Was Norm Macdonald A Christian? In His Own Words , An Answer

 Norm Macdonald was a funny man. He had a lengthy career and became a very famous person. So when he died on Tuesday September 14, 2021 in a Los Angeles hospital there was the typically huge media attention that comes with celebrity deaths. A lot of rehashing of his most famous moments and funny scenes have flooded the internet. What the media didn't bring attention to was Norm's spiritual condition and that is what I would like to address. I am always interested in answering the question "were they believers?" and in this case "was Norm Macdonald a christian?". So let's give Norm a chance to answer himself.

Norm gave Larry King this interview in 2013 which mean't that Norm was already one year into his battle with cancer. Norm did not shrink under the direct question by King but clearly said "I am a christian".

Here is another story and another evidence of Macdonald's faith. In 2015 he served as a judge for the television series "The Last Comic Standing". In one particular show a comic named Harrison Greenbaum made several jokes about the Bible. Another judge, Roseanne Barr, commended Greenbaum telling him that she thought he was brave to joke about the Scriptures. Norm Macdonald countered her assessment of the contestant's performance with the following statement to a reporter following the show...

Macdonald later told The Hollywood Reporter he didn’t care for Greenbaum’s “smugness” and didn’t think it was courageous to mock Christianity in this day and age. Instead, he argued, it would be “brave” to say, “Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.” Source

If you are a Netflix fan then you know that Norm had a show that was airing at the time of his death. The show was a talk/interview type of production much like the Larry King Show. One of the guests that Norm interviewed was Jane Fonda. Here is a portion of that exchange, I think it is very revealing of Norm's grasp on faith and the person of Jesus Christ.

Norm: Are you a religious person?

Jane Fonda: I have faith.

Norm: In Jesus Christ?

Jane Fonda: Nnnn. I’m still a work in progress. I believe in the historical Jesus, and I’ve studied it, and um…

Norm: But do you believe in the hypostatic Jesus?

Jane Fonda: No.

Norm: So, you’re not a Christian. … But, you believe. You believe in something. … I think it shows remarkable humility that you still have not made up your mind.

Jane Fonda: Or stupidity, I’m not sure. But I’ve studied….Source

There are many folks in our post-christian era that don't know what that word means but it is a reference to the "hypostatic union". This term refers to the teaching that Jesus Christ was "all god" at the very same time He was "all man". This is exactly what the Bible teaches about Christ and it is the very quality that makes it possible for Jesus to be the Savior of the World. 

The fact that Norm knew these concepts gives us a peek into his understanding of Jesus.

Now I know that there are many self righteous so called Christians who will point to many of Norm Macdonald's comedy skits, tv shows and movies and will say that some of his crude work rules out any possibility of Norm's Christian status. But I would remind my readers that it is not our behavior that get's us into Heaven, it's what we believe about Jesus.

To all of the faith plus works religious hypocrites that judge men based on their own "fruit inspecting" standards I would simply remind them that the difference between Norm's behavior and their own is simply a matter of degrees.

We are all sinners, every single one of the 7.5 billion people who occupy this planet! I am a sinner, Norm was a sinner. The only sinners who get to Heaven are the sinner's who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. 

I personally believe that one day I will be able to visit with Norm in that paradise that awaits believers. I'm confident he won't be telling jokes about the Bible and that we will worship the King together. 

What about you dear reader? Have you believed on Jesus for eternal life?

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