Justin Bieber Baptized in NYC Bathtub Amidst Racist Video Controversy (VIDEO)

By Jared Freeman, Monday, June 09, 2014

Justin Bieber was baptized in a bathtub this weekend in New York City by Pastor Carl Lentz of Hillsong NYC, according to TMZ. The 20-year-old Canadian pop star looked for a church to receive the sacrament without media attention, but he was found out every time.

Bieber's decision to be baptized comes amidst controversy surrounding two recently released videos of him telling racist jokes as a 15-year-old. The man who leaked the videos wanted $1 million to keep them secret. Bieber's team declined, and continued to do so even as the price fell to $500,000. The videos were eventually released.

Pop star Usher, who introduced Bieber to the world in 2009, defended his protégé on Instagram this weekend.

"As I have watched Justin Bieber navigate difficult waters as a young man, I can tell you that he hasn't always chosen the path of his greatest potential, but he is unequivocally not a racist," he wrote. "What he was 5 years ago was a naive child who did not understand the negative power and degradation that comes from playing with racial slurs."

"What he is now is a young man faced with an opportunity to become his best self, an example to the millions of kids that follow him to not make the same mistakes."