Although late-night host Stephen Colbert is not known as a fan of Christianity, he did talk about his faith recently on “The Late Show.” “Does your faith and your comedy ever overlap? And does one ever win out?” a guest asked.
“I think ultimately, us all being mortal, the faith will win out at the end,” Colbert said. “But I certainly hope when I get to heaven, Jesus has a sense of humor.”
Colbert’s tone then grew more serious. “I’m a Christian and a Catholic, and that’s always connected to the idea of love and sacrifice, being somehow related, and giving yourself to other people and that death is not defeat,” he said.
Continuing, Colbert said his favorite movie of the past year was “Belfast.”
“I think this is also a Catholic thing, because [`Belfast’ is] funny, and it’s sad,” he said. “And it’s funny about being sad. In the same way, that sadness is like a little bit of an emotional death but not a defeat if you can find a way to laugh about it, because that laughter keeps you from having fear of it. And fear is the thing that keeps you from turning to evil devices to save you from the sadness.”
READ: Chris Pratt talks about fasting on Colbert
Tim Keller, an author and the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, applauded Colbert’s answer.
“This is a brilliant example of how to be a Christian in the public square,” he tweeted. “Notice the witness, but in a form the culture can handle. We should desire to have more Christians in these spaces and give them grace as they operate.”
“Please do not make the error: if you cite person X at all you must answer for everything person X ever did or said,” Keller continued, predicting that some would find reason to criticize his praise of the 57-year-old comedian, who previously hosted Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”
“That is not fair. I am merely saying, this is a winsome way to answer this question that we should desire to emulate.”
After receiving pushback, Keller wrote in a follow-up tweet, “Note: when you quote a person as an example in a particular moment, it doesn’t mean you have to answer for that entire person’s life for that quote to be valid. It’s almost like those who do so don’t want to deal with the material at hand.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
