Brad Stine (born January 21, 1960Adam Green STANDUP FOR THE LORD the New Yorker, August 2, 2004) is an American comedian, actor, and author. Relatively unknown until 2003, Stine first gained exposure when he was identified as a conservative
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
on his debut album, ''Put a Helmet On!''
Biography
Early life
Stine was born and raised in
Bremen, Indiana
Bremen ( ) is a town in German Township, Marshall County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,588 at the 2010 census.
History
Bremen was platted and laid out in 1851. A large portion of the early settlers being natives of Germany cause ...
by Jerry and Nancy Stine. His father was an auto-body repairman and front man for a local musical combo called the Regents, and his mother was a housewife. He is the second of four children.
Stine's parents divorced when he was eight, but they later remarried and moved to California, only to divorce again. He stayed with his father, who briefly left the auto-body business to travel with his brother to carnivals in the Midwest. His father later remarried and returned to his previous work.
Early career
Stine started practicing magic tricks at age 13, which later led to his performing magic in Southern California bars and restaurants. Stine also learned to perform sideshow stunts and began honing his comedy skills.
In the late 1980s, Stine was hired by a manager and toured colleges across the country with comedians Craig Anton and Emery Emery. His first television appearance was on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
’s ''Comedy Club Network''.
Stine continued to work in comedy clubs and on TV, and eventually dropped his magic tricks and stunts. He started taking acting lessons and auditioned for movies and television shows. On the advice of a fellow comic, he eventually made his Christian faith and conservatism the focus of his act.
Personal life
He resides in
Brentwood, Tennessee
Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census.
Comedic style
Stine's style has been described by '' Newsweek'' as "conservative " with a "rat-a-tat delivery" and by '' The New Yorker'' as "frantic," "conservative," and "ADHD," with echoes of Robin Williams, Sam Kinison, Bill Hicks, George Carlin, and Alan Keyes." However, unlike these and a lot of other comedians, Stine does not use profanity or sexual humor because of his conservative Christian faith. He has been described as "a clean Denis Leary" and his material targets "liberals, humanists, political correctness and judgmental Christians." Stine has claimed that his conservatism has sometimes resulted in the loss of appearances. Stine himself admits that much of his more extreme material is facetious and satirical, using ridiculous scenarios to make a finer point.
Major appearances
Stine has appeared on several stand-up comedy shows, such as A&E’s '' Evening at the Improv'' and
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's ''Half Hour Comedy Hour'', and has appeared on news programs such as Fox News' ''
Hannity & Colmes
''Hannity & Colmes'' was a live television show on Fox News in the United States, hosted by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, who respectively presented a conservative and liberal perspective. The series premiered on October 7, 1996, and the final epi ...
Paula Zahn NOW
Paula Ann Zahn (; born February 24, 1956) is an American journalist and newscaster who has been an anchor at ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, and CNN. She currently produces and hosts the true crime documentary series ''On the Case with Paula Zahn'' ...
'' and ''
Glenn Beck
Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...
'', and the NBC Nightly News. Stine has also been interviewed on National Public Radio and has been featured on FOXNews.com and in Newsweek,the New Yorker,USA Today, and several other newspapers nationwide. He was a featured performer for Promise Keepers in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and once again in 2012 and also in 2014
. Also in 2004, he performed for "R: the Party," a party hosted by
Jenna
Jenna is a female given name. In the English-speaking world it is a variation of Jenny, which is itself a diminutive of Jane, Janet, Jennifer and is often used as a name in its own right.Katie Martin-Doyle, ''The Treasury of Baby Names'', Worth Pre ...
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
in New York City. Stine has also appeared with Go Fish for the song ''Christmas with a Capital "C",'' which disparages the inclusive term "happy holidays" and supports the use of the term "Merry Christmas."
GodMen
Inspired by author David Murrow,Brandon O'Brien A Jesus for Real Men Christianity Today, April 18, 2008 Stine founded GodMen, a proposed alternative to Promise Keepers that emphasizes "spiritual conservatism".Anita Wadhwani Spiritual event wants GodMen, not girly men The Tennessean, 10/26/06 GodMen's inaugural event was held on October 28, 2006, in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, Tennessee, and drew 200 men.Jenny Jarvie and Stephanie Simon Manliness is next to godliness Los Angeles Times, December 7, 2006 Their second event was held on March 10, 2007,Paul Coughlin New Male Spirit Crosswalk.com, February 21, 2007 in rented space at a Franklin, Tennessee, mallABC News Group Advocates Macho Christianity March 15, 2007 and drew about 300 men.ABC News Christian Men...Too Wimpy? March 15, 2007 Many more events were scheduled for 2007 and 2008. As of spring 2012, Stine has returned to Promise Keepers.
Acting work
Stine has appeared in minor roles in a handful of big and small screen movies,Brad Stine's page o the Internet Movie Database /ref> including the films ''Welcome to Paradise'', ''
Sarah's Choice
''Sarah's Choice'' is a 2009 American direct-to-video Christian drama film directed by Chad Kapper. The film was the first lead film role for contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Rebecca St. James as the title character, along with Andrea ...
'', ''
Homeless for the Holidays
''Homeless for the Holidays'' is a 2009 Christian-Christmas film by Breathe Motion Pictures. The film was directed by George A. Johnson, who previously directed ''Dreamer: The Movie''. Shooting began on April 18, 2009, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In J ...
Persecuted
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms ...
''.
Multimedia
Stine currently has two books and five performance videos/recordings available. In September 2008, he was featured in the multi-comedian DVD The Apostles of Comedy, which also features comedian/actors
Ron Pearson Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe A ...