Grylls made this same distinction when speaking to The Christian Post. “Look at Jesus with his band of guys who he shared everything with, the good, the bad and the struggles,” he said. “They were always brutally honest. They were unchurched; they weren’t smiley and nice. It was raw, it was real, it was painful, it was honest, it was angry, it was jealous, it was all of these things. But it was spoken and it was shared and there was an incredible community, and in a way, that is church.”
The survivalist emphasized the necessity of having an authentic spirituality and connecting with God, in contrast to what he often sees in churches, which is people concealing their doubts and their inner struggles.
“We’re so conditioned to only talk about the good stuff when it’s working,” said Grylls. “Probably most of the people in the congregation have substance abuse, and probably most of their congregations struggle with porn and all that sort of stuff. What a relief it is when a pastor can stand up and go, ‘Welcome to the hospital, folks. Here we go. I’m just standing alongside you on the road, failing our way through, but reaching out of desperation for life and love and redemption. Let’s look outwards, and love other people, and we’re in it together.’”
