Actor Tim Allen took to social media to share his experience reading the Bible, and it seems the “Toy Story” actor is having an experience he didn’t expect. “Never took the time in all my years to ever read and really read the Bible,” Allen wrote on X. “Currently almost through the Jerusalem Bible Old Testament and almost done with the Prophets. Next up to New Testament. So far amazing and not at all what I was expecting.”
Pastor Greg Laurie responded to the quote, writing on X, “That’s fantastic, Tim! The Bible is God’s very word to each of us. The message of the Bible is really how we can come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I hope you will read John 3:16,” he wrote, quoting it for Allen. “God bless you, Tim! To find out more about this relationship with God, go to www. http://Knowgod.org.”
Actress Patricia Heaton also announced she had taken a step towards deepening her faith, announcing almost two years ago that she had read the whole Bible for the first time in her life. “I finally did it!” she announced.
Allen, 71, best-known for his role as Tim “the Toolman” Taylor on the popular sitcom “Home Improvement” and his voice work as Buzz Lightyear in “Toy Story,” has spoken before about his faith. Though known as a comedic actor, Allen has experienced tragedy, with his father being killed by a drunk driver when he was only 11. The incident rocked his relationship with God, as he questioned why God had allowed his father to die. “I knew my father was dead, but I was never satisfied with why he was dead. I wanted answers that minute from God. ‘Do you think this is funny? Do you think this is necessary?’ And I’ve had a tumultuous relationship with my creator ever since,” said Allen in an interview with Elizabeth Vargas. Allen, who had already begun drinking at 10 years old, fell into drugs and alcohol and was charged with possession of cocaine in 1978. He spent two years in prison.
After leaving prison, Allen pursued a career in comedy, where he has since found a lot of success. He told Vargas, however, that he still hadn’t righted his relationship with God. “For years, I just did not like this idea of God, church. [I was] still a churchgoer, but constantly a cynic.” On “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2020, he announced he had been sober for 22 years. “Because I had money, and I was a star, people helped, they enable you to get by,” he said. “It doesn’t happen overnight,” he admitted. It’s a day-to-day thing. But giving back what somebody gives you… I see this happen right here, this is a miracle. I see it in my particular program.”
As his relationship with Jesus began to sort out, Allen found ways to incorporate his faith into his work. For his new Disney+ series, “The Santa Clauses,” he insisted on keeping “Christ” in “Christmas.” “It originally had a lot of otherworldly characters, and ghosts, and goblins. I said no, this is Christ-mas. Its Christ-mas. It literally is a religious holiday,” he told The Wrap. “We don’t have to blow trumpets, but I do want you to acknowledge it. That’s what this is about. If you want to get into Santa Claus, you’re gonna have to go back to history, and it’s all about religion.”
