The Dark Truth About Celebrity Christians

Celebrity Christians and Why Their Churches Matter

Let's talk about Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Chris Pratt, Tim Tebow and Kevin Durant, who are all celebrities who profess faith in Jesus Christ. Millions of people follow and look up to these celebrities, so we think it's worth examining what they believe.

We'll take a look at the churches they attend and what they believe. Celebrity number one, Justin Bieber. Bieber is a Canadian singer who established himself as a teen idol. Time named Bieber one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, and Forbes listed him as one of the top 10 most powerful celebrities in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Bieber currently attends Churchill, whose pastor is Judah Smith. Let's first take a look at what Bieber says he believes, and then we'll take a look at some things Judah Smith teaches. We like that Bieber is unashamed to talk about his faith in Jesus Christ, especially in a celebrity culture that looks down on Christians and the Bible.

At the same time, we have some concerns about what Bieber believes. In one of his songs called We're In This Together, Bieber says that Jesus gave his life up on the cross to wash his sins away. It's clear that the phrase his sins here refers to Jesus's sins, and it's definitely blasphemous to say that Jesus had sins he needed to wash away.

I haven't seen Bieber correct or explain these lyrics, so either he actually believes this, or it's a mistake that Bieber is unaware of. I really hope it's the latter. But besides that potentially problematic line, even Todd Friel of Wretched Radio had a generally positive review of Bieber's latest album.

The music review that nobody asked for here on Wretched Radio, Justin Bieber. And overall, there's nothing super profoundly rich or deep, but there's nothing scandalous or heretical. There is one song where he uses some potty words, but other than that, there's nothing that jumps out like he's a heretic of some sort, or that he's trying to promote word of faith, or that he's trying to tell you to speak words and you're going to get rich and healthy and wealthy.

None of that monkey business. In fact, there were a couple of lyrics I thought were pretty decent.

What about Judas Smith, Bieber's pastor? Here are some concerns we have. Smith endorses Joel Osteen, whom we would consider a false teacher for numerous reasons. To learn more about what Osteen teaches, check out the several videos we have made about him.

Smith is preached at Lakewood Church and he is quoted as saying that Osteen is the single most Christ-like person I've ever spent time with. Endorsing Joel Osteen in this way is a serious problem. In response to criticism about this, Smith said that he's choosing to draw circles of love instead of lines of division.

The problem is that lines of division should be drawn when we're dealing with Christian leaders who are not preaching the full gospel of Jesus Christ. Church Home also endorses T .D. Jakes, who is one of its board members.

We've made several videos about Jakes already, so check them out to learn more about what Jakes teaches. Judas Smith's wife, Chelsea, is considered a lead pastor at Church Home, which is contrary to scripture.

Smith also teaches that salvation involves just one moment of receptivity and faith.

If you just raise your hand right now in a moment of receptivity and say, I believe or I receive the forgiveness of Jesus, you are forgiven forever. And I want to say to you, sir, to you, ma 'am, congratulations and thank you for making the most important decision of your life.

But of course, the Bible is clear that true saving faith is always accompanied by a transformed life that pursues and obeys God. Do we think Justin Bieber is a true Christian? We hope so. He hasn't explicitly said anything that would clearly tell us that his faith isn't genuine.

At the same time, we have significant concerns about the church that Bieber has chosen to attend, and we hope that he would attend a different church with more solid teachings. Celebrity number two, Kanye West.

Kanye West, Conversion, and the Prosperity Gospel

Kanye is a rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, businessman, and fashion designer. Time Magazine named Kanye as being one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. In 2019, Kanye announced that he was a recent convert to Christianity.

At the time, his pastor was Adam Tyson, whose theology is very solid. Tyson mentored Kanye and preached at Kanye's Sunday service events.

Hey, and that's the third thing I want to tell you about today. God is holy. You and I are sinners. And yet then we read the reaction to that is that you have a choice to make. You can either you can either run from God or you can repent and know God.

Tyson believed that there was a real transformation in Kanye's life, which points towards true conversion.

About it is all the people around him. You know, it's like he gets the ear of whoever he wants to get the ear of. And he's pretty bold. We were just talking. I was just with him recently and we were just talking about different celebrities that he's praying for, that he's going to talk to, that he wants to share the gospel with.

You know what I'm saying?

Man, that's so awesome, dude. Go for it. The first Christian album that Kanye released, Jesus is King, was actually pretty good. Tyson helped Kanye tweak some lyrics, which I'm sure helped a lot.

We're actually listening to the album, Jesus is King, tweaking some of the lyrics, talking about how to make it more clear about the gospel. He just really wants to get that right. And I just love that about him.

He just really wants to make sure that every song points people to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

However, we do have some significant concerns about what Kanye believes. Kanye has partnered with and endorses Joel Osteen, whom we would consider a false teacher for numerous reasons, which we have explained in other videos.

There's a lot of people in the Christian community that try to give Joel a hard time because when you turn on the radio, he keeps on showing you how good God is.

Kanye also seems to believe at least some version of the prosperity gospel. He said in an interview with James Corden that he believes his current success is because of his conversion to Christianity and that God wanted to show off using Kanye's success.

You know, as humbly as I can put it, he's using me to show off. Last year, I made $115 million and still ended up $35 million in debt. This year, I looked up and I just got $68 million returned to me on my tax returns.

And people say, oh, don't talk about these numbers. No, people need to hear someone that had been put into debt by the system talk about these kind of numbers now that they're in service to Christ. So you think your awakening, your spiritual awakening is part of...

My success. Absolutely. He's showing off. He's just showing out. Do you think? Yeezy worth $3 billion. It's the number one Google search brand in the world. He's showing out. Now I get to work for God and he about to show out.

Kanye West works for God.

Also, Kanye seemed to consider his traveling Sunday service events actual church services. But Kanye's Sunday service is not an actual church. I'm not sure if these Sunday service events are still happening and I couldn't find any information on any local church that Kanye was regularly attending, which is a significant concern.

Also, after Kanye's divorce with Kim Kardashian, it seems that he dated Russian model Irina Shaik for a short period of time. Shaik is clearly not a Christian. So that's another significant concern. Kanye has also praised T .D. Jakes, who has never rejected the modalism heresy.

And then there'd be pastors that want to talk about, oh, T .D. Jakes said this. He ain't say it. He wasn't pure to the Bible. But then they can't tell you a black pastor that they like, though. It's a divide in Christianity.

And Kanye has said that Catholics and Mormons are within the Christian faith.

If you believe that Jesus died for your sins, then you know the gospel. That's the gospel. Don't be telling me. Mormons got an extra book and Catholics do that. It's simple. Christians, we be making it too hard for people to come and be involved in this.

Do we think Kanye is a true Christian? There were certainly some very encouraging signs around the time of Kanye's conversion, so we certainly hope so. At the same time, the other things we've mentioned are extremely concerning.

Kanye needs to start regularly attending a solid biblical church and grow in his understanding of the Bible. He shouldn't be leading church services or presenting himself as any kind of Christian leader or teacher.

Chris Pratt, Sin, Repentance, and Preaching the Full Gospel

Celebrity number three, Chris Pratt. Pratt is a popular actor who's played lead roles in the Lego movie and Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy. Time magazine named Pratt one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015.

Pratt currently attends Zoë Church, whose pastor is Chad Veach. We like that Pratt is bold in sharing his faith in Jesus, especially in a Hollywood culture that is often hostile to Christianity and the Bible.

I would not be here with the ease and grace I have in my heart without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to thank God. I always do that when I'm up on a big platform in front of a bunch of young faces.

I say, I love God. That's my thing. I love him. And you should too. Number six, God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you. Believe that. I do.

We haven't heard Pratt say anything about sin or repentance, so we're not sure what his views are about those things. One concern we have about Pratt's pastor, Chad Veach, is that he seems to avoid talking about controversial issues.

In response to a question about whether there were any particular subjects he just won't address from the pulpit, Veach said, I think when we shine a light, we don't have to tell darkness how dark it is.

So I don't have to address all these peripheral issues when the gospel is the main issue. For example, Rich Wilkerson Jr. and I and a lot of our friends, we try to shine bright and dark spaces, and we don't have to go around telling them how dark they are or address these issues.

We're just trying to shine bright and God will do the rest. The problem with this approach to ministry is that it's not biblical. The light of the gospel is only relevant when people know how dark the darkness is, when people know exactly what sin is.

Veach seems to imply that the topic of homosexuality is a peripheral issue, but Paul treated it as an important issue in Romans chapter one. In general, we have concerns about Veach's teachings on sin.

For example, after reading the Sermon on the Mount, Veach summarizes its message by preaching a sermon titled, You're Gonna Make It.

He says, that is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash. When Jesus had finished these sayings, the crowds are amazed at his teaching because he had taught as one who had authority and not as the teachers of the law.

I want to preach a message today, right down the title. It's called, You're Gonna Make It.

Veach says that he just wants to encourage, not to give a warning. I just want to encourage you today. I'm not here to give you doom and gloom.

I'm not here to give you a warning. You're about to have a great crash. I'm actually here to build your faith today and build your hope. You're gonna make it.

But clearly, one of the main messages of the Sermon on the Mount is precisely to give a warning. Do we think Chris Pratt is a true Christian? We hope so. Pratt seems to be actively trying to be unashamed of his faith and telling people about God.

Of course, Pratt has never said anything about sin or repentance, so the things that he has said are not the full gospel message. We also have concerns about the church that Pratt has chosen to attend and about the teachings of Chad Veach, the church's pastor.

I like Chris Pratt and what he's trying to do. I also don't think Christians need to be looking to him as a Christian role model since he has said relatively little about his faith. Celebrity number four, Tim Tebow.

Tim Tebow, Pro-Life Witness, and Faith in Christ

Tebow was an NFL quarterback for three seasons. He's known for his outspoken Christian faith.

Tim is also passionate about his faith, famously seen on sidelines taking a knee to pray during games. The courage you have to stand up and be as bold as you are for your faith in a world where we talk about tolerance so much.

There's so much intolerance for a person like you.

My number one goal in life, to show the love of Jesus to people.

At one point, Tebow was a member of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, which unashamedly affirms the Bible's clear teachings on several controversial subjects. I'm not sure if Tebow still attends that church or where he attends church currently.

We like that Tebow is outspoken about and unashamed of his faith. Tebow also canceled an appearance with a group of pastors when he realized they taught the prosperity gospel. Tebow also participated in the annual March for Life.

And I'm so grateful that my mom gave me a chance at life. Because many times could she have made the choice to do something different. But because of her pro-life story, I now get to share my story. But it's only because my mom gave me a chance.

Do we think Tim Tebow is a true Christian? Tebow's faith certainly seems to be genuine. He is outspoken about his faith in Christ. And the things he says and does seem to align with a true profession of faith in Christ.

We don't know much about the details of Tebow's theology. So we can't say too much about that. Celebrity number 5. Kevin Durant. Durant is an NBA basketball player who has sometimes been called the best player in the NBA.

Kevin Durant, Bible Reading, and Celebrity Idolatry

We like that Durant is unashamed about his faith in Jesus Christ.

You're smiling now, but there's been a pronounced edge to the way you've played this season. What is triggering that edge?

It could be my last game anytime I step on that floor. So I gotta give it my all.

What goes into a streak to get you to the level you've been at over these last 12 games? What goes into that, Kevin?

My God, that's all I can say. Jesus Christ. Okay, thank you.

You're not nothing to do with it. No, nothing. It's all him. Thank you. Durant also wrote an article for Beyond the Ultimate, which is the sports ministry of Crew, in which he says some encouraging things.

Durant says, I read my Bible all the time. The Bible both pumps me up and balances me to play my best. But it also tells me more about the Lord and how I can live for him and what all he's done for me.

I'm not perfect by any means. I have a long way to go to become close to the Lord. But hopefully, I can continue to stay on that path. I just want to grow spiritually with the Lord and get to know him as well as I can.

One concern we have is that Durant attended and was baptized at Hillsong Church, which we have some serious concerns about. He was close with Carl Lentz, whose teachings were filled with problems and who was fired for adultery.

I'm not sure if Durant still attends Hillsong or if he goes to another church now after the fallout with Lentz. Do we think Durant is a true Christian? We hope so. We haven't seen him say anything that would cause us to doubt his profession of faith.

We're not sure where he currently attends church or what his theology is. But what Durant wrote in that article for Beyond the Ultimate was pretty encouraging to read. To conclude this video, let's just remember that although God can use celebrities like these to reach millions of people, celebrities are not essential to God's plan.

God will accomplish his plan and save his people whether or not these celebrities are true Christians. Let's not idolize any human.

We think that the power of God unto salvation is popularity in the culture. We believe that what God really needs is for us to be powerful and popular so that God can use our name to get the gospel out.

That's why we get so inflamed and enraptured when we find out that some popular or powerful person is Christian. Did you hear that so-and-so was a Christian? No. Well, he is. Okay. But do you realize how popular and how powerful he is and how God can use his name and his platform?

Stop right there. God already has a name that is above every name. The name at which every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue will confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

If God already has the name that's above every name, what makes you think he needs yours?