If you haven’t already heard, Angus T. Jones, the “half” in the hit show Two and a Half Men has converted to being a Seventh Day Adventist and called the show he stars in “filth”. Here is a brief video clip, via Good Morning America, to get you up to speed:
I watched Angus T. Jones’ entire 30 minute testimony on Youtube (posted below) and walked away with mixed feelings. I don’t know a lot about Seventh Day Adventists, but from what I understand they believe what I do about salvation being through Jesus’ forgiveness of sins, which he offers us through his death on the cross, which paid for our sins, and his resurrection from the dead, which conquers sin and death. And honestly, that is the most important thing to me when it comes to other denominations. My understanding is they believe the same Scriptures I do as God’s word, they believe Jesus to be an equal member of the Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit, again all the distinctive marks of authentic Christ-followers.
After watching the Angus T. Jones video in its entirety, I wish that Jesus was emphasized more. He is mentioned but you would think in a 30 minute conversation, he (and salvation through him) would be emphasized more clearly. I do not doubt Angus T. Jones’ new salvation, and I praise God for it, but I’m afraid if a non-believer watched his testimony they’d get some positive things out of it, but not a clear understanding of how one actually can have a relationship with God.
Some of this confusion comes from the emphasis in the video on the Seventh Day Adventists’ specific (and more peculiar) beliefs; the beliefs that separate them from standard Christian denominations, specifically their view that Saturday is the Sabbath day, not Sunday, and that observing the Sabbath in a traditional Old Testament sense is a priority. It first struck me when the host introduces Angus T. Jones (1:20 mark in Part 1)… “He’s got a pretty awesome testimony to share with us…I accept this brother as my brother for real because he’s accepted the 7th day as God’s holy Sabbath day.” That sends off some pretty big red flags…that is what makes him your brother? Not his faith in Jesus? It makes me wonder what the goal of the testimony video was for The Forerunner Chronicles: to lead people to Jesus, or to lead them to the 7th Day Adventist denomination?
I think in many ways Forerunner (and thus, Angus T. Jones himself) struck out with this great opportunity. The primary strike is what I just mentioned: while you can find the Gospel within the interview, you have to pick through a lot of extra stuff. Strike two is that the video is 30 MINUTES LONG! This is waaaay too long to keep people’s interest. If you want a viral video, make it palatable, 4 minutes tops, editing out the fluff. Strike three is that the editing could have been done much better. Within the 30 minutes, I was surprised at how boring the content and the pace were.
I’m happy to say that I also can call Angus T. Jones a brother. Not because of a peripheral, odd difference in interpretation we have about which day is the Sabbath, but because he has realized the truth that only Jesus can save, and is living out a powerful testimony of what God can offer versus the world. $300,000 per episode, or being obedient to Jesus? Tough choice…not for Angus T. Jones, who has obviously read Mark 8:35-36, where Jesus says:
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Part 1 of full version:
Part 2 of full version:
He is:
Author of Beyond the Battle: A man's guide to his identity in Christ in an oversexualized world
Host of the The Flip Side Podcast
Join an online men's small group led by Noah and team at BeyondTheBattle.net
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I thought it was boring too! I was excited to hear his story but it dragged on so much that I ended up shutting it off after the first half.
Yeah there is no way I would have made it through all 30 minutes if I wasn’t writing a blog post on it! (Swing and a miss)