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The actor who is best known for his roles in Ordinary Angels, Reacher<\/em> and Fast X<\/em> explained the gospel and defended the faith on a recent episode of Club Random with Bill Maher<\/em>, telling the host that Jesus introduced a \u201cradically different new way to love.\u201d<\/p>\n Alan Ritchson, an outspoken Christian, and Maher, a self-described skeptic\/agnostic, discussed religion and faith during a 70-plus minute discussion that also delved into Ritchson\u2019s career and Maher\u2019s 2008 movie Religulous<\/em>, which mocked religion, including Christianity.<\/p>\n Christianity, Ritchson said, introduced \u201csomebody who claims to be the Messiah pointing the way toward a whole, radically different new way to love. \u2026And that’s through self-sacrificial care of your neighbor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd when you talk about just that, it’s a really beautiful thing that a lot of other religions don’t talk about,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause you’re talking about religions that talk about the way to salvation is through doing it over and over and over again and living a million lives or finding your own self-elevation through meditation or contemplation. But this is talking about admitting that we are flawed and admitting that there’s a path toward joy that comes through self-service and self-sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n Maher acknowledged that the message of Jesus was \u201crevolutionary\u201d because it told slaves and others on the lower tiers of society that it \u201cgets good in the afterlife.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, this would be a really successful episode if you got me to be a Christian by the end of it,\u201d Maher said, laughing.<\/p>\n At one point Maher told Ritchson, \u201cMaybe you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n Christianity, Ritchson said, should impact the way Christians live in their day-to-day lives.<\/p>\n \u201cThe message is that the Kingdom is coming to us\u2026 that we’re earthly creatures made for this place, and that this resurrection will take place on Earth,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you’re truly following the way of Christianity, you will be a good steward of this place.\u201d<\/p>\n The two men went back and forth on several key tenets of Christianity, including Paul\u2019s claim of apostleship. Maher said Paul was not a true apostle because he did not walk with Jesus in the flesh. Ritchson retorted that Paul was an apostle because Christ appeared to him in a vision.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to believe in magic and I admit I do believe in magic,\u201d Ritchson said. \u201cThe voice he was talking to said, \u2018Why are you persecuting Christians?\u2019 This was Christ that he was talking about. I believe that he did have an interaction, a personal interaction with the person [Christ].”<\/p>\n Ritchson added, \u201cI believe that that kind of magic is real.\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED PODCAST:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n