Most fans of Justin Bieber know that as the 12-year-old boy who finished second in talent contest in his hometown Stratford, Ontario, in Canad. That event put him on the road to super stardom. As a way to share his singing with family, Justin and his mom began posting clips on YouTube of Justin performing covers of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.
Bieber always had an interest in music. His mother Pattie Mallette gave him a drum kit for his second birthday and, as he tells it, he was “basically banging on everything I could get my hands on.”
What maybe not everybody knows of Justin is that he is a true christian. From early childhood Justin has been primed for the church. Justin was enrolled in Catholic school and the family attended Highland Christian Ministries services.
Bieber had never used or defined his faith in his music. It was never a selling point, struggle or a goal – if anything, quite the opposite – yet a macro view of his life shows it’s defined every decision. From the moment he was conceived, Bieber has been primed for the church. His parents, Pattie Mallette and Jeremy Bieber – 17 and 18, respectively, at the time of his birth – were never married and broke up months after Justin was born. Pattie, a born-again Christian who overcame sexual abuse and addiction, raised her son alone in low-income housing (Jeremy would eventually return into Justin’s life four years or so later). Mallette indoctrinated Justin to the church early, playing him tapes of future mentor Judah Smith. “When I was 7, she wouldn’t let me listen to anything but [Pastor] Judah’s tapes falling asleep”.
More recently Justin was seen in the news, as a minor rebellion in which Bieber tested his limitations. He experimented, and had minor infractions with the law. Around that same time, Justin surrounded himself with peers that also were raised in the church, like pop star Selena Gomez. He also reconnected with Pastor Judah Smith.
Pastor Judah Smith would check in on him and remind him that he was loved. In the three years it took to create Purpose, their relationship developed and evolved. Their daily texts began to have a more fervent give and take, with Bieber becoming less passive in their daily bible verse discussions.
“We text almost daily and it’s not just me sending him Bible verses anymore,” Smith told Billboard. ” He’ll send them to me, along with encouraging thoughts or an encouraging emoticon. I’m committed to helping him and protecting him, but it’s fair to say we’re there for each other.”
The recent terrorist attacks on multiple locations across Paris did not go unnoticed by Justin Bieber. During his concert in Los Angeles he paused his musical performance to lead his fans in the stadium and on the livestream in prayer for the victims.
“God, we just thank you so much through all the pain and all the darkness,” he said, eyes shut, his right hand nervously clutching his left bicep. “God, You still shine your light. Help us to just focus on you through it all.”
The ersatz megachurch moment is the latest in a public penitence for the 21-year-old, who last week put out a 66-minute public apology/comeback album, Purpose. These days, we’re told, Bieber begins each morning with a prayer (“Thank you so much for allowing me to wake up today; help me to enjoy each and every moment”), greets strangers with the catchphrase “Appreciate you,” and posts Bible verses that speak to him on his Instagram.
Source: http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/how-christianity-has-defined-justin-bieber
