Bryce Crawford on His Boldness for Jesus: ‘If You Love Someone, You Tell Them the Truth’
Michael Foust
Audio By Carbonatix
By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
At just 22, podcaster and evangelist Bryce Crawford displays a boldness for Christ that stands out in a world marked by hesitation. He’s taken the gospel to a Satanic temple, a psychic, a Pride parade, and to followers of other religions, including Muslims, Hindus, and Hebrew Israelites.
But to Crawford, such boldness isn’t out of the ordinary. He views it as a natural response to what Jesus has done in his life – sparing him from a planned suicide in December 2020 and freeing him from years of depression and anxiety.
It’s also, he says, grounded in a calling to love people.
“Jesus saved my life Dec. 25 of 2020,” Crawford told Crosswalk Headlines. “The love that God has for me has fueled me to love people. It's the greatest commandment – love God and love people. And so it's what God has done in my life, and the love that He has shown me that gives me that same strength to be bold and love people.”
Crawford has grown into a faith-centric internet sensation in just a few years, driven not only by his street evangelism videos but also by his sit-down interviews on The Bryce Crawford Podcast. He’s currently on the back end of a multi-city tour across the country as part of his I Love Jesus Tour.
He has 3 million followers on Instagram and 4 million on TikTok, plus nearly 1 million on YouTube – and has become, for many Christian youth, a beacon of hope in a social media world often marked by cynicism and darkness.
He views his boldness not as confrontational or controversial but simply as truth-telling.
“If you love someone, you tell them the truth,” Crawford said. “And so I think that's very important is that if we really love people, we're going to tell them the truth. And there's a way that you can deliver the truth that is full of grace as well. The love Jesus has for me has fueled me to love people.”
It’s been a busy year for Crawford, who proposed to his girlfriend Maddy and then married her, all within a few short months. They wed in January.
Marriage, he said, has deepened his understanding of God – and himself.
“It’s taught me how selfish I am,” he said, laughing. “I didn't realize how selfish I was until I got married, but man – what a beautiful picture of union and commitment it is to know God has always been so faithful to us, and His faithfulness fuels us to be faithful back to Him. And so the same way that my wife and I choose each other daily, it's such a beautiful picture of how God chooses us.”
Crawford believes young people are hungry for the truth of Christ, fueled by a growing rejection of what they’ve consumed on their phones that hasn’t brought joy or purpose.
“I think there's a real, visible hunger for God,” he told Crosswalk Headlines. “And I think it's almost tangible. And I think the thing that's driving it is we're tired of fluff. We're tired of fake stuff. Phones and entertainment have been the gateway to a lot of vices in people's lives. … I think my generation has gotten tired very quickly of fake stuff. And so that's why they're turning to Jesus – because Jesus is the truth. He's not a truth. He is the truth. And so because they're finding Jesus, they're going: Wow, this is everything I've searched for everywhere. … That's why I believe we're seeing a real sense of revival.”
Asked what advice he would give teens who want the same boldness, Crawford replied: pray.
“Pray for boldness – just like the early church did in the book of Acts. They got saved, baptized, [filled with the] Holy Spirit, and they go, ‘Alright, Peter, what do we do?’ And he says, ‘Pray for boldness.’ We need to pray for more boldness.”
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Bryce Crawford: Young People Are ‘Tired of Fluff’ and Hungry for Jesus
Photo Credit: Instagram / Bryce Crawford
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
