I do not know if British actor and comedian Russell Brand has arrived anywhere on his spiritual journey. But he’s saying things that might be helpful to someone looking for answers to the mysteries of life.
Brand’s tradecraft can be offensive as he entertains the disaffected, directionless younger generations, i.e., the folks enticed as children to “follow your heart” and ego-stroked to “be whatever you want to be.” As adults they wonder about life’s mysteries but look for answers in the wrong places. Some of those answers about morality and identity are harmful lies. They believe Richard Dawkins who says they are merely a random collection of DNA and can only dance to its music. They demand affirmation, shout down disagreeable on-campus speakers, and dare anyone to challenge their conclusions. They look berserk, floundering with no grasp of ultimate reality.
Back to Brand. He has been transparent about his spiritual journey, a winding tale along a rocky path. He said, “Like many desperate people, I need spirituality, I need God, or I cannot cope in this world.” That looks like a signpost pointing to answers. “My personal feeling is the teachings of Christ are more relevant now than they’ve ever been,” he said. “There’s a famous quote: ‘Every man who knocks on a brothel door is looking for God.’ Humanity is knocking on a brothel door, looking for fulfillment in things that will only leave them empty.” I hope these words mean he is considering all the truth claims of Christ. I hope his audience considers the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
You are on a quest, knocking on doors, whether you realize it or not. That quest is to unravel the mystery of the universe and find your place in it. Perhaps the best way to characterize the question is, “Does life offer any reason to hope?” It matters how you look for answers. If you remove God as a starting point, you end up with subjective, untenable, and hopeless answers. Wrong answers lead to boredom, frustration, and even violence.
But the right answers about ultimate questions make a person peaceful, hopeful, and wise. God has unraveled the mystery for us. His Word reveals “the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints…Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him…with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ” (Col. 1:26-28). Your only hope is Christ in you. You reach your fullest human potential only as Christ completes you. He loves you. Trust Him.
To solve life’s deepest mysteries and find meaning in life, consider Russel Brand’s words, which point to Jesus. With God, you can cope with this world.