Actor Russell Brand says he feels “blessed” after being baptised on Sunday.
He has often talked about Christianity on social media and finally took the plunge over the weekend, being baptised in the River Thames.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Brand said it was an “incredible, profound experience” and gave him the peace he had been searching for.
“As a person who in the past has taken many, many substances and always been disappointed with their inability to deliver the kind of tranquility and peace and even transcendence that I always felt I’ve been looking for, something occurred in the process of baptism that was incredible, overwhelming … so I felt changed, transitioned,” he said.
Brand said that although he still had “challenges” in the “real world”, he feels “as if some new resource within me has switched on”.
He said that even though he is not perfect and will make mistakes, he has committed to this path and already feels “blessed, relieved, nourished, held”.
He went on to say that his new Christian faith was a “joy” to him and he felt “so grateful” for the people who have embraced him.
He concluded, “I’m so grateful to be surrendered in Christ.”
A few days before being baptised, he shared a post talking about his plans and what it meant to him, calling it a moment to “die and be reborn”.
He suggested that turning to Christianity was a natural choice as the modern value system collapses.
“As meaning deteriorates in the modern world, as our value systems and institutions crumble, all of us become increasingly aware that there is this eerily familiar awakening and beckoning figure that we’ve all known all of our lives, within us and around us. And for me, it’s very exciting,” he said.
In a recent post, he talked about wearing a cross “because Christianity and, in particular, the figure of Christ, are, it seems to me, inevitably becoming more important as I become more familiar with suffering, purpose, self, and not-self”.
London’s Metropolitan Police are still investigating allegations of rape and serious sexual misconduct levelled against Brand last year. Brand has denied the allegations.
