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Lee Strobel on Sharing the Gospel with Hugh Hefner: ‘He was Really Engaged’

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

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  • Updated Oct 09, 2017

Renowned Christian apologist Lee Strobel recently shared how he had an opportunity to have a conversation with Playboy founder and cultural icon Hugh Hefner before Hefner’s death on September 27, 2017.

Strobel, who is known for his book The Case for Christ, was an atheist journalist before he began looking into evidence for the Resurrection and became convinced that the Bible was true and Jesus truly is the Son of God.

Strobel says he was able to get an interview with Hefner because one of the producers on Strobel’s show “Faith Under Fire” had a connection with someone who was a Playboy employee, according to The Christian Post.

Due to circumstances that certainly seem providential, Strobel ended up in the Playboy mansion, with the opportunity to talk to Hefner about faith, Christianity, and the Gospel.

"We went over to the Playboy mansion, which for me was just freaky," Strobel shared in a recent episode of the Billy Hallowell Podcast. "It was the last place I ever expected to go."

Strobel soon realized that Hefner did not know he was an evangelical Christian, but when Hefner found out, Strobel says he remained engaged with the conversation and genuinely curious about what Strobel had to share.

"He was quite engaging in terms of the conversation. We talked about what he believed and he had a very minimalistic, deistic view of God," Strobel said. "He said he has a minimal belief in God."

Strobel said Hefner especially “perked up” when it came to discussing evidence for the Resurrection.

"He saw the relevance of the resurrection, he saw the significance of it," said Strobel, adding that he was able to share the evidence for the Resurrection with Hefner, and also to present the Gospel to him.

"He wasn't dismissive," Strobel said. "He seemed genuinely curious."

Although neither Strobel nor anyone else can say whether Hefner ever repented and accepted Christ, even in his last moments, we can be sure that God was using Strobel’s willingness to share the Good News.

 

Photo: In this Nov. 4, 2010, file photo, Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner poses at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. The magazine released a statement saying Hefner, 91, died at his home of natural causes on Wednesday night, Sept. 27, 2017, surrounded by family.

Photo courtesy: AP/Jae C. Hong via Religion News Service

Publication date: October 9, 2017