Last week news came out that Justin Bieber wanted to be more like Jesus. Please stay with me, this has stirred up something interesting I wanted to share. This news reminded me how a few weeks earlier Bieber shared how one of the top songs on his ipod was Christian worship song.
Now I don’t know much about Justin, as you probably gathered by the picture above (I do know he is not the European male model I used). What I do know is that when a celebrity comes out as a Christian, they always get mixed reactions from other believers. There are some that cheer and are ready to exalt him as some trophy that shows our team is better. However the vast majority come out firing pious guns.
Why Christians Hate Justin Bieber
Christians have a low tolerance to unorthodoxy. If you claim to be a Christian, then you need to live according to our standards. We make it tough for celebrities to be new Christians because as they struggle with their old lifestyle and their new beliefs, we condemn them for not being further along.
I remember a long time ago when Amy Grant put out her Every Heartbeat music video. The Christian community went crazy because she kissed a guy in the video who wasn’t her husband. Later when she got a divorce, she was ostracized even more with unkind comments pointing to that “kiss” as the reason. Mel Gibson got a similar treatment for his personal failings after the Passion movie was out.
Now it is important that we strive to live holy lives, but if I were to counsel Bieber, I would recommend him to keep quiet about his faith. While I believe the importance of being vulnerable, the Christian community unfortunately will not support him while he is still working out his faith. We have conditioned those in the church to point out what we don’t agree with in fear if we don’t we might be believed to be in heresy along with the person struggling. We feel the need to point out every failing we see as sin.
Let’s Support Bieber’s Decision to be More Like Jesus
Now I don’t really know much about Justin Bieber. I don’t know if his profession is real or if it is just a ploy to get more in the news. However, I don’t think I am to judge his heart in this way. If he says he wants to live more like Jesus, I want to bless that statement and pray that the Holy Spirit helps him along that path.
More than this, I pray that Christians would be the most supportive to him on his journey. Let’s be willing to look like fools in order for him to get further down the road in his journey with God. Let’s use words that build him up instead of pointing out where he hasn’t arrived yet. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to convict him of areas that need correcting instead of wanting to do it ourselves.
Justin, I pray that you experience the pleasure of God in every area of your life. May you know that He doesn’t disapprove of you and is cheering on your decision to be more like Jesus.
Pingback: Do Christians Really Hate Justin Bieber? - Faithfully Magazine