With the media and Hollywood constantly bashing Christians, it’s refreshing to see a celebrity speak out about his faith—even if it’s young pop star turned bad boy turned devout Christian Justin Bieber.
Religion News Service reported that on September 20, Bieber sang the Christian worship song “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” to tens of thousands of fans on his Purpose Tour in Paris.
As of 2015, Bieber had sold 46.5 million records in the U.S. His album, “My World,” went platinum, and Forbes has listed him three times as one of the top ten most powerful celebrities in the world (2011, 2012, 2013).
However, his Purpose Tour wasn’t the first time Bieber publicly professed his faith. In 2015, he told Complex, “I just wanna honestly live like Jesus … He created a pretty awesome template of how to love people and how to be gracious and kind. If you believe it, He died for our sins.”
Bieber hasn’t always been the devout Christian he is now. Having reached excessive fame by the young age of 13, Bieber spiraled down a dangerous path. Most of his infamous behavior occurred between 2013 and 2014, when he engaged in numerous physical altercations, run-ins with the law, drug use and sex.
But Bieber has seemingly put all that behind him. “I shouldn’t be on the planet still. I think it was by the grace of God … ” he said. “My faith has gotten me to where I am. My faith has brought me to a whole other level. I love talking about my faith.”
Bieber does more than just talk about his faith. At a November 13 concert at the Staples Center, Bieber’s pastor took to the stage and gave a sermon to the large crowd. In 2014, the pop star was baptized by Pastor Carl Lentz of Hillsong Church, Bieber’s Church. He has a small cross tattoo on his face, a cross tattoo on his chest, and the word “Yeshua,” the Hebrew name for Jesus, tattooed on his rib cage.
Hopefully Bieber stays on the right track and continues to spread his faith, despite the secular influence of Hollywood. {eoa}
This article originally appeared on NewsBusters.org.
