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Churchome pastor Jonah Smith has laughed off media speculation that his organization is a cult that has ensnared pop superstar Justin Bieber.
The 31-year-old singer has been the subject of a number of reports questioning the state of his mental health.
Last month, TMZ claimed that Bieber’s former business partner, Ryan Good, was concerned the star’s place of worship, Churchome in Beverly Hills, had become a cult.
In a new Instagram post, Churchome’s lead communicator, Smith, 46, known to be a close friend of Bieber’s, responded to the claim.
In a clip showing him speaking on stage, Smith said: “Well, this was a first for me. I got out of my car and was immediately surrounded by paparazzi. That’s a first for me. I was like: ‘No guys, my friend’s not here.’ All of a sudden this nice lady with her camera turned to me and said: ‘So is this a cult or not?’ I was like: ‘Oh my word, I wasn’t expecting that question.’”
Smith then jokingly gestured offstage and quipped: “So guys, if you could bring the snakes out... We’ve got some blood...”
As the audience laughed, Smith mockingly scolded himself, saying: “Alright Judah, you can’t start saying these things! People are recording you right now! I’m looking at Jason [Byrnes, Churchome’s creative director] and he’s like: ‘This is not good PR.’”
He continued: “So that’s a first for me. I didn’t tell anyone I was going to do this, but if we’re a cult we’re the worst cult in the history of all cults. We meet once a month, guys! I stopped doing this every Wednesday! We’ve got to get better at this...”
The church and Smith drew controversy in 2023 for allegedly imposing a tithing policy on employees that required them to give back no less than 10 percent of their gross earnings to the church. The claim was made in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a Churchome employee that year — the outcome of the suit is unclear.
At the end of last month, Bieber himself shared a lengthy message on Instagram addressing the “gossip” and “lies” about him.
“The feeling of guilt can be relieved. How? Not by going to church or reading ur Bible. But just receive that God forgives,” he wrote. “They treat me like a** out here, but I remember that I am flawed and God forgave me.”
“It helps me to stop feeling better than those who are mean and hurtful because when I'm really honest, I can be mean and hurtful too,” he continued. “My instinct is to be like, ‘Damn I wouldn't gossip and spread lies about someone on the internet,’ but there's other s*** I do I'm not proud of.”
He then touched on his marriage to Hailey Bieber and the divorce rumors that have been circulating for the last few months. “And honestly if I was you it would be hard not to be jealous if I saw me and Hailey going so brazzzzyy,” the “Sorry” singer wrote.
“It’s really up for us and that’s understandable why people can’t stand it. I don’t blame em.”
The “Peaches” singer then posted a follow-up Instagram Story with the sentence “Ur bible can’t save you” written against a blank screen.
English (US) ·