The American Bible Challenge premiered August 23rd on the Game Show Network. Hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, The American Bible Challenge pits teams of contestants against each other as they compete to see which team knows the most about the bestselling book of all time, the Bible. American Bible Society has provided Bible resources for the show’s mobile apps, which has now been downloaded by more than 125,000 people.

“Faith is a huge part of my life,” Foxworthy says, which may be one of the reasons GSN asked him to host the show. Foxworthy also sees American Bible Challenge as a potential way for viewers to engage with God’s Word in a nonthreatening way.

Many people watching the show, Foxworthy anticipates, will have at least some familiarity with the Bible. But it’s Foxworthy’s hope that the show also reaches those who are not engaged with the Scriptures: “I think there’s probably people that grew up in faith that walked away from it, [who will] hopefully watch this, and they’re like ‘Oh yeah, I know that story, or I know the message of that parable,’ and…it might be an opening to draw them back in.”

“You gotta understand,” Foxworthy says to those viewers, “if you’ve been burned by a church, or if you’ve been burned by an individual, you haven’t been burned by God. You’ve been burned by fallible man.”

Taking the message of the Gospel and using it to bless others is a significant theme for The American Bible Challenge. Rather than keeping the prize money offered on each episode, contestants play to win money for charitable organizations of their choosing. This provides a unique dynamic to the show, Foxworthy says: “At the end, the team that doesn’t win, the winning team is over there hugging them with tears in their eyes…because you’ve learned about their story, and who they’re trying to bless.”

The American Bible Challenge, like faith, is all about sharing God’s blessings. “Man, when it finally sinks in,” Foxworthy says, “the way God loves us, and even while we were still in our sin Christ died for us, when you finally get that—and that it’s not based on your performance—I don’t think you can do anything but turn around and bless somebody else.”

“That’s got to be why it’s called the Good News,” Foxworthy laughs.

Foxworthy says his best pulpit has always been outside the church. “I’ve always been an outdoors guy,” he says, “rather than speak in a church I would rather go do, like, a wild game dinner, or an outdoorsman banquet—where you can talk to people that either don’t have faith, or that have walked away from it. That’s more interesting to me. I don’t want to go preach to the choir.”

The American Bible Challenge offers Foxworthy an opportunity to do just that, on a network that boasts over 75 million subscribers.

Two of Foxworthy’s favorite Scripture passages are found in the Book of Galatians:

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. (1:10)

and

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (2:20-21).

“I have that underlined three times in my Bible,” Foxworthy says. “Galatians is a cool book.”

Foxworthy acknowledges that he might take some flak for hosting American Bible Challenge. But, “we’re told to go spread the Gospel,” he says. “If you’re taking it to a place it hasn’t been before, how can that be bad?”

“It’s about the love of the Father,” Foxworthy concludes. “The Bible is a love story. It’s the coolest love story you’ve ever read.”

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