I’ve been intrigued and, along with many people, a little sceptical about Russell Brand’s recent conversion and baptism into Christianity. I'm also interested in what the idea of his conversion raises in my heart and mind.
There are several things going on.
First there are the common sense questions I have about his conversion:
- Given the pending charges of sexual assault, the timing seems a little convenient. Christianity 'deals' in the forgiveness of sins, Brand has recently been the subject of a high profile witch hunt in which his many sins have been laid bare (pun intended). Is he doing this to avoid facing justice for his past or to avoid acknowledging his past?
- For years now he’s been seeking spiritual enlightenment and has posted before about his respect for Christ, but also about his appreciation of Buddha and other so called pathways to truth. I wonder if he’s genuinely come to Christ or if he’s attempting yet more new age syncretism.
Then as I look a little deeper into my heart I wonder/fear what his conversion will do for the public perception of Christianity. I fear for the church and the gospel.
- What if he popularises yet another version of the ‘Jesus approves of all the same things we do’ gospel that treats Christianity as simply a baptised version of secular humanism. How will that further cloud the historic witness of the church?
- What if he encounters the failings of the church and publicly ridicules Christians for their laissez faire spirituality and half hearted do gooding? I love Christ's bride and hurt to see her mocked or undermined in the media.
But I also see a darker side of my heart as well. His conversion challenges whether I believe the gospel or not. Do I genuinely believe that high profile sinners, like Brand, are saveable? Don't get me wrong, there's a self-protective wise side to this concern, like when the early Christians questioned St Paul's conversion ('from persecutor to preacher, really?!') there’s wisdom there. But wisdom is sometimes the public face of cynicism as well. Is it possible for someone like Brand to come to Christ? Absolutely. But Brand himself? I’m unsure.
Partly I worry about the public nature of it all. Christ’s work is often hidden and secret more than it is done on display. I worry for him. If he is now a brother, can he really survive the public scrutiny so early into his discipleship?
Of course the answer to all of the above is mostly: time (perseverance) will tell. Heaven knows my discipleship to Christ has been far from a straight road or un unfaltering one, but I’m grateful it’s at least been a low-profile one.
What I can say is that watching a recent video he put out, was like listening to many people in my church. His enthusiasm for the gospel, the power of God, the presence of the Spirit and the illustrations of the church, along with his sharp rebuke of materialism warmed my heart.
Finally, there is the public response to it all.
Most fascinating was what the quick glance at the comments alongside his video revealed. His videos garner hundreds of thousands of views with thousands upon thousands of comments. Comments are always a mixed bag but may of them alongside his video said a mixture of: this is boring, you’re going backwards.
One person even wrote “you need intense therapy.”
And another “I’m out. You’re sounding less enlightened than before.”
Less enlightened than before.
That last comment is revealing isn’t it? Brand is a man who, for many years, has been publicly pursuing spiritual enlightenment. He now claims to have found it but his followers claim he’s going backwards, not forwards. Coming to Christ has made him less enlightened, they claim.
What this comment says to me is that when many people claim to be after spirituality what they’re really seeking is religion. Religion is mankind's attempts to be reconciled, or joined (from ‘religio’ - to join), to God/Truth. It is humanity's scribblings, ranting, ravings, ritualising and writing about God. At the centre of what makes a religion a religion is that it is HUMANITY's best guess.
By contrast ‘spirituality’ (if God and Spirit exists) must actually be that which emanates from the Spirit, and so Spirituality. To be more Spiritual is actually to be more responsive to the Spirit. It is to receive the Spirit’s work, the Spirit’s wisdom and the Spirit’s presence. People may be enthralled by small ’s’ spirituality (their own spirit/soul’s murmurings) but if we concede that such an entity as spirit exists we surely should make room for the source and form of all spirits, namely the Spirit to exits as well.
I know plenty of people who, like the Athenians in Acts 19, love discussing religion. They give the appearance of humility by their apparent openness, but in reality they're anything but humble and open. You see, when the Spirit speaks and acts it is arrogance, not humility, to continue to prefer humanity’s attempts at spirituality over what he has spoken and done. It’s like sticking to my scrap-booking and sketching about a long lost relative, based solely on ideas and memories from my family, even after he’s been to visit!
Accepting that Uncle Joe is 5ft 7” and has short brown hair, may sound less exciting than day dreaming that he's 8ft tall and has waist length hair made of strawberry laces. It may sound less exciting to some, but it’s actually the opposite since it’s actually true. The truth is always to be preferred to fiction. You see, once I can stop guessing at his appearance I can actually start to build a friendship with him. And that’s what it seems that Brand is doing at last. He sounds like someone who’s met my Jesus and has moved on from speculation to (in his own words) cultivating a “fragile, gentle relationship” with him.
To a world obsessed with religion (mankind's self-made ideas), Spirituality sounds like retreat. To a world convinced that knowing God is impossible, staying open to any possibility imaginable is apparently the humble thing to do. But in a world where Christ has come, exchanging our musings for the truth is not only wise and sensible but remarkably humble as well.
As C.S. Lewis so beautifully put it: the purpose of an open mind, like that of an open mouth, is to close it on something substantial.
I hope and pray that Brand, the boring one, feasts on Jesus for the rest of his life. There is no better food for the soul.
Russell Brand is being boring, at last, long may it continue.