{"id":7485,"date":"2011-09-21T10:25:14","date_gmt":"2011-09-21T14:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/news\/?p=7485"},"modified":"2011-09-21T11:36:38","modified_gmt":"2011-09-21T15:36:38","slug":"has-british-comedian-committed-professional-suicide-by-confessing-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2011\/09\/has-british-comedian-committed-professional-suicide-by-confessing-the-truth","title":{"rendered":"Has British comedian committed professional suicide by outing himself, confessing faith?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Frank Skinner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

British stand-up comic and talk-show host Frank Skinner has never been politically correct.<\/p>\n

But now he’s done it. He’s come out of the closet. He’s dared to defy the establishment and reveal that, yes, the rumors are true. He can’t deny it any longer. He’s tired of hiding. He’s … a Christian.<\/p>\n

“By outing himself as a believer \u2013 even in miracles, God help us \u2013 Skinner was sticking two fingers up at the liberal establishment,” marvels entertainment writer Cristina Odone at the daily newspaper the Telegraph.<\/em> “The BBC, a pillar of that establishment, for whom Skinner works, has shown what it thinks of religion.<\/p>\n

“They have nipped and tucked at God slots for years, so now the skeletal model looks nothing like its original, vibrant self. Atheists such as Charles Handy share their scepticism on’ Thought for the Day,’ and the new \u201cface\u201d of BBC religion is Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou, a self-proclaimed atheist. As for Richard Dawkins, his non-stop exposure and fanatically loyal ageing groupies have turned him into the Cliff Richard of atheism.”<\/p>\n

But the man advocating that we \u201cstop giving in\u201d to atheists is a popular entertainer, the football-loving king of \u201claddish\u201d humour. The issue is no longer a surprising rethink; it is a breathtaking act of subversion.<\/p>\n

For Skinner, a recent stint at the Edinburgh Fringe confirmed just how ‘cool’ atheism is. He saw fellow stand-up comedians going out of their way to parade their atheist credentials, \u201cjust to tick the box of cool comic,\u201d In the 1970s and ’80s, dissing Margaret Thatcher was the sure way for a funnyman (or woman) to seal their status as a must-see; the Iron Lady always drew a laugh when portrayed crushing her all-male Cabinet underfoot, or sneering with contempt at hoi polloi. Nowadays, God has stepped into the Baroness\u2019s court shoes, and lots of fun can be had at the expense of [God]. Secularism on the comedy circuit is a crowd-pleaser; faith, a venue-clearer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yet Skinner has dared to go against the grain. He even had the audacity to write this in\u00a0London’s Sunday Times<\/em> some time back:<\/p>\n

I really feel there is a God. I know atheism is extremely fashionable nowadays but I just can\u2019t kick this believing thing. I must say that I have a lot of time for atheists. I respect anyone who gives this most momentous question a good deal of thought, whatever conclusion they finally arrive at.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m less keen on the glut of bandwagon atheists who\u2019ve just unquestioningly joined in because they think the atheist label makes them sound clever and grown-up. I suspect that they see themselves in an elite senior common room with Bertrand Russell and Charles Darwin.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Is daring to proclaim his faith going to be suicidal to his career? He acknowledges in the Times<\/em> that “many believers never question their own convictions but at least their dumb acceptance comes with an element of ‘safest option’ insurance.”<\/p>\n

I\u2019d have thought, in the bandwagon atheist\u2019s case, that it\u2019s worth having a proper think before turning your back on what might just be a life illuminated by faith.<\/p>\n

It seems rash to screw up eternity on the strength of something that you read on the side of a bus.<\/p>\n

I was baptized Roman Catholic but left the Old Church when I was 17 because I was an angry young man who couldn\u2019t accept doctrine like papal infallibility, praying to saints and the gaining of indulgences. I read every book I could find on Catholicism \u2014 most of them condemnatory \u2014 but 11 years later I returned to the Church.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He admits that Christianity is not without its quirks and flaws:<\/p>\n

I never had an epiphany \u2014 a single moment when I knew I must return \u2014 but I do remember identifying strongly with something I read by Hans K\u00fcng, a Swiss theologian rejected by the Vatican in 1979.<\/p>\n

He said that the Roman Catholic Church was essentially on the road to truth but sometimes turned into cul-de-sacs; exactly what one might expect from a divine institution run by ordinary human beings.<\/p>\n

That was more or less the attitude with which I returned to the Church: what K\u00fcng called a \u201ccritical loyalty.\u201d I\u2019ve met many impressive, even saint-like, Catholics who properly walk the walk; people whose faith has led them to a life spent helping others. When I see how the Church inspires such people it fills me with optimism for its future.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Skinner, it should be noted, is no Kirk Cameron. “I topped a chart of the world’s greediest people in the Daily Mirror<\/em>,” remembers Skinner. “Imelda Marcos was fourth.” He has made a lot of money in entertainment with risque humor. Here’s a clip from his his talk show — a rare instance in which he does talk about his faith:<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DmRTj4kYNic<\/a>\n

The atheists liked the clip enough to buy an ad at the end encouraging British subjects to click “No Religion” on their census.<\/p>\n

“He is a teetotaller and devout Roman Catholic,”\u00a0writes John Plunkett in the British newspaper the Guardian<\/em> — not explaining that Skinner is actually a recovering alcoholic.<\/em>\u00a0“He talks about his faith on his radio show and in print \u2013 but never uses it in his standup act.”\u00a0Why not? Perhaps because of what his fans expect of him? The raw and the crude? Plunkett relates a recent conversation:<\/p>\n

“It’s still one of the barriers, I think. I’ve written bits of standup about being a Catholic but I’ve never actually tried them out,” he says. Because of his own sensibilities? “I don’t think it would offend my sensibilities. I suppose I think my old fans are still there in football shirts wanting me to talk about anal sex. In a way I don’t want to completely let them down.”<\/p>\n

Upcoming projects include a documentary about [famous British soccer player] George Formby for BBC \u2013 he is a ukulele devotee \u2013 but plans for a novel have been permanently put on ice. His book \u2013 about a 50-year-old Christian superhero called Thunderman who sold out and got bored \u2013 stalled at 60,000 words.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Can a Christian comic make it in the entertainment world?<\/p>\n

“Catholics, with their pedophile scandals and birth control pangs, writhe with hot and heavy guilt,” writes Odone. Anglicans “tie themselves in knots over every controversial issue. Jewish neuroses have kept Woody Allen and Howard Jacobson in business for decades; while Muslims\u2019 strictures, from no alcohol to no conversions, are too intense to be cool.<\/p>\n

“Atheists, instead, look on all this ridiculously messy humanity from a perch high above the fray. Their superiority is not an unfortunate, smirky, expression that can be wiped away in an instant of self-doubt,” she writes.\u00a0“They can afford to be laid-back, because they\u2019re in control of what counts: the media, academia, and many of the professions.<\/p>\n

“And yet,” asks the entertainment writer:<\/p>\n

How to account, then, for Ian Hislop? Hislop, editor of Private Eye<\/em> and regular panellist on ‘Have I Got News for You,’ has never hidden that he\u2019s a practicing Anglican. A few years ago, in fact, he made a series on the Church of England, The Canterbury Tales<\/em>.<\/p>\n

“Hislop brought to his subject, his church, the self-deprecating wit that has made him a national treasure. He joked and ribbed, poking and prodding the ancient institution; the result was entertainment gold: the audience learned, laughing all the while. \u201cI can\u2019t believe he\u2019s a Christian,\u201d an erstwhile colleague at the New Statesman<\/em> exclaimed. \u201cHe\u2019s so funny!\u201d<\/p>\n

The same colleague would probably have said of Jeremy Vine, another practicing Anglican, \u201cI can\u2019t believe he\u2019s a Christian, he\u2019s so clever!\u201d<\/p>\n

Or of Bettany Hughes, \u201cI can\u2019t believe she\u2019s an Anglican, she\u2019s so telegenic!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No, writes, Odone, “Frank Skinner is not alone. Despite the strident secularism of most programmers, the media is a hotbed of subversive believers. While some have come out publicly about their faith, most are reticent on the subject.<\/p>\n

Odine shares how British media personality Carol Vorderman kept her faith to herself because, as Jeremy Vine told an interviewer, \u201cblurting out your belief\u201d would be \u201cdestructive\u201d to an entertainer\u2019s job: \u201cIt is now almost socially unacceptable to say you believe in God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Odine muses on whether that is changing:<\/p>\n

Perhaps now these high-profile figures will dare take up Skinner\u2019s challenge and take on the atheists.\u00a0They may not seize the mic to proclaim their faith, but maybe they\u2019ll stop apologizing for believing in mystery and eternity, self-sacrifice and divine authority.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

British stand-up comic and talk-show host Frank Skinner has never been politically correct. But now he’s done it. He’s come out of the closet. He’s dared to defy the establishment and reveal that, yes, the rumors are true. He can’t deny it any longer. He’s tired of hiding. He’s … a Christian. “By outing himself…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32,184],"tags":[159,2220,1605],"class_list":["post-7485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian","category-entertainment","tag-christianity","tag-entertainment","tag-frank-skinner"],"yoast_head":"\nHas British comedian committed professional suicide by outing himself, confessing faith?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2011\/09\/has-british-comedian-committed-professional-suicide-by-confessing-the-truth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Has British comedian committed professional suicide by outing himself, confessing faith?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"British stand-up comic and talk-show host Frank Skinner has never been politically correct. 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