Bethel church recently baptized an LGBTQIA+ member and Disney actor, Joshua Bassett. The church is a charismatic megachurch in Redding, California that believes "homosexuality is sinful."
Joshua Bassett Baptism
On Monday, Feb. 13, a video posted by Joshua Bassett, speaking about his division on being baptized at Bethel Church, went viral on Twitter. According to the Christian Post, he was criticized online by people who disagreed with the church's beliefs and stance on sexuality and marriage.In an interview for the year 2021, Bassett revealed that he is a member of the LGBT community. However, he did not elaborate on the specific sexual orientation with which he identifies himself.
As mentioned, Bethel Church has at least 11,000 members and believes marriage is designed to be a lifetime bond between one man and woman and the only environment in which sexual behavior is blessed. On the other hand, Basset wrote a statement on Twitter saying he was visiting the church when he decided to get baptized there. Accordingly, he was not familiar with some of the church's policies and ideas and did not agree with them. "My heart is for Christ and Christ alone!" Basset added.
Joshua Bassett was born on Dec. 22, 2000. He was raised in a well-established Christian family in Oceanside, California, in the United States, where he spent his childhood and adhered to his Christian faith. Basset is an American musician, singer, and actor with a net worth of $1.5 million as of 2023. He gained his net worth from his social media through songwriting, acting, and singing. His portrayal of the well-known character Ricky Bowen in the highly successful television series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is mainly responsible for his widespread popularity.
In addition to his work as an actor, Basset is also a talented singer. Throughout his career, he has distributed several successful singles as well as extended plays. Common Sense, Anyone Else, Only a Matter of Time, and other songs and lengthy plays of his have achieved worldwide recognition.
Also Read:Bethel Worship Leader Says Pandemic Helped Him Realize His Identity Wasn't Founded In Christ
Controversies in Bethel Church
According to The Gospel Coalition, Bethel Church often gets a lot of criticism for its teachings. It includes the learning of their senior pastor, Beni Johnson, who teaches a very unique interpretation of angelology, such as the concept that there are "various varieties of angels: messenger angels, healer angels, fiery angels," who have fallen slumber. In a post on her blog, she said, "I feel that they have been inactive for quite some time and are anxious to be put to work." She relates the experience of a student at the Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry who asserts that God instructed her to go to the local church and yell out, "WAKE UP!"
Moreover, some members of Bethel, including Beni Johnson and her husband, Bill Johnson, are said to have participated in the practice of "grave sucking" or "grave soaking." It involves lying over a person's grave to soak up the deceased anointing. Bill Johnson has stated that neither he nor Bethel endorses the practice of "grave sucking."
Related Article:Former Bethel Leader Speaks Out, Explains Church's Controversial Beliefs And Practices
