A comedian who converted to Christianity is warning that people in Hollywood are “terrified of being exposed” for their sins as he identifies as someone who is “known to have sinned” and can, therefore, accept his “flawed and fallen” nature.
Russell Brand, who has publicly documented his faith journey and embraced Christianity, posted a video to X on Sunday explaining why he believes “Christianity is the spiritual path for me.”
He told his followers, “As I’ve become a Christian, I recognize that this is the spiritual path for me.”
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Brand cited the Bible passage 1 Timothy 1:15-16 as one reason why he has found solace in Christianity. Written by St. Paul, the verses declare: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”
“Everywhere in the world, you get the idea that people are sort of pretending to be better than they are. People are terrified of being exposed,” Brand said. “Look at the stuff that’s going on in Hollywood at the moment. There’s a sense that there’s all of this darkness that’s going to be revealed.”
Brand identified himself as one of many people who “publicly are known to have sinned, to have lived a life away from Him, lived a life looking for the stimulants that the world offers you” and “live in open transparency.” He contended that people who fit this description “can authentically accept that we are flawed and fallen.”
“That is the way that we will know Christ, through our brokenness,” he asserted. “We don’t have to be pretending that you’re something that you’re not. You don’t have to be concealing anything about yourself, because what you are is beautiful.”
Brand concluded the video by commenting, “I wish I could have known that when I was small,” adding, “I’m so glad I know it now and I hope that you know it as well.”
Brand was baptized earlier this year following a personal exploration of Christianity that lasted several years. He began baptizing other people last month, just five months after his own baptism. The comedian drew criticism for baptizing one of his friends while both were wearing only their underwear.
Brand first spoke publicly about his warm reception toward Christianity in 2017 upon the release of his book, titled Recovery: Freedom from our Addictions. He acknowledged that the book, intended to serve as a self-help manual for those seeking to overcome addiction, had a “Christiany feel” to it. Brand expressed a desire for “some sense of a deeper truth” and lamented “the exclusion of spiritual principles from contemporary culture and contemporary conversation” as a negative development.
In a 2018 interview with Relevant magazine, Brand detailed how his “route to spirituality comes through addiction, so it comes from desperation and fear and this sort of defeat, destruction, annihilation of self in a very humiliating way, I suppose.” He maintained that “I had no choice but to embrace spiritual life, but now I am grateful for this.” He credited Christianity with making “sense” of his life.
In the months leading up to his baptism this year, Brand discussed how he had realized as he had gotten older that he needed “a personal relationship with God.” In the months following his baptism, Brand declared: “I am in the business of service.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
