Joshua Bassett has received criticism following his baptism at a church with anti-LGBT beliefs.
The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star posted a video on his social media accounts on Monday showing himself standing on stage at Bethel Church in Redding, California. During the service, the leader asks the 22-year-old why he decided to get baptized, to which he responded:
“Long story short, I grew up Christian and I ran the other way, as far as I could go in pursuit of truth and that only ended in addiction, depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, et cetera. And no other teacher gave me anywhere near the peace that Jesus Christ did.”
Ch-ch-check out the video (below):
A post shared by Joshua Bassett (@joshuatbassett)
Another clip from the same night which has been circulating social media shows the singer getting dunked underwater in a baptismal service. After opening up about his spiritual beliefs earlier this year, many fans were shocked and happy for Joshua — but after digging into the beliefs of Bethel Church, many weren’t…
Deep-diving fans quickly found the place of worship’s website, noting the concerning history and statements connected to the church. In the past, the congregation had come under fire for allegedly supporting gay conversion therapy, and while the church did admit they failed “those who identify” as LGBT, it also states:
“The multitude of possible gender identities and the normalization of same-sex sexual behavior points to a society that has abandoned the desire to accurately define and socialize humanity as a reflection of God’s image … merely describe a subjective and often fluid experience that belies the objective truth of our male and female biology.”
Yikes. Some extremely outdated beliefs to have in 2023 — and to proudly display that on their website says a lot…
Joshua getting baptized at a church with those extremely bigoted viewpoints came as a huge shock to fans, especially since he came out as “part of the LGBTQ community” in 2021. Why would he go to such a church?
Well, his answer is quite simple — the Ricky Bowen portrayer says he was just visiting and had no idea the church had those types of beliefs. In a tweet posted on Monday, he said:
“i visited this church and happened to get baptized here- i was unaware of some of their policies and beliefs, and do not endorse all of them. my heart is for Christ and Christ alone!”
Some followers are grateful he cleared up the confusion, while others hold true to their feelings that Joshua should’ve never posted the video to begin with!
See some responses (below):
“Drive by baptism? Lol. If you truly believe in the purpose of being baptized why would you not research the people doing it…
thank you for acknowledging this. so proud of you again and sending you love and light always. glad to see you found some peace and quiet in life!!
Seems like something you should check before choosing to do something so important as joining a faith… And how does one “happen to be baptized” anyway, did you choose it on the spot? I’m glad you don’t agree with them but still…”
All great points… What do U think, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments (below).
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