The Rings of Power, LOTR, and Bible Adaptation
The Rings of Power, Amazon's prequel to LOTR, based on JRR Tolkien's Second Age material is an interesting example of adaptation. This isn't
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Welcome to...
The Bible Artist
I believe the Arts can give us fresh eyes to see the significance of the Bible and the beauty of the Gospel.
I also believe the Bible can provide the arts with complex characters and stories with profound insight into the human condition.
Join me as I explore biblical adaptations like The Chosen and seek to cultivate greater appreciation for creativity, the arts, and adaptation within the Christian community.
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Kevin Keating
Aug 15, 20227 min read
Should Nicodemus Kneel? Narrative Ambiguity & Charitable Reading (The Chosen Controversies)
I explore controversies generated by ambiguity in the Born Again conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus in The Chosen Season 1 Episode 7
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Kevin Keating
Mar 12, 202211 min read
Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power & The Challenges of Biblical Adaptation
Since the release of the trailer for Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power, social media has been host to a heated debate between Tolkien fans w
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Kevin Keating
Feb 16, 20228 min read
In Defense of The Chosen & Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 1)
Whenever I talk to Christians who consider themselves to be particularly cultured and artistically sophisticated, I almost inevitably hear a
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Kevin Keating
Oct 16, 20215 min read
Beyond The Chosen: Exploring the Biblical World
The success of The Chosen and its popularity is due in large part to how the show provides a wider audience of Christians with a detailed an
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Kevin Keating
Jun 3, 20215 min read
Learning Bible Adaptation from The Chosen
Adapting biblical stories is a powerful spiritual discipline that enables you to enter into the Bible in a new way. It's also a great form o
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Kevin Keating
Jan 19, 20215 min read
Season 1: The Purpose of Israel? (Adapting Exodus)
When I began working on my theoretical TV adaptation of the Book of Exodus, I made the decision to take the anti-Moses outlooks that eventua
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Kevin Keating
Dec 21, 20203 min read
Season 1: Moses, Plague-Bringer & Liberator (Adapting Exodus)
One of the values of an adaptation of a biblical story is that it can take difficult-to-believe story elements like this and weave around t
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Kevin Keating
Dec 7, 20204 min read
Season 1: The Burning Bush & the Bridegroom of Blood (Adapting Exodus)
Ultimately, the glory of who God declares himself to be overrides the weakness that Moses associates with himself. And in doing so, this epi
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Kevin Keating
Nov 30, 20202 min read
Season 1: Moses, the Murderer (Adapting Exodus)
From a narrative standpoint, it makes sense that the sudden revelation of Moses' identity could lead him to murder. Even so, I find it much
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Kevin Keating
Nov 22, 20202 min read
Season 1: Baby Moses in a Basket (Adapting Exodus)
The genocide of the Israelite infants and the escape of baby Moses in a basket is one of the most iconic stories in the entire Bible. And ye
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Kevin Keating
Nov 9, 20208 min read
Season 1: Magicians, Appeasers, & Revolutionaries (Adapting Exodus)
The high altitude of the biblical narratives poses another problem/opportunity for characterization in a visual medium. A written narrative
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Kevin Keating
May 30, 202013 min read
Mary Magdalene in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters)
The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of Nicodemus.
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Kevin Keating
Feb 10, 20204 min read
And I Am One of Them (Adapting Genesis 12-50)
A movie theater is not a synagogue or a church. It evokes its own unique set of expectations and these (often unconsciously) color how we pe
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Kevin Keating
Jan 27, 20203 min read
#Blessing (Adapting Genesis 12-50)
Imagine you're watching a new Star Wars film and hear the Binary Sun Theme. Immediately, you're primed to expect a Force-related event is ab
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Kevin Keating
Jan 23, 20204 min read
Father Abraham Had Many Sons (Adapting Genesis 12-50)
In order for the story of Abraham's family to meet modern expectations, the subtle hints of characterization embedded in the biblical narrat
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Kevin Keating
Jan 6, 20203 min read
Not So Long Ago, In a Land Not So Far Away (Adapting Genesis 12-50)
As a general rule, the more compressed and distant a narrative is, the more work it takes to adapt it. Compressed, generalized stories...
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Kevin Keating
Dec 9, 20194 min read
Should the Unseen be Seen? (Adapting Genesis 10-11)
CS Lewis' That Hideous Strength takes elements of the Babyl Story and transplants them into a more modern context. In doing so, it provides
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Kevin Keating
Dec 2, 20195 min read
The Course of Empire (Adapting Genesis 10-11)
The Babyl story is not about a corrupt king who destroys an innocent people. It's a story about a foolish people who collude together in bri
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Kevin Keating
Nov 11, 20194 min read
You Nimrod! (Adapting Genesis 10-11)
It's not uncommon to portray great conquerors like Alexander the Great in a positive light, while still recognizing that there were more amb
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