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PUNK'D, PURITAN STYLE Comedy group Prank 3:16 convinces a young woman she has missed the rapture and been ... left behind

On the other hand, Rupple said, comedians who are ruthless in exploring their personal struggles often pull their punches when it comes to taking on the behavior and teachings of the church. "Christian comedians need to be a little more dangerous. One of the roles of comedy in our culture is to challenge beliefs, challenge our sacred cows, shake things up a little bit. Be a little bit of an agitator through comedy to get us thinking and questioning. Sometimes Christians are a little hesitant to question their faith. I think it stands up to any scrutiny. If it is the truth of God, you know, bring it on."

Comedy can transcend entertainment, Rupple argued, but only if comedians are truly daring. "I think Christian comedians have been a little hesitant to do that. Even though I don't agree with their worldview or their style, I respect people like Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor—and I even embrace some of their worldview. Pryor or Bruce or George Carlin, they are trying to convey truth, and sometimes they hit it. You know, they say things, and you're like, You know what, he's right. That's right and we have to think that way. A lot of times it isn't what I think is right, or the truth, and sometimes it's even offensive to my Christian beliefs, but I am glad someone's out there trying to say something."

"So what's holding Christian comedians back?"

Comedians have the same experience as musicians when it comes to Christian audiences: While they are overly judgmental regarding matters of doctrine, they are less demanding than they should be when it comes to talent"I think they are probably a little afraid of some elements in the Christian community that would be a little narrow-minded and just wouldn't quite get it," Rupple answered. "Sometimes Christians are not the hippest people. A lot of what we did with Isaac Air Freight was satire, and we spent a lot of time explaining 'No, don't you understand: I'm making fun of it. I am not endorsing, I'm making fun of it.' You just have to do the best you can and hope that the majority of the people get what you are trying to say. You don't want to offend anyone for the sake of offending them, but if you say something that's very true and it offends someone, it's probably because they're just not quite getting it, and maybe you can explain it later. That's what e-mail is for."

Not surprisingly, comedians have the same experience as musicians when it comes to Christian audiences: While they are overly judgmental regarding matters of doctrine, they are less demanding than they should be when it comes to talent. "The church audience to a fault is too forgiving, they are too kind, they are not near as discerning and critical as they should be. The very nature of our faith is to be forgiving and gracious, and so we do that with our artists. I think that has, in all the Christian art forms, slowed down the progress, because it's like, 'Eh, it's good enough for the church.'"

Rupple brought up another way in which performing for Christian audiences can make a comedian soft. "We use Christian jargon," he said. "Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Amen. Isn't God good?—all these trite Christian buzzwords. At times, when it's genuine, when it's appropriate, that's fine, but I think we often use it as a safety net. Just like the blue comedian will use a profanity, we'll use Praise the Lord because we know it generates support and applause. It can make you lazy if you are not careful."

Every comedian I spoke with agreed that there are some jokes you can do in clubs that you can't get away with in church, but they handle this divide in different ways. "I try to do the same exact show, outside of giving an invitation" for an altar call, Nazareth told me. "I think Christian now, so whatever joke comes out of me now should be acceptable to Christians." Others, however, tailor their shows carefully.