After his dramatic conversion, actor Russell Brand is learning that other Christians can be critical at times. Last month, he posted a photo on social media of him and a friend performing a baptism while wearing only underwear.
“It might seem a bit soon to be baptizing people, but the apostles did it on day one, so here we are,” he captioned the photo, according to “The Christian Post.” The photo was met with both praise and criticism, with one person commenting: “Moved by your faith, but bro maybe more modest.”
Brand addressed the controversy in a video message.
“I suppose looking at it now, it does look a bit immodest, me doing a baptism in underpants like that,” he said. “But the truth is, I took off my clothes, and my underpants are all I’m wearing underneath my clothes,. That’s what I’m wearing right now. It wasn’t a planned photo shoot. Some of my mates took photos for their friend, actually. Evan was getting baptized.
“Anyway, some people thought it was a little immodest and me showing off, judging from the comments, You know, I read the comments below. But what I’d say is this — and I’m a little bit of a showoff — the Lord made me a little bit of a showoff, but it is for him that I am showing off now, not for me.”
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Brand also visited the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. last week, calling it “more than a museum — it is an immersive and elucidating experience. In many ways, it felt as if I was partaking in a visceral encounter with God.”
In April, Brand was baptized as he had spent the past year considering the Christian faith.
“I’ve been a Christian a month now, and it’s been a big change,” he said in a social media video in May. “Not that I’ve entirely changed as a person. Of course, I haven’t, but I’ve taken on a lot of new concepts, and it changes you to accept that it’s not like you’re in a game show, and by doing really, really good things, you can get redeemed.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice