Joshua Bassett Says Straying From Christianity Led to ‘Addiction, Depression & Eating Disorders’

13 February, 2023

Joshua Bassett is continuing to speak out about his spirituality. Just a couple weeks after he assured fans that he was okay following concern over his recent religious posts, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter has now shared a video of him publicly declaring Jesus Christ as his “lord and savior” at what looks to be a church service.

Posted to Bassett’s social media accounts Monday (Feb. 13), the video, which is watermarked with a logo for Bethel Church, shows the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star standing onstage next to another man, perhaps a worship leader. “My name is Joshua Bassett,” he says into a microphone. “Long story short, I grew up Christian and I ran the other way, as far as I could go, in pursuit of the ‘truth.'”

“That only ended in addiction, depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, et cetera,” the “Lie, Lie, Lie” singer continues. “No other teacher gave me anywhere near the peace that Jesus Christ did.”

Bassett’s final statement earns him loud applause from the audience: “I’m here to publicly declare him as my lord and savior.”

Bethel Church is a non-denominational Christian church in Redding, Calif., which livestreams Sunday services. “We believe that there is only one true God who is the eternal King, Creator, and Redeemer of all that is,” reads the church’s belief statement online. “We believe that heaven and hell are real places. There will be a resurrection of the lost and the saved, the one to everlasting death and the other to everlasting life.”

After sharing the video from the church service, Bassett tweeted: “the gospel is GOOD NEWS for all willing to love and obey Him who keeps your heart beating”

At the beginning of the year, he sparked concern for his wellbeing when he abruptly tweeted his belief that “Jesus Christ is the only way.” In late January, he assured fans he was “better than i have ever been” since pledging himself to Jesus and shared personal anecdotes of his spiritual experiences at church.

“His love is great, and my faith is certain. praise be to God forever and ever in Jesus name,” he wrote at the time. “I have also first hand encountered Jesus twice. The experience’s [sic] were richer and more vivid than anything in my entire life… i look forward to speaking about it soon.”

Watch Joshua Bassett speak at Bethel Church below.