Hugh Hefner, Playboy Founder, Remembered by Christian Author Lee Strobel

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ prior to his death. As pointed out by Christian author Lee Strobel, he once shared the Word of God with magazine publisher Hefner, who passed away in Beverly Hills, California. Hefner died of natural causes on Wednesday, September 27.

Strobel, once an atheist but has transformed into a believer, dropped “The Case for Christ” movie this year, which is drawn out from his bestselling book of the same title.

Through the movie, Strobel seeks to give evidence on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which he said is something that the Playboy publisher did not believe in, as reported by The Christian Post.

“Hugh Hefner dead at 91. I remember sharing the Gospel with him,” Strobel wrote on Twitter last Wednesday night. “He saw significance of the Resurrection but had never checked the evidence.”

According to Hefner’s son, Conor, his late father continually expressed his support for sexual freedom.

“My father lived an exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer and a leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time in advocating free speech, civil rights and sexual freedom,” Hefner’s son said in a statement.

According to Conor, his late father significantly represented the Playboy brand through his lifestyle and beliefs, referring to such as highly “recognizable and enduring in history.”

On the other hand, certain critics have openly expressed their disapproval over Hefner’s legacy. According to Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore, Hefner turned pornography into a lifestyle that is “socially respectable.”

In a statement released on his website, Moore recognized Hefner’s death as a tragedy. Still, he spoke of the long-term societal consequences of the Playboy brand in the past years.

"In the short-run Hefner's philosophy has won, on both the right and the left. The Playboy Mansion is every house now," he wrote, while adding: In many cases, those who hold to what the church has always taught on sexual morality and the value of women are the dissidents now, regardless of how 'conservative' a movement proclaims itself to be."

Still, Moore noted that, in the long run, Jesus will reign.

 

Tags : Hugh Hefner Playboy lee strobel gospel celebrity deaths