The Jim Gaffigan Show "The Bible Story"

I have enjoyed Jim Gaffigan ever since someone showed me his bacon bit. I like him because he is genuinely funny, insightful, and clever. The fact that he is usually clean is simply a bonus. And, keep in mind he is just a comic. Some people see his clean-cut act, his cutting analysis of cultural hypocrisy, and his openness about his wife’s faith as a signal that he is something more. A spokesman. Another celebrity Christian we can hold up to society.

Well, he is not. He is just a comic, and he wants it that way.

His new TV show tackles this aspect of his image in the episode “The Bible Story.” In it, Jim contemplates being “outed” and a believer and envisions his life as it would be on the front-lines of the “culture wars.” It is not something he wants to experience. Likely, the episode is inspired by real life experiences. There were several articles written a few years ago about his comedy and his faith, and he likely went through a little bit of what his TV character did in this episode.

And, he has a point. Believers do have a mandate and a task. We ARE supposed to change the world. But it is a private task of sharing our experience with the people we know. Relationships are the conduit for the Kingdom of God, not politics, celebrity, or showmanship. And while God could use people on a great scale (and occasional does) we in the west have abandoned the task in our private relationships in favor of using the institutions of culture to try to spread the word.

We don’t need to rely on politicians, actors, reality TV stars, and athletes to spread Christianity in some “spin machine,” flashy, hype driven way. It is the job of every believer to influence their circle of influence. It is a grass roots movement.