the World by changing the Gospel to conform to the World, we can take heart. Because John continues:
“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16.31-33
Maranatha
*Brief Note: I mentioned to one of my sons that I was posting this. He said there is a possibility that critics have reviewed the series, but RT has chosen not to link to them. I suppose. But that seems almost more purposefully corrupt. It's easier, and perhaps more charitable, to assume they are simply blinded by their own biases - biases which today are clear as day - than that there is some purposeful conspiracy to suppress those critics. Plus, I searched myself for reviews and have only seen a couple beyond some religious outlets and publications. So I'm going with a notable lack of reviews from critics as the reason. It seems, kinder.
