Despite opposition from the popular culture, more Hollywood actors are speaking out about their faith. Chris Pratt, Carrie Underwood, Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson are among those who keep their beliefs at the forefront of their actions, Fox News reported.
“I think there’s a distinction between being religious — adhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real God — and using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred,” Pratt said. “The evil that’s in the heart of every single man has glommed onto the back of religion and come along for the ride.”
Carrie Underwood. Instagram
Country star Carrie Underwood and husband Mike Fisher openly discussed a few of their marital struggles while under quarantine because of the COVID-19 pandemic during a four-part series called “Mike and Carrie: God & Country.”
“We just differ drastically,” Underwood said. “We learn from each other, and we have spirited discussions about things that we disagree on. But at the end of the day, we love each other very much.”
Fisher added: “That’s where our faith comes in, I think it gives us a center ground where that’s the most important thing in anything. And then your differences, if they’re rooted in that, I know your heart, you know my heart, there’s always a way, and it always is God working in it.”
Wahlberg and Gibson spoke to “The Ingraham Angle” about their film “Father Stu” earlier this year and the impact of finding faith through redemption.
READ: Father Stu one of the best faith-based films to hit Hollywood
“Having gratitude as a whole is really important, but I think everybody’s having lots of difficulties,” Wahlberg said. “It’s in all those difficulties, when I focused on my faith, I was able to endure, and good things started to happen. Everything seemed to make sense.”
Chris Pratt
For “Spy Kids” actress Alexa PenaVega and her husband, Nickelodeon’s “Big Time Rush” star Carlos PenaVega, following a Christian lifestyle outside of the bright lights of Hollywood was paramount for their family. After reflecting through prayer, they packed up and left Los Angeles for Hawaii with their three children.
“I was the one trapped in the entertainment world and needed to take a step back,” Alexa said. “My job became my identity. God pulled me out of that so I could learn how to be an awesome mom and an awesome wife. God helped us build that foundation in our family. And once I had that revelation, I felt at peace.”
Chad Michael Murray said he has turned down projects that didn’t align with his core values.
“I get up every day and I put that spiritual armor on, read the Bible and do some devotionals and then get ready to go to work,” he said. “I feel stronger and safer walking onto my sets every day knowing that I have God with me every day. Jesus is there with me every day. When you have that comfort that you just feel safe, you feel different, you feel the opportunity to handle more, your shoulders are bigger, you can carry more weight.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice