Justin Bieber shared his opinion on religious leaders who put themselves on a pedestal, as well as those who use ministry as a platform to elevate themselves.
In an interview with GQ magazine, Bieber shared about his faith and how it has saved him from the feeling of emptiness.
"He is grace. Every time we mess up, He's picking us back up every single time. That's how I view it. And so it's like, 'I made a mistake. I won't dwell in it. I don't sit in shame. But it actually makes me want to do better,'" Bieber said, describing the importance of God in his life.
He went on to criticize pastors who put themselves on the spotlight to be idolized in the church.
"I think so many pastors put themselves on this pedestal. And it's basically, church can be surrounded around the man, the pastor, the guy, and it's like, 'This guy has this ultimate relationship with God that we all want but we can't get because we're not this guy.' That's not the reality, though. The reality is, every human being has the same access to God," the singer stated, implying Carl Lentz, the former pastor of Hillsong NYC who was fired for moral issues last year.
Lentz baptized Bieber when he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in 2014. But Bieber unfollowed the former pastor after the report of his extramarital affair came to light in November 2020.
The singer is now affiliated with Churchome, a church led by Pastor Judah Smith, whom he met when he was 15 and remained with him since. Bieber noted that most of the people he encountered wanted something from him but Smith is different.
"He put our relationship first," he said of the pastor.
Bieber began to notice how Smith's family cared for one another, which the singer said he "always dreamed of" given the fact that he grew up with a broken home.
Smith has recently rebaptized Bieber, along with his wife, Hailey.
Bieber now wants to live his life honoring God, doing what he believes the Lord wants him to do.
"It's just rewarding to be all that you were designed to be. And I believe that, at this point in my life, I'm right where I'm supposed to be, doing what I believe that God wants me to do. And there's nothing more fulfilling," he declared.
Speaking to The Christian Post, Pastor Tim Keller addressed the issue of idolizing pastors in the church.
"It's a very old problem," he said.
He added that the rising celebrity culture has worsened it, noting how social media "makes everybody a celebrity," pushing "big celebrities" to manage their image "like never before."
But he said that pastors have a "responsibility that goes way beyond the average person," citing Psalm 69:6.
Keller said that if God gives a pastor a "bigger platform," he will have a responsibility of not disappointing people. Thus, he has to be holy, maintaining a prayer life and does things "that every Christian needs to do." He said that a pastor does not have to better than other believers, he just needs to be "what God wants a Christian to be."
He further said that when pastors become "well-known," praise can make their heads turn, criticism can lead to self-pity and overwork can cause them to neglect their prayer life.
"For all those reasons, very often, so-called 'celebrity ministers and figures' very often live lives less consistent with the Christian faith than Christians who are not so famous," Keller stated.
He added that the job of these "so called 'famous Christians' is to live ordinary, good Christian lives," not allowing themselves to be overworked, burned out or consumed with self-pity and anger.
Keller pointed out that though these Christian leaders must be held accountable for their irresponsibility with the platform God has entrusted them, their moral failures "doesn't mean that the Christian faith doesn't work."
"A quack doctor doesn't mean that medicine is illegitimate. A quack evangelist doesn't mean that the Gospel isn't true. So on one hand, don't make excuses for your heroes. On the other hand, it doesn't mean that everything they've ever said is illegitimate," he concluded.
