I probably shouldn’t do this, but I got an unsolicited e-mail today that just appalled me, so I thought I’d share it with y’all. Can you imagine actually hawking (is that the right way to spell it? Or is it hocking?) yourself like this? It’s from a Christian Comedian whose name I will change to Jerry Rock, for reasons you will see as you read.
Dear Pastor or Program Director,
I am one of the country’s foremost Christian comedians. I am writing to introduce myself and invite you to my Web site at www.jerryrockcomedy.com to view my video clips, recommendations, bio information, and more.
There are three important reasons churches host me for their outreach and celebratory events:
Experience – With over 13 years of full-time experience, I have a reputation for doing laugh-’til-it-hurts, original stand-up comedy. I am one of a very select group of people who make their living doing nothing but Christian comedy. Visit the video clips page on my Web site at http://www.jerryrockcomedy.com/video%20clips.htm for a sample of my stand-up comedy.
Quality – Your crowd is guaranteed to hear fresh, roll-in-the-aisles comedy that they’ll relate to and remember, and will talk about for months afterward. My style has been described as the observational humor of Jerry Seinfeld meeting the emphatic delivery of Chris Rock.
Ministry – The purpose and passion of my ministry is to reflect the love of Christ and be used to draw people to him. In every performance, I communicate the relevance of God’s love in the modern world, and relate how God’s love has impacted, and is now impacting, my life.
If you are looking for a unique way to impact your community I would love to explore the possibility of scheduling an event at your church. Although I can be booked through several agencies, I have found that most pastors like having the opportunity to avoid the middle man and interface directly with the person they are considering hosting. I would welcome an e-mail or phone call from you.
Thank you for your time. I love forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Jerry Rock
Gee, I don’t know Gregg, I think you’re being a little hard on the guy. There’s a long tradition of evangelists and preachers who think that the best way “…to reflect the love of Christ and be used to draw people to him” is to relentlessly talk about themselves – so why not comedians?Or maybe he’s trying to be funny with the whole thing. I mean anyone who describes himself as a cross between Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld has got to be joking, right?Or maybe not, since that kind of joking would be ironic, and we both know how well irony works in the Church!