A genuine Christian upbringing and warm, frequent references to God and Jesus, paired with current universalist theology ('any faith or no faith') that departs from biblical Christianity's exclusive claims.
Sterling K. Brown has spoken candidly about growing up in the church in St. Louis, Missouri. His mother was, in his words, a devout Christian who moved the family between congregations in search of the right fit and who still challenges him about his career choices by asking "How does that honor God?" He has described the church as "a deep, deep part of my life."
In interviews tied to his role as a megachurch pastor in Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul (2022), Brown described his current spiritual position directly: "I am spiritual more than I am religious. I grew up Christian but, since then, I believe Jesus Christ led me to a relationship with my God." That sentence contains both a genuinely Christian element (crediting Jesus Christ with leading him to God) and a marker of the shift that follows: "the relationship with God supersedes the method by which you get there." Brown has said his family attends the Agape International Spiritual Center, a Los Angeles congregation associated with the New Thought movement and led by Michael Bernard Beckwith. He has described it directly: "You can be of any faith or no faith and still attend this church. I recognize there are many different ways to have an authentic relationship with God." He describes God as "divine love" that "doesn't exclude anyone."
John 14:6 records Jesus saying, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The claim that a person can hold "any faith or no faith" and still have "an authentic relationship with God" is a universalist position that stands in direct tension with this exclusivity claim, and with the New Testament's consistent teaching that salvation is found specifically in Christ (Acts 4:12). This does not appear to be a case of open hostility to Christianity. Brown continues to reference Jesus Christ personally and positively, describes trying to "raise my kids to bear good fruit," and speaks with evident respect for his Christian upbringing. But the theology he describes attending and affirming is meaningfully different from what the church he grew up in taught.
Sterling K. Brown presents a case that is more nuanced than many celebrity "used to be Christian, now isn't" stories. He continues to use explicitly Christian language, credits Jesus Christ personally, and speaks warmly of his church upbringing, unlike public figures who have fully abandoned any Christian framework. But his own description of his current beliefs, attendance at a New Thought congregation and the "any faith or no faith" statement, reflects a universalist theology that Scripture does not support. 2 Corinthians 11:3 warns believers about minds being "led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
Evaluating whether a celebrity is a Christian requires distinguishing between cultural Christianity (grew up in church), nominal Christianity (identifies as Christian without active faith), and genuine Christianity (personal faith in Jesus Christ evidenced consistently over time, per historic doctrine). GodlyScore applies a consistent standard: documented public evidence. "The LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
See our Christian Celebrities hub for other public figures assessed with the same standard. The Gospel Coalition provides additional cultural context on universalism and New Thought theology.