{"id":33993,"date":"2025-07-02T17:22:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T17:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/denzel-washington-on-sharing-his-faith-in-jesus\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T17:22:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T17:22:00","slug":"denzel-washington-on-sharing-his-faith-in-jesus","status":"publish","type":"sermon-illustrations","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/denzel-washington-on-sharing-his-faith-in-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Denzel Washington on Sharing His Faith in Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an interview in Esquire <\/em>magazine, actor Denzel Washington said, “The biggest moment of my life was when I was filled with the Holy Spirit. It happened in the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles.” He went on to describe what it’s like to follow Jesus today, especially in the ethos of Hollywood:<\/p>\n\n

\n

Things I said about God when I was a little boy, just reciting them in church along with everybody else, I know now. God is real. God is love. God is the only way. God is the true way. God blesses. It’s my job to lift God up, to give Him praise, to make sure that anyone and everyone I speak to the rest of my life understands that He is responsible for me. When you see me, you see the best I could do with what I’ve been given by my Lord and Savior. I’m unafraid. I don’t care what anyone thinks. See, talking about the fear part of it—you can’t talk like that and win Oscars. You can’t talk like that and party. You can’t say that in this town.<\/p>\n

I’m free now. [Faith in Jesus] is not talked about in this town. It’s not talked about… It’s not fashionable. It’s not sexy… But my faith has always informed the roles I choose. Always… Even in the darkest stories, I’m looking for the light.<\/p>\n

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