TV adventurer Bear Grylls climbed to the top of Mount Everest in 1998 when he was only 23.

He did it against all odds during extreme weather while suffering fatigue, dehydration and a severe back injury caused by a parachuting accident two years earlier.

He nearly lost his life during a reconnaissance climb when he fell into a crevasse and was saved by his climbing partner.

Clearly, God was on his side.

Now, the famous survivalist is paying Him back.

BEAR GRYLLS CLIMBS LITERARY CHARTS

The devout Christian is trying to scale the heights of the literary charts with his bestseller The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account,

“I literally woke up one morning and knew I was going to write this thing, with utter conviction,” Bear told editor of Premier Christianity Sam Hailes earlier this year.

“I got straight on the phone to the publishers and said: ‘It’s going to be the biggest-selling book in history.’ They laughed. “

Editor Hailes wrote: “I have no reason to doubt Grylls’ sincerity. But the claim that The Greatest Story Ever Told is going to outsell Harry Potter, The Hobbit and every Agatha Christie whodunit ever written is hard to believe.”

“Is it just a pipe dream? Maybe. But I’m not brave enough to tell a man who literally climbed Everest after breaking his back in three places that he can’t do something.”

THE PALESTINIAN REFUGEES CONTROVERSY

The book presents the life of Jesus through the voices of five close companions — Mary, Thomas, Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene — while integrating Jesus’s own words directly from the Bible.

Bear ran into some strong headwinds of criticism during the initial publicity months ahead of the book’s release.

It indicated Mary and Joseph would be depicted as Palestinian refugees.

In an explanation he wrote: “I referred to this area as Palestine as per the maps you will find in most Bibles. I am simply setting the scene.”

“I am not referring to Mary’s nationality or ethnicity. She was clearly Jewish.”

“INFANT JESUS WAS A REFUGEE”

“In response to whether Jesus was a refugee, yes he was.”

“Mary, Joseph and Jesus were forced to flee their homeland to live as refugees in the Egyptian desert.”

“They were escaping Herod’s decree to kill all the young male babies in Bethlehem.”

“They returned finally four or so years later to their homeland and to Nazareth.”

The controversy had eased off when the book was published. 

“IT IS ABOUT OUR LIVES AND FUTURES IN ONE INCREDIBLE STORY”

Bear Grylls describes The Greatest Story Ever Told as his most meaningful work to date.

“I’d give up every Everest summit, every Emmy, every book and TV show I have done to have written this, because it is about all our lives and futures, rolled up in this one incredible story,” he declared.

“Already the book is empowering thousands of lives all around the world.”

“I have a feeling though that this is only the beginning and it is because of so many people sharing this story with friends, families and colleagues, that we are seeing such huge numbers sold.”

RARE FOR A CHRISTIAN BOOK TO BECOME A BESTSELLER

Mid-year, the book premiered at the top of the Sunday Times hardback non-fiction bestsellers.

At one stage it was listed as Britain’s fourth bestselling hardback across all genres.

It has sold around 10,000 hardback copies and according to Premier Christian News, 190,000 copies in total including a special Christmas edition, since its June 19 release in the UK, but so far, it’s no blockbuster.

Its success reflects broader trends in Christian publishing.

According to BookScan, the religion category was the only non-fiction genre among 18 tracked that experienced consistent growth in terms of both quantity sold and market worth between 2022 and 2024.

“INFLUENCE OF THIS BOOK WILL ENDURE”

Bear Grylls observed that his book is already making a big impact on its readers.

“That is why I say this book belongs to us all, and that its influence will endure.”

“That is what Christ does to people. He changes us all for the better.”

Churches are being invited to explore the book in a five-part series, complete with video content featuring Bear and Andrew Ollerton from the Bible Society.

Organisers hope that more than 1,000 churches and 100,000 participants will take part.