John Legend Is Very Fond of His Christian Roots and He's Not Afraid to Show It

We've heard him sing songs that felt more like gospel anthems, and we even saw him play the actual Messiah in Jesus Christ Superstar Live! But many of us are still wondering: Does this all mean that John Legend identifies as a Christian? And what about Chrissy Teigen? Does she follow the same religion? 

Let's take a look at the evidence, shall we?

When John landed the lead role for Jesus Christ Superstar Live!, he described how his childhood actually helped him prepare for such a huge role. When he was little, John's mother sang and directed the church choir while his grandmother was the church organist. His grandfather was a pastor, and he also had uncles who served as pastors and ministers. 

By the time he was four years old, he started performing with his church choir. 

The EGOT said: “I was in choir rehearsals every week as a kid, and I took over the choir when I was older. That was the foundation of my career; I wouldn’t be where I am without playing gospel music in church.”

Aside from growing up on gospel music, John revealed that he served as a choir director at Bethel AME Church in Scranton, Pa. for nearly 10 years. Back then, he still went by his birth name, "John Stephens," and he released a few gospel-inspired R&B demos. But it wouldn't be long before he got discovered by music producer Devo Springsteen. 

You may have heard the singer's newest song, "Preach," which feels more like a powerful social justice anthem. On Instagram, he detailed how the song was inspired by a certain Bible verse that his pastor once preached on, which was Matthew 22:39. 

He shared: “I grew up in the church and one of the things we talked about was loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. My preacher told me that our neighbor wasn’t just the person that lives next door to you but other people whom you might not even know.”

But of course, this isn't the only song that was influenced by his faith. For instance, if you've heard the Oscar-winning hit "Glory" from Selma, then surely you've noticed the song's gospel undertones. 

Well, we know for sure that John has deep Christian roots and that what he's learned still influences his work today. The singer did reveal that he doesn't consider himself to be "religious." However, even though he hasn't explicitly labeled himself as "Christian," he mentioned "all of that is still with me." 

She hasn't publicly labeled herself as a follower of any religion and doesn't consider herself a religious person either. However, she did confirm on Twitter that she's not a follower of Christianity.

When Chrissy tweeted about her fun weekend adventures, one user asked if Jesus was "shaping her personal culture." And to that, Chrissy essentially responded with a solid no. So it's possible that the model is atheist or agnostic. 

You can see both John and Chrissy in their recent holiday special, A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy, on NBC.com.