The Gift of a Bible
I came across a video on YouTube of Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller fame that moved me to reflect on the moral responsibilities that we have. In the video Penn tells of the meeting he had with someone who had been watching his show the previous night. The man complimented Penn on the show and said nice things about Penn as a person. Penn talked about how nice the man was, how sincere he seemed, and how he looked him in the eye as he talked.
Then the man handed Penn a pocket edition of the New Testament and told him that he was proselytizing. Penn said that he felt the man knew that Penn was an atheist and that he was trying to save his soul. Penn has always believed that if you are a Christian and you don’t proselytize that you are not to be respected. If you truly believe that there is a Heaven and Hell and that someone is going to go to Hell that it is your moral responsibility to try to save that person from Hell. He also has no respect for an atheist who felt that a Christian should not proselytize. It really hit me when he said.
How much do you have to hate someone to not proselytize. How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that.
As a Christian who believes in Heaven and Hell and everlasting life I was suddenly made aware that maybe I am not the kind of person that I should be. Am I doing all that I can to bring the message of salvation to those who have not heard it? Is being a church elder, going to church regularly, helping those who are less fortunate and trying to live my life as God would want me to enough? Am I being hateful by not actively seeking out those who are not Christians and telling them the story of Jesus Christ and his promise of salvation?
I have been approached by others from time to time who have asked me if I was a Christian and I was always impressed that they would approach a total stranger and talk about Christ. I always felt that that was something that I would be very uncomfortable doing. But what is social awkwardness when compared to someone’s very soul? If I could actually save someone from Hell by introducing him to God and Jesus that would truly be something that would make life worth living. So I ask myself why I have never done it before. That is a question for which I will have to search for an answer.
So no matter what your beliefs are if someone walks up to you some day and starts to proselytize to you about God and Jesus Christ, take a hint from Penn Jillette and listen to what they have to say and thank them. For that person is someone who truly cares about you. (I encourage you to watch the whole video, Penn is much more eloquent than me.)
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