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TOP STORIES OF 2020: Actor Ben Affleck Confirms He Attends Church, Loves the Beauty of Redemption

Photo courtesy of THE WAY BACK Poster via MPAA

TOP STORIES OF 2020: Actor Ben Affleck Confirms He Attends Church, Loves the Beauty of Redemption

By Tess Farrand, Associate Content Editor

Editor’s note: As 2020 draws to a close, Movieguide® wants to take a moment to remember the stories that shaped faith and entertainment news throughout the year. While mainstream media reported on the negative, Movieguide® chose to focus on what is good, pure, true, and lovely. Despite the discouraging headlines around the world, we still saw God move mightily – even in the entertainment industry. The following is one of our top stories for 2020, as selected by you, our readers. Thank you for supporting movieguide.org this year. We pray we will continue to see God’s presence and goodness manifest even more in 2021.  This article originally appeared on March 6, 2020.

Slam dunk! Actor Ben Affleck confirmed that he attends church.

“I go to the Methodist Church, (my) kids (are) baptized and I got introduced to Christianity a little bit later in life,” Affleck said.

Affleck’s new basketball movie, THE WAY BACK, contains redemptive elements that have the seasoned star talking about his faith journey.

See Movieguide®’s interview with Affleck below.


Affleck also said that although he struggles with his faith, he loves how God wants to save sinners:

I struggle with belief, but I do see there’s something enormously beautiful and elegant about the notion that we are all sinners, and that it’s our job to find our redemption, to find God’s love, to redeem ourselves, to live the best life that we can, to love one another, to not judge one another, and to forgive one another.”

Along with his walk with God, Affleck is also a father and thinks about how his decisions will impact his parenting. Movieguide® previously reported that the Oscar®-winning producer doesn’t want his children to pay for his sins:

As Ben Affleck opens up about his alcohol addiction and journey to sobriety, he’s showing just how much his family meant to him, and how much he lost when he let drinking take control.

Affleck himself grew up with an alcoholic father and didn’t want his children to experience the same pain.

“I really don’t want my children to pay for my sins or to be afraid for me which is one of the hard parts of being the child of an alcoholic,” Affleck told Diane Sawyer. 

During his binge drinking, the actor was married to fellow celebrity Jennifer Garner (MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN). The couple has three children, Violet, Seraphina and Samuel. Garner was spotted taking her children to church and says that the faith-based movie was a large part of her recommitment to her faith. 

Despite her rekindled faith, Affleck’s drinking amplified their marriage problems.

“People with compulsive behavior, and I am one, have this kind of basic discomfort all the time that they’re trying to make go away,” he said. “You’re trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But, that ends up making your life worse. Then, you do more of it to make that discomfort go away. Then the real pain starts. It becomes a vicious cycle you can’t break. That’s at least what happened to, me.”

Affleck also recently spoke about the intersection of faith and career at Mosaic Church in Hollywood.

Affleck and other celebrities need consistent prayer to continue walking with the Lord. For additional celebrities to pray for, click here!

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.