2011-06-27T12:27:09-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com http://www.gospel.com/feeds/topics/humor http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/4786 2011-06-27T12:27:09-05:00 Just think about to how clueless we may have felt when we started online. And how much help we perhaps needed, as illustrated by Norwegian TV's 'The First Tech Support Call'. This is the best version (downloadable from YouTube) which includes the final punchline. Plus a free e-book for newcomers to the Web. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/4737 2011-06-18T07:46:36-05:00 Most humor makes a serious point. Having sent a couple of potentially important emails that were either quarantined for no apparent reason, or completely lost, the cartoon below has some truth. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/3590 2011-03-01T15:53:48-05:00 Outnumbered is a BBC sitcom about a long-suffering couple with three smart children. Sadly for those outside UK, it is not streamed or archived on the BBC site (it does have some clips here and here) but it is available worldwide on DVD (Region 2). Here’s an incredibly funny clip that has gone viral, with 9-year-old Ben slow-grilling a minister. http://internetevangelismday.com/spikemilligan.php 2010-08-14T08:16:34-05:00 The last published words of the late British comedian Spike Milligan of blessed memory were recently issued in The Times, and relate to the Bible, his religious upbringing, and specifically his confusion about Jesus. During a time when he was losing his faith, he writes, “I remember, during this period when my faith was fading, that I wished that somehow, somewhere, I’d come across something humorous - a comment or an incident – in my prayer book or Bible. One, just one, line like ‘And lo, Jesu laugheth heartily’, or ‘Jesus sayeth “Come unto me and I will tell you a joke.“ But no such luck.” How sad that he was unable to see in the Bible the very humor ... http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/2320 2010-08-12T04:47:45-05:00 I blame Bob Monkhouse. I trace my huge enjoyment of comedy, and attempts to make others laugh, largely back to his Mad Mad Movies TV programme. All he really did was show clips of old slapstick – Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, The Keystone Cops and the rest. And I was hooked at the age of about seven or eight. But I never thought I’d be organising and running a comedy club – let alone launching our town’s first ever Comedy Festival. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/920 2010-08-09T16:07:25-05:00 Before the Internet and YouTube, this was impossible – that a small-church wedding video could go viral, and then become the storyline for a major TV series: see The Office, the Wedding and the Power of the Internet – a blog posting from Mark Roberts. Look too at how the world of advertising has changed in 20 years. A comparison chart was featured at Barcelona’s Chiringuito and was picked up by Ministry Marketing Coach, where Kerry Bural comments, “Each of these mediums and technologies (plus many more) represent potential connection points that could and should be leveraged for reaching people. Do churches and ministries have a baseline understanding of these and other mediums? Is the complex nature of communication on your radar?” http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/792 2010-08-09T15:52:36-05:00 Comedian and syndicated columnist Charles Marshall demonstrates how to wrap up spiritual truths in 100-200 words of humor. And do it well. And in a way that is accessible to not-yet-Christians. Make a great present too. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/70 2010-08-08T17:12:00-05:00 H L Mencken defined Puritanism as ‘The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.’ How sad it is that Christians in general, and the bible in particular, have been frequently perceived as humorless. In fact, the bible, and the ministry of Jesus, are full of humor, and we are therefore mandated to use humor in evangelism and ministry. Check this CT article on Understanding Humor and James Watkins writings, many of which are very accessible to not-yet-Christians. IE Day’s page about humor includes a free download of a classic book and a more recent title on Christianity and humor. http://internetevangelismday.com/cartoon-evangelism.php 2010-08-07T17:59:01-05:00 Humor communicates! God invented it. Jesus used it. Most of us enjoy having our spirits lifted by a cartoon. Ron Wheeler, of Cartoonworks comments that disarming cartoon humor means “people are more receptive to hearing the Gospel message.” http://internetevangelismday.com/medicine.php 2010-08-07T17:56:41-05:00 Some years ago there was a documented case in the British Medical Journal about a man who laughed himself well. He actually had a terminal illness, and through the employment of laughter therapy, he allowed his body to successfully fight the disease. While we may grudgingly acknowledge the merit of such a case, for the most part, we find such an incident almost incredible. Can laughter really be that good for us? The Bible definitely supports such a notion.