Justin Bieber Is Reportedly Becoming 'the Tom Cruise' of His Church

The global popstar has been spending a lot of time at Hillsong Church.

Justin Bieber is figuring out where to go from here. The global pop star canceled the remaining dates of his Purpose World Tour on Monday due to "unforeseen circumstances." There was immediate speculation about the reason behind the cancelation, including the possibility that he called it a day because of religious reasons. When asked by TMZ if that were true, Bieber denied it, directing the site toward his earlier explanation: "I've been on tour for two years... Just resting and getting some relaxation."  

While Bieber might not have canceled the tour because of a grand spiritual enlightenment, a new TMZ report indicates he is spending time working on his religious self. In particular, Bieber is being linked to Hillsong Church and its pastor, Carl Lentz. If Lentz's name sounds familiar, it's because he's also connected to Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving, who shook up the sports world last week by revealing he wants out of the Ohio squad ASAP. According to TMZ, Lentz hasn't directly told either Bieber or Irving what decisions they should make, but he has been acting in an advisory role for both men. Sources told TMZ that Bieber's relationship with Lentz is "intense," but perhaps more interesting is a statement from one of said sources that claimed Bieber is "becoming the Tom Cruise of that church."

If you're unfamiliar, Cruise has long been the poster child of the highly controversial Church of Scientology. In a Reddit Ask Me Anything session last year, actress Leah Remini, a former Scientologist, was asked if Cruise was "the Messiah," to which she replied, "To the 'Church,' yes. Parishioners believe that he is singlehandedly changing the planet because that is what the 'Church' is telling them." So, it's definitely an interesting status to attribute to Bieber.

According to its website, Hillsong Church is a contemporary pentecostal church and a member of the Australian Christian Churches. Their mission statement is "to reach and influence the world by building a large Christ-centered, Bible-based church, changing mindsets and empowering people to lead and impact in every sphere of life."

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