Posted on 02/10/2011 1:41:06 PM PST by wmfights
The 16-year-old pop sensation has wooed tween girls the world around, but now Justin Bieber is out to court the faith community.
Hitting theaters Friday is Biebers new 3-D concert film/documentary titled, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, which is being marketed to the faith and family-friendly crowd.
The Paramount Pictures flick has been screened for faith leaders across the nation and it comes with a spiritual resource guide for those who are interested. The guide includes Bible verses related to the movie that can be used in small groups.
[The movie] provides an opportunity to teach our children about the power of hope, prayer, faith and family, reads the guide.
In the film, Bieber is shown praying before concerts and saying grace before meals, among other expressions of his Christian faith. His mother, Pattie Mallette, shares in the film how faith helped stabilized her life as a single teen mother.
Never one to shy away from professing his beliefs, Bieber has shared on many accounts about the importance of faith in his life.
In a November interview with The Associated Press, the young singer shared how his Christian faith has kept him grounded in scary Hollywood.
Im a Christian, I believe in God, I believe that Jesus died on a cross for my sins. I believe that I have a relationship and Im able to talk to Him and really, Hes the reason Im here, so I definitely have to remember that, Bieber had said to AP while promoting his autobiography, First Step 2 Forever: My Story. As soon as I start forgetting, Ive got to click back and be like, you know, this is why Im here.
His mother, Pattie Mallette, has shared about her broken past and how she came to Christ and received his forgiveness. Mallette was sexually abused as a child and grew up in a broken home. In her early teens she began to abuse alcohol and drugs and shortly after ran away from home. She also attempted suicide and was enrolled in a mental hospital.
It was while she was at the hospital that a man came to tell her about Gods love and helped her to receive Him in her heart.
I was never married. I came to the Lord when I was 17, but shortly after accepting Christ, I went back to making my own decisions and got pregnant, said Mallette in a Baptist Press interview posted Wednesday. Realizing what I had done, I came back to God wholeheartedly, begging Him to forgive me. Its really an incredible testimony of Gods mercy and grace. And the genuine love of people at the church who encouraged me.
The pop stars mother also shared that her son had made his own decision of faith when he was about five or six years old.
I told him it was his decision. He couldnt make it because of mommy, she recalled. It has to be because of your own heart. And he kept telling me that he understood. And when he was eight or nine, he wanted to be baptized. So, I let him.
She said she keeps her extremely popular son grounded by praying for him.
Before Bieber was famous, he sang Christian songs on YouTube. And after he was famous, he still managed to sing a song or two about his faith. In November, he released a single Pray in which he sings about prayer life and listening to Gods voice.
There are some stars who speak their faith because theyre trying to do outreach to that audience and there are others who share that side of their lives because thats who they are , said Biebers manager, Scooter Braun, according to Religion News Service, and I think thats just who Justin is.
Braun, who is Jewish, added, When there are 20,000 people chanting your name night after night after night, if theres no sense of faith, if theres not a sense of something bigger than yourself, you can get lost.
In 2010, Bieber sold 3.7 million albums in the United States alone. His song Baby featuring Ludacris has more than 458 million hits on YouTube. Meanwhile, his song Never Say Never featuring Jaden Smith has nearly 147 million hits on the user-content video site.
I told him it was his decision. He couldnt make it because of mommy, she recalled. It has to be because of your own heart. And he kept telling me that he understood. And when he was eight or nine, he wanted to be baptized. So, I let him.
Wow was my reaction too when I first heard him talk about his faith. People bust Bieber’s chops a lot for various reasons. I don’t really understand it, especially when it comes from adults, but he seems to be a decent kid. Not perfect, but decent. My daughter is a big fan.
This great and all, but I sure hope Justin doesn’t turn out to be the disappointment that Ms. Cyrus has. Seems like all the “idols” that appeal to pre-teens and young teens end up being sleeze balls.
But will he stop looking like a girl? Seriously, I saw a photo of him on a magazine cover at the supermarket checkout counter, and I thought he was an ugly teenage girl...and when I leafed through the magazine, I saw that he was a boy who is the current teenage girl idol. Strange.
I think a lot of girls have a bad image of masculinity (thuggish) so they go for very effeminate guys like Justin Bieber, the Menudo boy-band, Leonardo di Caprio (in his day), Brad Pitt (in his day), etc. The latter two actually turned out to be good actors, now that they’re older, but I’m not sure that “singers” like Justin Bieber and the Menudo boys ever make that leap.
Maybe our girls should go for a more heroic model of maleness.
Bieber? I’m stuned.
LOL!
Good for him (and for her)
I think it’s step in the right direction that it’s a girl he’s kissing.
Well, I’m just going to have to change my mind about this kid. He still needs to work on looking more like a man, but I can forgive him that.
The Beatles certainly fit that mold.
Things haven’t changed in 45 yrs.
The level of immaturity displayed by FReepers on the subject of this 16 year old kid is mind-boggling.
Poser.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2522688/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2597860/posts
Not really. The Beatles were ugly, but they were British-guy ugly. Bad teeth, slope shouldered, no chins - but you still knew they were male.
Justin, on the other hand, could be anywhere from 10-14 yrs of age or of either sex. Make that “any” sex - possibly an adult lesbian with a mullet.
Obviously his fanbase doesn’t feel the same way.
I wish young Mr. Bieber the best in his life, just as I do my own 16-year-old son (who has better hair, if I do say so). One of my daughters is a big fan of Selena Gomez. She’s “being seen” with Justin, for what I assume are publicity purposes.
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