This morning, I am using the following video clip as the close of the message. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa9JE_ZVL88&feature=related
In the clip, Penn Jillette, an outspoken atheist, tells the story of receiving a Bible from a gentleman following his performance. Jillette has been active in proclaiming that there is no god, Christian or otherwise, and even went so far as to take the “Blasphemy Challenge” offered by the Rational Response Squad and publicly deny the existence of a holy spirit.
The two pieces of the clip I find so fascinating are first, the obvious impact that this man and his testimony had on Jillette (clearly he was touched by the experience) and second, the reason I am using the clip) is the his point, “How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them?”
What a wake-up call for Christians. Many choose to sit quietly by while they watch the people around them go through life without God’s great revelation. We worry more about being nice and politically correct than we do about the condition of people’s souls. We would rather let them miss out on eternity than risk offending them.
I know this clip seriously challenged me when I saw it. Here I am, a person committed to the work of God’s kingdom, and I find that I all too easily succumb to the temptation to be quiet and likable.
As I reflected on this, I was reminded of a youth speaker I once heard who asked his audience this question, “We say we love people to death. Are you willing to love people to life? He went on say ask if we were willing to take the risk of offense and embarrassment in order to lead people to the eternal life God offers.
Looking at the brokenness of the world, isn’t time for the Church to have boldness? People are waiting on the other side of our obedience. They are waiting for us to love them enough to tell them the truth. Spiritually, we need more lovers and a lot less haters. Are you willing to love people to life?
I pray the Spirit of God will help us all be the witnesses to the world we were called to be.
Good questions and thoughts. I had seen something quoted from Jillette recently that gave a similar word of respect to Christian people of faith who are kind to him:
“Teller and I have been brutal to Christians, and their response shows that they’re good [bleep] Americans who believe in freedom of speech. We attack them all the time, and we still get letters that say, ‘We appreciate your passion. Sincerely yours, in Christ.’ Christians come to our show at the Rio and give us Bibles all the time. They’re incredibly kind to us. Sure, there are a couple of them who live in garages, give themselves titles and send out death threats to me and Bill Maher and Trey Parker. But the vast majority are polite, open-minded people, and I respect them for that.”
This is from a Las Vegas Weekly interview. I can send you the link if you want it.
Your take on it (and Jillette’s comment about proselytizing) remind me of Terry Pratchett’s novel, “Carpe Jugulum” where the witch Granny Weatherwax has several arguments with the young preacher named Mightily Oats. In one of them, she says something like, “What you people call faith is nothing of the sort. If I knew god, had seen his power, then there would be a fire in me you could not put out.” The actual dialog is more powerful (and funny) than I have been able to do it justice here. You should look it up… 🙂
Anyway… good luck with your new blogging efforts. I’ll look forward to more interesting items from you.
Bill
Thanks for your comments. I will follow-up on the references you mentioned. I think it is interesting how the simple actions of those who are truly representing Christ can affect a positive change even in those who do not believe and who have often encountered bad examples of Christianity.
I am enjoying your blog as well. Thanks for stopping by.
If you haven’t read Pratchett before, then starting with “Carpe Jugulum” is jumping into the middle of a series. He is a British humanist and humorist who writes . . . well, I guess you could call it fantasy satire. It may not be worth the effort for you, unless you have a lot of time on your hands! 🙂
B