Stephen Colbert defends the faith

didymus · #1 Apr 14, '09, 5:56 pm

In this video Colbert is interviewing the author of Jesus, Interrupted (Jesus never claimed to be God, the Gospels contradict, yada yada). Although he stays in comic mode he gets the guy pretty good. I saw him last year with author of a book defending Satan and when he was finished all the guy could say was, "Well . . . you were certainly paying attention in Sunday school." to which Colbert replied that he teaches Sunday school.

jilly4ski · #2 Apr 14, '09, 7:15 pm

I like the part that he is missing the point, that Jesus is an elephant.

quite funny, thanks for sharing.

Pax

Abbadon · #3 Apr 14, '09, 7:26 pm

I love Colbert... Brilliant.... Bart needed to go with the comedy...

kimaz · #4 Apr 14, '09, 7:30 pm

I love how he can defend the faith and still be funny. The elephant parable was both intelligent and incredibly funny.

RedGecko · #5 Apr 14, '09, 7:44 pm

Stephen Colbert has amazing talent. And its so refreshing to hear him actually defend orthodoxy, on a show which skews left. I think his studio audience respects that - perhaps it wins over folks at home, too?

genevieve89 · #6 Apr 14, '09, 8:21 pm

I've finished watching an 'episode' of Colbert's shows because I found him too querulous, even if he meant it to be humorous. Now I do believe I'd judged him too hastily -- thanks for sharing!

**JimG** · #7 Apr 14, '09, 9:31 pm

It was funny. Still, I would have been reluctant to give any publicity whatever to this book.

beckers · #8 Apr 14, '09, 9:47 pm

HAHAHA this is too funny. I like the anti-jew remark, and the duck, banner headline is God dies....

I am totally passing this on.

HeyMoe1287 · #9 Apr 14, '09, 9:47 pm

That was HILARIOUS. Haha... love Colbert. As an aside, Ehrman has presented nothing new and nothing not already satisfactorily debunked time and again.

GodsGadfly · #10 Apr 14, '09, 9:48 pm

I don't get what everyone thinks is so great about this interview. Colbert's behavior is highly sophomoric, and he doesn't really address the things the guy is saying. Just because it's "on our side," doesn't make it any better than when people like Colbert and Al Franken use those tactics to ridicule conservatives.

The Elephant analogy isn't particularly "brilliant": while valid, it's rather cliche.

It reminded me of the hokey Developmental Apologetics skits they do on EWTN's _Knights of St. Michael_.

For example, I would have granted the guy's position that doctrines like the Trinity are "later developments." I would have said, "Of course they were. That's why the Church is more important than the Bible. The Bible itself is a 'later development.'"

On the claim to be God, I recently read a point in Fulton Sheen's _Life of Christ_ that I haven't seen anywhere else: the main place Jesus claims to be God is in the healing of the paralytic in Capernaum. It's when He claims to be able to forgive sins. *THAT* is the claim that is found in the Synoptics, which Jesus makes, which you cannot find in any Old Testament figure or any major pagan philosopher or sage. Jesus is the only Person in history who came along--without being considered a crank--and said, "I can forgive sins."

Secondly, I would have granted him what he said on the term "son of God." Even Luke says that Adam was "son of God." The Old Testament is very clear that "Son of God" is a term referring to someone who is holy. And to meet these people where they are, we cannot simply appeal to John.

That said, when this guy says we today don't understand the idioms then, the real idiom in question is "Son of Man."

*THAT* is where Jesus directly claims to be God. He always calls Himself the "Son of Man." Why?

Usually, what we're told in homilies in Bible footnoes is something like, "Jesus was trying to disguise His divinity."

Jesus calls Himself the "Son of Man" for two reasons:
1. He presumes He's God, and "Son of Man" emphasizes the other part of His Nature.
2. The Old Testament prophets constantly refer to "one like a Son of Man."

It is when Jesus refers to Himself as the "Son of Man" at his trial that the high priests rends His garments.

The Old Testament reference to "Son of Man" is a direct reference to the Messiah, at least, if not to the revelatoin of God Himself, who appears "as a Son of Man."

So, I don't see what's great about the interview. The author comes off as far more respectable and intelligent, while Colbert comes off as a disrespectful idiot.

JugglingReferee · #11 Apr 14, '09, 11:18 pm

Link for Canadians:

http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/the.../april-9-2009/

JugglingReferee · #12 Apr 14, '09, 11:39 pm

http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/the...09/#clip158261

didymus · #13 Apr 15, '09, 8:23 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimG

It was funny. Still, I would have been reluctant to give any publicity whatever to this book.

I doubt that Colbert gets to choose his guests, authors are probably booked by the publisher (or an agency) with the network.

Roman_Catholic · #14 Apr 15, '09, 9:18 am

Colbert is living proof of Chesterton's adage that, funny is not the opposite of serious. Colbert may be funny but he is very serious about what he is being funny about.

Thanks for the video.

God bless

**JimG** · #15 Apr 15, '09, 11:55 am

Doesn't Colbert usually take the advocate's position for the postion that he is making fun of?