Actor and media personality Russell Brand, who has gained a reputation as the bad boy of comedy, has turned into a firebrand evangelist since his conversion to Christianity.
Russell first attracted media talent scouts while working as a stand-up comic and radio host. His first major role was as an MTV presenter in the UK. Then, in 2004, he was hired to host the TV show Big Brother’s Big Mouth, a spin-off of the popular Big Brother series. His comic acting talents and quick wit led to his first major film role in the comedy St Trinian’s (2007). From there, Hollywood started to take notice and Russell was given starring roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Get Him to the Greek (2010), Arthur (2011), and Rock of Ages (2012).
Russell hosted his own radio show The Russell Brand Show which ran from 2006 to 2017. He continues to host the podcasts Stay Free with Russell Brand and Under the Skin with Russell Brand. He has received three British Comedy Awards and a nomination for a BAFTA Award.
Twelve steps to freedom
From early in his career Russell gained a reputation as a ‘bad boy’. He freely admits that the easy availability of sex, drugs and alcohol became powerful controlling influences and he was soon hopelessly addicted. After reaching the point of desperation, he was encouraged to sign up to the AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) twelve step scheme. Although originally designed for alcoholics, the scheme is now recognised to be a powerful tool in helping with many other addictions. Step three of the course is ‘surrender’. In this step the participant is encouraged to “surrender to a higher power”. This is simply a recognition that people overcome by addiction are powerless to help themselves and need to surrender to God for help. It was during this ‘surrender’ stage that Russell’s search for the real Jesus Christ began.
“I love Jesus!”
Is he perhaps ‘a brand plucked from the burning’ — a phrase used to describe Methodist Church founder John Wesley, who was literally rescued from a house fire as a young boy before later leading a worldwide Christian revival?
“I love Jesus,” Brand boldly declared on the Sage Steele podcast, adding: “I’ve always loved Jesus.”
He was baptised in the River Thames by adventuring icon Bear Grylls in April 2024. His search had previously taken him down many wrong paths of a New Age nature which, he claims, is all about choosing your own religion. But the wild extrovert who has faced serious allegations of sexual impropriety says God has now rescued him from focusing on himself and enabled him to conquer his many obsessions. “You can’t change yourself, but you can be changed,” he declared while sitting relaxed and cross-legged on a studio sofa.
It’s not all about us
He added that our culture encourages us to optimise everything, but we need reminding that we are not God; it’s not all about us.
“The consequence of removing God from the centrifugal focus of our lives is that God has become Self. But the purpose of my life is not personal fulfilment. We are not here for ourselves, but to do His work.”
He said the Lord had been stalking him for a very long time during which he explored many other avenues. Now 50, he added:
“I can’t get clean or sober without God. Christ cracked through hard and everything else fell away. I recognised that Jesus Christ is real. When the pain came hard, Jesus Christ was there – I mean in terms of scriptural, literal Jesus.”
Reading of the mighty exploits of the early disciples, he came to realise it was actually true – that Jesus “died for our sins and rose that we may have eternal life”. While acknowledging the ‘human tainting’ of much that has been associated with the institutional church, he was in no doubt. “Now I know Jesus Christ is the answer.”
By Charles Gardner and Ralph Burden
Photo by Gage Skidmore, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Sage Steel interview with Russell Brand:
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