What was Russell actually worshipping before Christ?

Before Christ, Russell says he believed God was real, even the ultimate reality itself, though he leaned on C.S. Lewis's point that most people's image of God as a father figure isn't much more sophisticated than imagining Santa Claus. He admitted his appetite for worship was always enormous, enough to sense the world could never satisfy it, but what stayed hidden from him for years was that he'd actually been worshipping himself, something he never suspected precisely because he didn't like himself very much. Russell was honest about why he avoided Christianity for so long, finding it bloody boring growing up, joking that hearing "the Lord of the dance" made him want to give up on the spot. He's since explored many different expressions of the faith, but still sees the same challenge facing Christianity that he's noticed in recovery programs, the danger of nestling too comfortably inside a dominant culture he considers fundamentally fallen.

Order my new book 'How to Become Christian in 7 Days' at

Go to and join the movement.

WATCH LIVE Mon Wed Fri