Penn Jillette is the front man for the comedy team of Pen and Teller. I have always thought these guys were extremely funny and creative, but then I had only seen them on broadcast TV. I thought George Carlin was hysterically funny when he was on the Tonight Show (and network censors were on pins and needles keeping him clean) but avoided him like the plague when he was uncensored and able to use his 7 words not allowed on TV. In the same way, Penn and Teller can evdidently be pretty crude and vulgar. (Why is that funny anyway?) As it turns out, Jillette Penn, like George Carlin, is an outspoken atheist and critic of religion. The duo features routines where they lampoon the Bible, Christians in general and the horse we rode in on. I must confess BOTH that this annoys me AND Christians often make it much easy to lampoon faith. Watch some of the stuff on Trinity Broadcasting and you know what I mean).
Imagine how surprised I was when I ran across this video of Penn Jillette talking about a man who waited for him after a show to give him a Bible.
Is there a message in there for us somewhere? Does the world view Christians as a bunch of kooks who condemnn everyone else and quoting the Bible, "The fool has said in his heart 'There is no God?" Or do they see us as basically good people who have been transformed by the message we believe and seek to HUMBLY share that message with others. It is unlikely that the gift of a Bible by a good and decent man will not be enough to change Jillette's mind. But people's hearts and minds are never going to be changed unless believers live as good people who humbly and sincerely live the Bible's precepts. If we really believe our message, then we will share it as best we can. Hey, even this evangelistic atheist expects us to share the message if we really believe it. People may be willing to listen if (and only if) they see the message in us. I think it was Francis of Assisi who said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
Imagine how surprised I was when I ran across this video of Penn Jillette talking about a man who waited for him after a show to give him a Bible.
Is there a message in there for us somewhere? Does the world view Christians as a bunch of kooks who condemnn everyone else and quoting the Bible, "The fool has said in his heart 'There is no God?" Or do they see us as basically good people who have been transformed by the message we believe and seek to HUMBLY share that message with others. It is unlikely that the gift of a Bible by a good and decent man will not be enough to change Jillette's mind. But people's hearts and minds are never going to be changed unless believers live as good people who humbly and sincerely live the Bible's precepts. If we really believe our message, then we will share it as best we can. Hey, even this evangelistic atheist expects us to share the message if we really believe it. People may be willing to listen if (and only if) they see the message in us. I think it was Francis of Assisi who said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
7 comments:
There are many people who have been quoted the bible by ‘loud self righteous bible thumpers’ and they have had there ears closed by them. Imagine the someone smacks you upside the head three times a week for two hours a couple of times a week as they quote Shakespeare at you and call out numbers that make no since to you. Now, after many years would you want to read Shakespear or know about numbers. I think you get the point.
I am glad that he opened and read the book for himself, I hope he understands that the psalms was written before the birth of Christ by a good man who made some mistakes but did seek God. Will we see Him one day? Who will pray for that man and those in his condition? How many will apostasies atheism? Show faith through action and the earth will be turned by it's maker.
About ‘bad language’, it is often used by atheist as a ‘badge of atheism’ that identifies them as such. It is the way of some of demising the existence of God and the Christ. It is difficult and perhaps impossible to show your faith as you use ‘bad language’. (How many actors have trouble cursing as they play there given role?) When someone uses ‘bad language’, others, especially those who don’t use ‘bad language, assume that they are atheists.
There is a kind of temporary atheism that some people have experienced; I have heard others speak of it. I have been able to understand many things, yet I can not understand how any nice and 'intelligent' person can look around at the earth, sky and sea, knowing that there is 'self' alive and here and not know that there is a God.
Those who say in there hearts that there is no God, they are fools.
Yet we all have thought and acted at times as if God and His word doesn’t exists, haven’t we? (I know I have, I am more than sorry for that, and I never want to lose sight of it.) We all have been foolish at times, let’s repent of that and not make it a permanent state.
Words do speak loud but the actions do speak even louder, when those word and actions come from those who have not love the sound con be deafening and may leave the listeners quite damaged perhaps permanently if they do not remove the source of the noise. Will those who say there is no God be better of than the hypocrites who use His name in vain? Is one safer than the other or are they both bound for the same eternal, dark, destruction? Those who deny Him and those who greave him and disobey; what will happen to those?
I just saw this same video clip about a week ago on the Seaford Baptist website blog. I thought it was pretty intresting.
It wasn't available to all of us there.
One good man may not be enough to change his mind, but it sure caught his attention enough to sit down and take the time to make a video discussing the experience. I don't know that even if Penn had 100 similar encounters that he would become a believer, but you can see the large impact just one encounter had on him. If we Christians could all relate to non-believers in such a sincere and non-threatening manner, imagine the response.
Good point. ‘The whisper of silently spoken caring actions, does speak of the spirit of Love louder and is more clearly received and taken to heart, more than any obtrusively spoken words of condemnation.’
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