Justin Bieber Shares Gospel, Condemns Cancel Culture in New Song 'Afraid to Say'

Pop star Justin Bieber, who has been outspoken about his Christian faith, is using a single on his new Gospel EP to share Scripture and condemn cancel culture.

In the song “Afraid to Say,” 27-year-old Bieber expresses sorrow over the accelerating cancel culture that has consumed much of our public discourse in recent months.

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“What have we done with society when everybody’s getting canceled?” he asks. “And can’t there be room for maturity? ’Cause writing ’em off is not the answer.”

The “Peaches” singer then goes on to explain that redemption from God is the solution to what ails our broken culture:

We can’t write people off. God never writes us off, even in our darkest days. Even when we least deserve it. Even when we’re doing that stupid thing we wish we weren’t doing. God never writes us off — ever. He’s with us in our pain. He’s with us in a struggle. He’s with us in our bad decisions. He’s with us all the time. He never writes us off.

In the chorus, Bieber sings: “Does what I gotta say even matter? / Is life about climbing up the ladder? / And can we even see lives that are shattered?”

The song ends with Lauren Walters reciting Psalms 139:13-16ClosePsalms 139:13-16 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body  and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,  as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.Every moment was laid out  before a single day had passed. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) .

“You formed the whole of me, inward and out,” he said. “I am awesomely and wonderfully created. Your creations are spectacular. You skillfully designed me. You saw the Essenes of me, before I was formed. Before I existed, all of my days were written in your book.”

In another song, “We’re In This Together,” Bieber opens up about his own past, admitting to things he has done wrong and thanking God for the ways he has grown up over the years.

He went on to say that, “even in a pandemic, God is still plannin’ / Plannin’ peace, plannin’ joy, plan another day ‘ Gave His life upon the cross to wash our sins away.”

Bieber ended the song by praying over anyone listening to it:

I pray for every single person listening to this song right now. I pray for peace. I pray for joy. I pray for confidence. I pray for reassurance. I thank You so much for the person listening to this right now. I pray that You would bless them.

Bless their mind, bless their finances. Bless their family, bless their sons, bless their daughters, bless their moms, bless their dads, bless their grandparents.

God, I just pray for an overwhelming sense of Your presence in their home right now, an overwhelming sense of Your peace that says, “Everything is going to be alright.”

In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus.

The six-track EP, released on Easter Sunday, comes on the heels of the debut of Bieber’s latest album, “Justice,” and features appearances from several artists, including Tory Kelly, Brandon Love, Chandler Moore, and Churchome Pastor Judah Smith, Bieber’s longtime mentor, and minister.

The pop star is slated to return to the stage beginning June 2, kicking off a new world tour as well as picking up show dates canceled in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I can’t wait to get out there and connect with my fans on this tour,” Bieber said last summer. “We’ve been through so much this year. More than ever, we’ve come to understand how much we need each other, and how meaningful these moments can really be.”