Chris Pratt denies ever going to controversial Hillsong Church, three years after Elliot Page called him out

Chris Pratt has insisted he has ‘never been’ to Hillsong three years after Elliot Page accused him of attending the infamously anti-LGBTQ+ church.

The Guardians of the Galaxy actor addressed the much-discussed rumor in an interview with Men’s Health Magazine.  

‘I never went to Hillsong,’ Pratt said. ‘I’ve never actually been to Hillsong. I don’t know anyone from that church.’

Pratt suggested the association between him and the evangelical church came around as a result of the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards where he said, “God is real. God loves you, God wants the best for you. Believe that; I do.”

“Maybe it was hubris for me to stand up on the stage and say the things that I said. I’m not sure I touched anybody.”

In 2019, Pratt appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and discussed his faith, prompting Elliot Page to tweet,

“Oh. K. Um. But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too?”

The Umbrella Academy star then added, “If you are a famous actor and you belong to an organization that hates a certain group of people, don’t be surprised if someone simply wonders why it’s not addressed. Being anti LGBTQ is wrong, there aren’t two sides. The damage it causes is severe. Full stop. Sending love to all.”

At the time, Pratt simply said in an Instagram post: “It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which ‘hates people’ and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ. Nothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone.”,

But in this interview he expanded further, saying:  

“Religion has been oppressive as f*ck for a long time. I didn’t know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I’m not a religious person.”

“I think there’s a distinction between being religious — adhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real God — and using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred.”

“Whatever it is. The evil that’s in the heart of every single man has glommed onto the back of religion and come along for the ride.”

Hillsong’s co-founder Brian Houston resigned in March amid allegations of inappropriate behavior toward two women, having previously said: 

“The writings of the apostle Paul in scripture on the subject of homosexuality are also clear… Hillsong Church welcomes ALL people but does not affirm all lifestyles.”

Meaning that LGBT+ people were welcome to come to Hillsong, but they would never be allowed to hold leadership positions.

Here’s what people are saying on Twitter: