Survivalist and author Bear Grylls got baptized in the Jordan River, he posted on social media this Monday.
“It had always been a dream of mine to get in the water that Jesus was baptized in by my hero John the Baptist,” the 49-year-old shared on X, formerly Twitter.
It had always been a dream of mine to get in the water that Jesus was baptised in by my hero John the Baptist. The story is so amazing, & it seems wherever Jesus went, that new birth, new life, a new vision followed. Luke (in the bible) was probably a Syrian doctor before he met… pic.twitter.com/YwcEwL1ewh
— Bear Grylls OBE (@BearGrylls) October 2, 2023
Grylls posted a photo of the moment and added that the story of Jesus’ baptism is “amazing.”
“It seems wherever Jesus went, that new birth, new life, a new vision followed,” Grylls wrote. He further explained that Jesus’ story, as told by Luke, is “a reliable, poignant account.” The Book of Luke is known for its detailed retelling of Jesus’ life by the physician Luke.
Grylls has often been publicly open about his faith. In 2019, he released a daily devotional titled “Soul Fuel,” which shares how his faith gave him the purpose and power to carry on through many of his survivalist expeditions. The book’s description says that it explores themes of hope, courage, risk, heaven, and more.
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“Remember this,” it starts. “You have a light within you, the Holy Spirit, and wherever you go, you will bring a light greater than the darkness around you.”
Earlier this year, Grylls interviewed with the Christian Post about his faith and remarked that, “I think Jesus would really struggle with 99% of churches nowadays.”
“Our job in life is to stay close to Christ and drop the religious, drop the fluff, drop the church if you need to because that means so many different things to different people anyway,” he explained. “Keep the bit of church which is about community and friends and honesty and faith and love. All the masks, performances, music, and worship bands and all of that sort of stuff — I don’t think Christ would recognize a lot of that.”
Christians should instead prioritize a personal relationship with God over religious rituals, he said.
In 2021, he shared with The Guardian that it took him a while to be public about his faith. “For me, faith is not very churchy. It’s not very religious. It’s just a sense that I really believe there’s something out there. That we’re loved,” he said. “We’re given a light and strength to live life. For me, Christ has been a quiet empowering daily presence to tackle life with that sort of light inside me.”
Along with this, Grylls serves as an ambassador for the Alpha Course, which is an evangelistic course that introduces people to the Christian faith through a series of discussions.
The British adventurer is known globally for his survival escapades and outdoor explorations. A former member of the British Special Forces, at age 23 Grylls summited Mount Everest just 18 months after breaking his back in a parachuting accident.
Grylls has also been featured on several television shows. He is best known for starring in Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild TV series, which reached an estimated 1.2 billion viewers, according to his website. Additionally, he hosted the series Running Wild with Bear Grylls, which has featured celebrities such as former President Barack Obama, Will Ferrell, Channing Tatum, and Kate Winslet, among others.
Freelance journalist Liz Lykins writes for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.
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6 Responses
I like Bear Grylls. I wish him nothing but the best. I appreciate his public Christianity as well.
I’m not a giant fan of the getting baptized in the Jordan thing though. Especially if it is a second baptism for sentimental purposes. One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Steve, I totally agree with you. Because I was a “been there, done that” with the Jordan River myself in the mid-80s. This was before the whole “bucket list” concept, so it wasn’t from that perspective for me. But, at the same time, back then, when my tour bus rolled up to the spot on the Jordan, and the tour guide mentioned that anyone could do it, I jumped at the chance, put on a white gown / sheet, and waited in the long line that slowly descended into the river water. Back then, it was kind of a “why the heck not, I’m at the Jordan River for a once-in-a-lifetime thing”, even though I’d actually been baptized many years earlier. And, later, back home, it became sort of a mini-brag about “look what I did while visiting the Holy Land” (along with other mini-brags of slipping a note into the Wailing Wall, touring the interior of the Dome of the Rock, floating in the Dead Sea, etc.). Also, just to add, I wasn’t completely confident at the time how clean the green water was in the Jordan. Getting baptized in the Jordan River could have undermined my otherwise healthy North American immune system.
I agree Steve. If he had already been baptised he shouldn’t have done it. Moreover, the choice to do it in the Jordan river only ever has sentimental value, not spiritual. God owns all the rivers and all the waters.
“Our job in life is to stay close to Christ and drop the religious, drop the fluff, drop the church if you need to because that means so many different things to different people anyway,” he explained. “Keep the bit of church which is about community and friends and honesty and faith and love. All the masks, performances, music, and worship bands and all of that sort of stuff — I don’t think Christ would recognize a lot of that.”
Love this!! I couldn’t agree more. I miss the community that I had with my faith group, but all the entertainment hype, over-inflated egos, drive to do more, get more $, and the bully behavior of many in the pulpit, I do not miss and believe I am a better follower of Christ now without it. I am more compassionate, more loving and more at peace. I don’t think Jesus world recognize most of todays church either,. Or the Christian music empire.
I’m assuming that he was baptized way back. If that’s the case then he is making baptism into a souvenir, something for a spiritual charm bracelet. How does he have the authority to do such a thing? The Nicene Creed states, “I believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” One – not two. The Creed may not mean much to readers here but it provided guard rails for keeping heresy out of the Church. Multiple baptisms were a problem for a while.
Some time ago I read that a teenager who had been baptized when he was nine or so and then backslid asked to be baptized again as a public sign of his re-dedication or something. The pastor did what the kid wanted. What does doing a second baptism say about the clergy doing it? Is this just another example of “let’s make it up as we go along” or something worse?
“It seems wherever Jesus went, that new birth, new life, a new vision followed,” Grylls wrote”. Maybe Mr. Grylls should read Matthew 2:16 – 18.