He's one of the most likeable men in Hollywood, both on and off screen. His meteoric rise from total unknown, to small-time TV actor, to big league A-lister is a modern rebuke to the idea that nice guys finish last. And guess what... Chris Pratt is also a proud and vocal Christian. The various magazine journalists who've interviewed the Jurassic World star in recent years have frequently been struck by the certainty, centrality and intensity of his faith. One Vanity Fair writer even described how, before a meal at the actor's house, Pratt had them kneel together to pray.
This isn't one of those evangelical wishful-thinking exercises. As demonstrated by his repeated use of Bible verses on social media, Pratt is entirely happy to be public about his faith, and to be a role model to other believers. He's spoken out about the role he believes God played in the healing of his prematurely-born son, and the centrality of his faith to his marriage. And unlike many other actors who claim to have faith, Pratt is also happy to explicitly share a 'testimony' story about the moment he found God – or rather, God found him. Below are some of the most fascinating things Pratt has shared publicly about his faith, starting with the story of the night when everything changed.
On how he came to faith in Jesus...
'I was sitting outside a grocery store ... And a guy named Henry came up and recognised something in me that needed to be saved. He asked what I was doing that night, and I was honest. I said, "My friend's inside buying me alcohol." "You going to go party?" he asked. "Yeah." "Drink and do drugs? Meet girls, fornication?" I was like, "I hope so."
'It should've made me nervous but didn't. I said, "Why are you asking?" He said, "Jesus told me to talk to you..." At that moment I was like, I think I have to go with this guy. He took me to church. Over the next few days I surprised my friends by declaring that I was going to change my life.'
– From an interview with Vanity Fair.
On what happened next...
'[The guy at the grocery store] was like, "I stopped because Jesus told me to stop and talk to you. He said to tell you you're destined for great things." "I gave my soul to Jesus within, like, two days. I was stuffing envelopes for his organisation, Jews for Jesus. I'm not even sure, at that age – I was 19 years old – I knew what Jewish was.'
– From an interview with Esquire magazine.
On how his prematurely-born son 'redefined' his faith...
'It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but it really redefined it... The baby was so beautiful to us, and I look back at the photos of him and it must have been jarring for other people to come in and see him, but to us he was so beautiful and perfect.'
– From an interview with People magazine.
Urging others to pray for a four-year-old cancer sufferer
'The power of prayer saved my son. This boy Sam needs a miracle. Say a prayer for Sam. Even if you never have b4.Try.'
'Lord I pray for Sam. May you put your healing hand on him father. May his family find grace in this difficult time.'
– From Pratt's personal Twitter account.
On prioritising his marriage to fellow actor Anna Faris...
'Anna and I are meant to be together. Our relationship has made me believe in divine intervention and destiny... A lot of times, people focus so much on their kids, and then when their kids leave the nest, they look at their spouse or partner like they're a stranger. It's just as important, if not more important, to focus on your relationship with your partner because your children are going to leave one day [and] you have to maintain a relationship that's going to outlast your child's needs for you.'
– From an interview with People magazine.
Posted on Facebook as his star was being prepared for the Hollywood Walk of Fame...
'Psalm 126:3: "The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Thank you to the many, many people who empowered me to follow my dreams.'
Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow
