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So from all the footage we took from every different angle, they had to see what clips they could find to show I was too aggressive, since that is what someone said. I don't think I came across as aggressively to the tribe as it showed me as coming across on film.

For instance, in the beginning of the show it looked like I was giving instructions in the boat and telling others how to paddle. The interesting thing was that when we got in the boat, we were rowing in circles. We looked like the Bad News Bears in a boat.

So the others said, "Listen, why don't you get in the front of the boat and teach us how to row and we'll follow you." I was in the front of the boat only because they asked me to be. Not because I aggressively said, "Okay, let me show you how to do this." But the since clip shows it that way it is easy to say, "Oh John, are you crazy?"

Why was the Christian flag your luxury item?

I wanted to bring something that had to do with my faith. We have to make a list of five items. The Christian flag was one and the Bible was another.

When the producers said they'd let me bring the Christian flag, I thought to have one made with extra grommets that go all the way around it in case we needed to use it as a shelter. I then sprayed it with silicone water repellant on both sides. So really what I had was a 6 by 10 waterproof tarpaulin that happened to be the color of a Christian flag.

What role did your faith play in your desire to be in the game?

Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, not the sermon in the valley. The reason he preached it on the mount was because he got more exposure on the mount. If I can get more exposure for the church and the kingdom by getting on the highest-rated show in the history of television, then great, as long as I kept my integrity in the game.

And I think I did. I didn't do anything I have to apologize for or be embarrassed about. I just wanted to play consistently and let everyone know that God can take a Christian and put him on the top of the Hollywood mountain and you can still keep your integrity and you can still point to Jesus Christ.

How do you think you would have kept your integrity if you went further in the game?

Fortunately, since I was only in the game for three days, I really didn't have the opportunity to backstab or lie or anything.

Lying and hurting people is one thing, but playing the game really is another. The difference is that Survivor is a game. It is not real life. The fate of your wife and kids does not rest in whether or not you are honest in that game. Ever play basketball? If you fake left and go right to score on me, did you deceive me, did you lie, did you stab me in the back? Or did you just play by the rules and win?

I was ready to make alliances if I needed to, but I think maybe the Lord didn't want me to have to cross that bridge and possibly hurt my testimony before other people who wouldn't really understand.

Last year's Survivor winner, Vecepia Towery, is a Christian. Many people claimed that despite her faith, she still lied and changed alliances. What was your take on that?

Vecepia played the game well. She played according to rules. Changing her alliances and such was fair. I think where Vecepia left me with a bad impression was when she said, "I ask forgiveness for it." That cheapened the grace of the Lord.

What I would have said was, "Yeah, of course I changed my mind and broke alliances. That's the game, there is nothing to ask forgiveness for. There's no sin involved here. We were playing a game." But instead of saying it that way, she cheapened the grace of God by saying, "You just ask forgiveness for it." That's what threw everybody.

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September (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46