Survival expert and television host Bear Grylls is not a Sunday Christian. What I mean is that he isn’t the kind of Christ follower who only puts his Christianity on at the door of the church on Sunday morning and takes it off in the same spot as he leaves. For Grylls, faith is his connection to God and it’s in every single thing he does, whether he’s climbing a mountain, out in the jungle, or simply experiencing a moment of solitude.
“Faith is a journey, isn’t it?” the 50-year-old former British Special Forces member said during an interview with The Christian Post.
“Faith and doubt are two sides of the same coin. I have many doubts, many struggles, and many days, I think it’s all crazy, but through it all, I feel Christ has been a light to a dark path and strength to a failing body. Through many valleys and summits, jungles and deserts, He’s always there. We need that in life. For me, it’s not a Sunday thing. I really need Him every day. That’s how I kind of approach life,” Grylls said during the conversation with the outlet.
“I don’t really talk about faith unless I’m asked,” he explained. “It’s just a part of my life, and it’s something I really need. And it’s the best bit of my life.”
“I think Jesus would really struggle with 99% of churches nowadays,” Grylls said, as he weighed in on the current condition of the church.
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For Grylls, a bestselling author who has hosted several survival shows, including “Man vs. Wild,” “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” and “Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell,” faith is personal, raw and best practiced without the layers of formality and performance that, he believes, have clouded many contemporary religious spaces.
“Our job in life is to stay close to Christ and drop the religious, drop the fluff, drop the Church if you need to,” he continued. “Keep the bit of church which is about community and friends and honesty and faith and love.”
Okay, while I totally understand the point he’s trying to make, we should never, ever drop the Church. God commands us to worship Him as a community and to meet together and give offerings and sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. Liturgical worship is the way, my friends. Don’t neglect that or the power and strength it can provide you in your walk with Jesus.
Grylls’ comments, which were met with both praise and controversy, reflected his belief that faith is about survival — a spiritual survival that demands honesty, vulnerability and a deep connection to something greater than oneself. It’s this outlook that fuels his latest project, “The Chosen in the Wild,” a collaboration with the series “The Chosen,” which follows the life of Jesus and His followers. The six-episode adventure series will follow various cast members of “The Chosen” as they join Grylls for outdoor challenges and navigate survival situations, reflecting on the faith that sustained Jesus’ disciples.
Grylls spoke to CP at the fan event ChosenCon in the Orlando World Center Marriott Hotel, where “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” was first announced. The How to Stay Alive author said he’s excited to bring the adventure of faith and survival together, helping audiences witness Jesus’ disciples through a new lens — one that mirrors the challenges of the wild.
“What we’ve tried to do with ‘The Chosen in the Wild’ is get to know the real people and show their real journey,” Grylls commented about his new series. “Isn’t that the same with ‘The Chosen’? It shows the real reality of what Jesus was like in their relationships and their journey. … It’s the element of faith I’ve always responded best to and not the fluff of it all, the rules and the regulations and the do’s and the don’t, but actually, as ‘The Chosen’ shows, as Jesus shows, ‘Keep your eyes on me, you’ll be OK. Then you won’t sink in the water.’ I felt that in my own life many times, through many adventures. It feels like a really special pairing to bring the best of ‘Running Wild’ to ‘The Chosen’ and to allow fans to see their favorite actors in a way that they never do normally.”
Grylls then explained that “The Chosen in the Wild” is an expression of his own personally held philosophy. He seeks to strip things down to the raw and real truth of the human experience. When you’re in the wilderness, he explained, the core of who you are gets revealed. You see your vulnerability, your flaws, and learn that you can push through those things.
“I think the wild always reveals who we are,” the survivalist said. “Adventures opens us all. The outdoors lights us up.”