Amid swirling tabloid reports this week that Justin Bieber's religious faith prompted him to cancel the remaining dates of his worldwide tour, the singer went to a Wednesday evening church service in Beverly Hills, presumably looking for some peace and spiritual uplift.
The evening ended with more swirling tabloid reports as Bieber was surrounded by paparazzi as he tried to drive away from the service, and he struck one of the photographers with his truck, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department.
Bieber stayed at the scene during the investigation and was seen on video offering assistance to the injured 57-year-old man. Lt. Scott Dowling told CNN that the photographer was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. No citations were issued and no other vehicles were involved.
The accident happened near the Saban Theatre, a performance venue which was holding a service for the City Church.
Bieber has long been linked to the Australian-based Hillsong Church and its "rock star" preacher Carl Lentz, who was reported to have counseled Bieber on his decision to end his Purpose tour with 15 dates remaining.
Hillsong is known as the megachurch of "choice" for hot young celebrities like Bieber, as well as Kendall Jenner, Selana Gomez and athletes like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
But Bieber also goes to the City Church, whose founder is young, hip and charismatic Judah Smith. Other regulars include football stars Russell Wilson and Tim Tebow.
The church is based in Seattle, but its founder regularly flies in to offer services at rented performance venues in Los Angeles, according to the website UpOut.
City Church doesn't put on your typical "church" service, UpOut said. The production values are "over the top with light shows, visual effects, and big screens."
Pastor Smith has said that he understands the struggles of the rich and famous, and they are not that different from ours.
"I think people would be surprised to discover that their challenges and struggles are not too dissimilar to us, average ordinary people," he said. "We're all looking for essentially the same thing and I think that's faith and hope and love and meaning and of course satisfaction, peace, joy."
Bieber canceled his tour due to "unforeseen circumstances," issuing a statement that he was looking for rest and relaxation. He said he needed to take a break after 16 intense months of being on his worldwide tour.
But other reports say Bieber canceled the rest of his tour to "rededicate his life to Christ." One report from Australia's "Today Show" said that Bieber was even looking to start his own church.
TMZ, citing sources from Hillsong Church, says Bieber enjoys the sense of peace he gets when going to a service. He feels like he's treated like a regular person, not the center of attention or a superstar.
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