“Be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:8-9).
Penn and Teller insult the Bible and Christians regularly as part of their in-your-face comedy gig (you may recall the clip we watched during the “Objections” series where they “debunked” the Bible). But Penn, a self-proclaimed atheist, recently had an encounter with a Christian who gave a blessing instead of returning evil for evil. Penn’s response is a beautiful and surprising illustration of how living in the rhythm of the gospel disarms our detractors and sows seeds of redemption.
Just seeing the way Penn spoke in this video, you could tell how genuinely touched he was by this gentlemen. Maybe a shift one step closer towards reconsidering the Gospel? Only God knows…
Wow – watching him reminds me of the impact of how a loving, compassionate, Christ-follower can have on a “non-believer.” I liked the image of a semi-truck barreling down on a person and trying to push them out of the way.
I listen to Dennis Miller’s Radio show everyday online. He believes in God, but he is asserts that he is not a “Christian.” However, over the past year he has had different guests on his show, i.e. Kirk Cameron and Orson Bean – both who had conversions in their life and are not ashamed of the gospel. It is compelling radio to listen to Dennis after their segments are over, because you can actually sense the deep respect he has for Christians, but the apprehension at taking a step in faith toward Jesus Christ. He even said after the Kirk Cameron interview, “Wouldn’t that be interesting if the Kirk Cameron led me to Christ.”
