Dallas Jenkins,creator of “The Chosen,” spent a day at Oklahoma Christian University as part of the McBride and McGaw Lecture for Faith and Literature series on Monday, October 6. He participated in an open meet-and-greet with Oklahoma filmmakers and led special symposium sessions designed to encourage dialogue and questions about faith and media.
Jenkins also met with students and faculty. Throughout the day he guided discussions on faith, creativity, the TV industry, and the role of media in sharing biblical stories. One of the events Jenkins spoke at was Big Chapel. He related to the students by sharing the moments he can remember from his collegiate years.
“I’m 50 years old now, so it’s been a while, but I remember sitting in your seat, and each time as we met in chapel, someone would come and share something, usually about a ministry opportunity or a career path. Or, they would give some sort of call to action for you as a college student, for your future. And lots of times I would show up to chapel exhausted,” Jenkins said. “But what I want to do right now is not going to take a ton of your time, but I want to share with you what I wish I had been told. What I was missing”.
Jenkins described the moment of disappointment when the movie’s box office performance failed to meet expectations, leading to a sense of failure and confusion. He discussed the time where it felt as though he had missed God’s plan.
“The numbers came in on Friday afternoon for my movie. It was immediately clear. Everything that I had worked towards and all the affirmation that I had sought went away in just a couple of hours, all the companies that had committed to working with me also bailed,” Jenkins said. “I was sitting there with my wife, crying, praying and left so confused, because it had seemed so obvious that the path had been God led. Doors had opened; miracles had taken place. It was just so clear. And then when it failed, you got to think, well, God’s not the author of failure, so I must have missed something. I must have missed my calling. I’m sure you’ve experienced that”.
Instead of trying to make up or excuse the failure, Jenkins said he decided to embrace the situation. He leaned into the experience, surrendered his expectations.
“I decided, instead I’m going to spin this, and instead of trying to convince people that my movie’s doing okay, I’m going to just embrace it. I’m going to lean into this failure and admit it, and I’m going to surrender. If this means that I don’t make another TV show, that’s okay. I just want to make five loaves and two fish. The best that I can. That is what I wanted to share with you,” Jenkins said.
He concluded chapel with a prayer over all the students at Oklahoma Christian.
“When something happens that’s immeasurably more, we know who the glory goes to. I’m grateful for that,” Jenkins said. “Help these students sitting in this room know that where they’re going to be in five years is right now none of their business. That they would be open-handed. They would be broken and surrendered to whatever you have and that they would know they’re only responsible each day for their five loaves and two fish”.
The day concluded with a public lecture in Baugh Auditorium, where a packed audience welcomed Jenkins’ talk about “The Chosen,” its creative process, and the importance of scripture in his work.
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