{"id":51728,"date":"2026-07-06T09:52:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T13:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=51728"},"modified":"2026-07-06T09:52:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T13:52:06","slug":"pastor-judah-smith-says-justin-bieber-taught-him-more-about-god-than-he-ever-taught-bieber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/07\/pastor-judah-smith-says-justin-bieber-taught-him-more-about-god-than-he-ever-taught-bieber.html","title":{"rendered":"PAstor Judah Smith Says Justin Bieber Taught Him More About God Than He Ever Taught Bieber"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: DFree \/ Shutterstock.com | Right: @judahsmith \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Justin Bieber has spent years openly sharing his Christian faith, but according to longtime pastor and friend Judah Smith, the pop superstar has had just as much of an impact on his own spiritual journey.<\/p>\n

During a recent appearance on the “Deep End With Lecrae” podcast<\/a>, Smith revealed that watching Bieber navigate the intense pressures of worldwide fame has deepened his understanding of God in ways he never expected.<\/p>\n

“I have learned more about Jesus and more about God from Justin Bieber than I’ve ever taught him,” Smith said. “And the reason for that is because platform has an acute pressure and pain.”<\/p>\n

Smith, who leads Churchome, explained that the level of fame Bieber has experienced since childhood comes with burdens few people can understand. He compared the challenges of celebrity to the struggles faced by biblical figures like David and Solomon.<\/p>\n

“That level of fandom and celebrity and global, iconic experience is not meant for a man,” Smith said. “David struggled with it. Solomon struggled with it. It makes a man go crazy.”<\/p>\n

Rather than being impressed by Bieber’s success, Smith said he has been moved by the singer’s humility and willingness to admit his own weaknesses. He recalled a recent conversation in which Bieber simply asked how he could support him.<\/p>\n

“He hit me yesterday with, ‘What can I do for you? I want to be here for you. I love you,'” Smith shared. “Man. I just love him. He means the world to me.”<\/p>\n

The pastor also reflected on a prayer he once offered to God regarding Bieber’s faith.<\/p>\n

“At one point in my life, I told God, ‘If this doesn’t work for Justin Bieber, this Gospel, then it doesn’t work,'” Smith said. “When you have it all, either Jesus is beautiful and wonderful and gorgeous and meaningful, or He’s not.”<\/p>\n

Smith acknowledged that while many people have watched Bieber grow up in the spotlight, few realize how difficult that journey has been.<\/p>\n

“I’m just grateful a camera hasn’t followed me around since I was 14,” he said. “That’d be a nightmare.”<\/p>\n

The friendship between the two stretches back decades. Smith first met Bieber when the future pop star was just 8 years old after his mother, Pattie Mallette, brought him to hear Smith speak. He recalled people praying over the young boy and declaring, “He’s going to be a king in his generation.”<\/p>\n

Years later, after Bieber appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show<\/em>, Mallette reached out again, telling Smith that her son still listened to his sermons. Their friendship continued to grow, with Smith eventually officiating Justin and Hailey Bieber’s wedding in 2019, baptizing the couple together in 2020, counseling them through their marriage, and appearing on Bieber’s 2021 gospel EP Freedom<\/em> and his documentary series Justin Bieber: Next Chapter<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Smith also pushed back against the growing idea that some pastors are specifically “called” to minister to celebrities. He said relationships with well-known figures should be rooted in service rather than status.<\/p>\n

“I don’t see that in the Bible at all,” Smith said. “Are you in it to get something from the people you say you are called to? Because I’m there to serve, hopefully.”<\/p>\n

Bieber has continued to speak publicly about his faith in recent years. During a livestream last October, he reminded viewers struggling with self-worth that “God says you are” worthy of love. He also proclaimed the Gospel, saying Jesus “rose on the third day, defeating death, Hell and the grave,” allowing believers to “focus on Jesus, the wonderful Savior.”<\/p>\n

More recently, Bieber shared on Instagram that he remains “grateful for Jesus” because “He meets me every morning with forgiveness and love that I truly don’t deserve.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Justin Bieber has spent years openly sharing his Christian faith, but according to longtime pastor and friend Judah Smith, the pop superstar has had just as much of an impact on his own spiritual journey. During a recent appearance on the “Deep End With Lecrae” podcast, Smith revealed that watching Bieber navigate the intense pressures…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":51731,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nPAstor Judah Smith Says Justin Bieber Taught Him More About God Than He Ever Taught Bieber<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Judah Smith says Justin Bieber has taught him more about God than the singer ever taught him, through humility, faith, and the trials of fame.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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