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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Jeff Foxworthy: You might be a Christian if...


The Sermon on the Mount (Bloch, 1890)
The Internet is sprinkled with questions concerning Jeff Foxworthy’s religious beliefs.  The major preoccupation seems to be this:  Is Jeff Foxworthy a Christian?

Foxworthy himself may have already answered that question.  He began a Christian Living Magazine video presentation by declaring the following:  This is what Christian living means to me.  It means that everything, everything, is all about love –
the glory of God.  He went on to explain that, as a youth, he
thought himself not good enough to be a Christian.  It took him a long while to realize that “nobody is” - and that Jesus therefore “paid the price” so that he and others might have an intimate relationship with God.  Foxworthy added that all he wants to do “is to reflect the beauty of such a loving  God” through forgiveness, grace and mercy.  He also feels extremely grateful for his God-given gift of sharing laughter.

Nevertheless, the public remains somewhat confused about Foxworthy’s religious affiliations.  Perhaps this confusion partially stems from a 2008 interview in which Glenn Beck asked about the role that God plays in Foxworthy’s life.  According to a CNN.com transcript, part of Foxworthy’s response was this:  You know what?  I’m not Christian.  I’m – I don’t believe – denomination means to divide.

Although Foxworthy may not believe in denominational Christianity, he certainly does seem to believe in leading a faithful life.  During this same interview, Foxworthy compares human parenting with God’s love.  He states:  …if you understand God you really do understand how to be a parent.  Because you never – you never punish them to hurt them.  You never do it with vengeance.  You never take something away for any – you want to give your kids everything.  The discerning lifestyle that Foxworthy favors – even when show-biz temptations beckon – is one that Christianity, as well as many other religions, could harmonize with.

Resources

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/21/gb.01.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Foxworthy
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=J22MCFNU
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations


Copyright September 6, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

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