People are reacting to actor Mark Wahlberg’s display of faith in recent TV appearances and social media posts.
Wahlberg has broken the Hollywood mold and been vocal about how his faith in God is influencing his life, encouraging people to “stay prayed up” in videos posted to Instagram. He also has commended his son and other young people for “taking their relationship with the Lord into their adulthood.”
“So lovely to see you Mark showing your faith and encouraging and giving support to people,” @yellowjerinne commented on Instagram.
“I love this as well,” @bklyngirl1967 replied. ”These days that’s hard to find.”
While others have questioned the integrity of Wahlberg’s faith and the appropriateness of him taking “[God’s] name in vain, dropping the F bomb” on movie sets, Instagram user @derytreadway defended Wahlberg, saying, “It is acting. And that my dear is between Mark and God.”
WATCH: MARK WAHLBERG COMMENDS YOUTH FOR ‘THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD’
Wahlberg grew up in the public eye as “Marky Mark,” in the 1990s band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, along with being a Calvin Klein model before landing acting roles, including the 1997 acclaimed film Boogie Nights.
Wahlberg’s career has had its ups and downs as he found himself in the midst of run-ins with crime as a teenager. In 1988, he spent 45 days in prison for racially motivated attacks.
“I’ve never been shy about sharing my past and the bad decisions I’ve made and being affiliated with gangs, being incarcerated,” Wahlberg has said, noting he now shares how his faith has helped turn his life around in hopes of helping troubled youth. ”Absolutely, I think they can identify with me on a personal level, and that’s why I’ve continued to try to do as much as I can to help young people.”
In April, the actor discussed his hope of imparting his faith to his four children.
<mediadc-iframe data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1654184939370,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-8cce-d87c-af7f-ddce9ca80000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1654184939370,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-8cce-d87c-af7f-ddce9ca80000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"title":"Mark Wahlberg on the "Today" show, April 2022.","iFrameEmbedCode":"
","_id":"00000181-251a-dc61-a9d7-adfec9420000","_type":"00000161-b425-d761-a563-f7e77e270000"}”>Mark Wahlberg on the “Today” show, April 2022.
“They think Dad’s crazy, and he’s boring,” he jokingly told the Today show in April. “But even with my faith, I don’t force it on them. But they know that Dad can’t start the day without being in prayer, can’t start the day without reading my Scripture or going to Mass.”
“Hopefully, instead of forcing that on them, they’ll say, ‘Well, if it works for Dad, maybe it’ll work for us,'” Wahlberg added. “And they’ll kind of gravitate towards it on their own.”
Wahlberg has also encouraged people to use the Hallow app in prayer.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I’ve been getting a lot of messages from people who have been praying every day and finding peace,” Wahlberg said.
