A Good Man

My friend Will recently sent me a link to this clip. It's taken from a video blog produced by Penn Gillette, the audible half of the comedy/illusion performing duo Penn & Teller. Take a look.



This is a startling clip for a number of reasons. First, Penn isn't merely a skeptic. He's an opponent of organized religion in general. Go to youtube and search for “Penn Teller Bible.” In addition to this clip, you'll find about a half dozen they've put together solely for the purpose of mocking scripture (Peruse them only if you've got thick skin). I find it remarkable that he would have a reaction like this to a Christian sharing his faith.

Equally astonishing—to me, anyway—is that a person who rejects Christianity outright actually gets the idea behind evangelism. It's not about pride in being right or adding converted souls to some cosmic scorecard; it's an attempt to save someone's life. Even that can mean nothing to the person if they don't believe they're in danger, but Penn seems to understand what many Christians do not: Claiming to be a Christian and yet refraining from evangelism altogether is either hypocritical, cruel, or both.

I've never felt convicted by the words of an atheist before, but Penn's will follow me for a while:

“How much do you have to hate somebody...?”

It reminds me of a scene in a movie I saw once, though it's so vague I only remember the sense of it. I can't even remember what movie it is. It goes something like this: A woman, busy talking on a phone or otherwise preoccupied, is about to step off the curb in front of a speeding car. A man near her sees the impending catastrophe, grabs her, and pulls her back out of harms way. As she spins toward him, she never sees or hears the car blow past. She slaps him in the face for grabbing her, shrugs away his attempt to explain, and continues on her way having no idea that this guy just saved her life.

Evangelism is awkward by its very nature. I totally understand why it comes across as arrogant. You're telling someone that they aren't living their life right. And even if you tell them you're no better than them, what they hear is that you know better than them. It shouldn't surprise a proselytizer if they receive only annoyed responses. We should expect it. But if we adhere to the tone that the man who encountered Penn did, we can't feel ashamed for trying. Worst case scenario is a slap in the face, whether literal or figurative—which I think most Christians would agree is more than worth it if a few lives are saved.

But most times the reaction will fall somewhere in between rage and repentance. It's sometimes enough if the encounter sticks with the person long afterward. Penn's certainly did. Even if it never means anything more to him than a story, his testimonial on the web has already taken it farther than one Christian man at a magic show likely ever imagined.