‘I Want to Believe’: Comedian Matt Rife Reveals Struggles with Faith
Moved by his grandfather’s death, oft-raunchy comedian Matt Rife is exploring faith.
After admitting he has “never been a super religious person” and finds church “excruciatingly boring,” the 29-year-old celebrity told “History Hyenas” podcast hosts Yannis Papas and Chris Distefano he “want[s] to believe in God.”
Serious about exploring religion, the Netflix jokester said he was baptized “in a dude’s pool” in August. While Rife did not grow up in a Christian home, he said he decided to take the plunge after occasionally attending church services with friends.
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The impetus of his exploration, Rife said, was his grandfather’s death two years ago.
“I’ve never been a super religious person, but, when my grandpa passed away, something hit me that I was like, ‘I’ll never see this person again,’” he reflected. “So something has to exist. I skew Christian, so I started going to church a little bit more.”
Rife continued, “I hate church; I find it excruciatingly boring. But I want to believe in God, and it’s obviously a huge part of the process.”
The “Natural Selection” comedian is undoubtedly rough around the edges, often sharing scandalous stories and reciting vulgar jokes, but his interest in Christianity seems authentic—and he’s hardly alone.
Distefano, a comedian, recommended Rife check out journalist-turned-apologist Lee Strobel’s best-selling book, “The Case for Christ,” in which the author details his conversion to Christianity, a divine result of his effort to disprove the existence of God.
To read the full story, visit our content partners at Faithwire.
Reprinted with permission from faithwire.com. Copyright © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
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