Religion/ Spirituality

The man in charge of Aretha Franklin's funeral, Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, wants her fans around the world to know one thing -- get ready for church.

The pastor told us he's well aware he'll have a star-studded congregation during Friday's funeral, including Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Whoopi Goldberg, and President Clinton ... to name just a few. But he says the focus still has to be squarely on the Queen of Soul.

Bishop Ellis plans to celebrate her life in a respectful, godly manner. After all, she grew up musically and spiritually in her father's Baptist church -- and while superstar singers will perform during the service, Ellis says it's not going to be a concert.

He gave us a preview of his sermon, and the pressure that comes with overseeing an icon's funeral.

As we first reported, Jennifer Hudson will sing "Amazing Grace" as part of Friday's star-studded service at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit.

It starts at 10 AM ET, and we'll be streaming it live on TMZ.

Ben Affleck wanted to get back on the sober train -- badly -- days before his estranged wife staged an intervention and drove him to a rehab facility ... TMZ has learned.

Turns out, Ben had been attending wellness classes at a Los Angeles wellness center as recently as a week before checking into a live-in facility.

The center specializes in "Buddhist ethics" ... meaning meditation with a focus on a healthy body, mind and spirit. Our sources say Ben went on his own accord several times last week ... well aware he had fallen off the wagon and into a downward spiral.

We broke the story ... Ben's estranged wife, Jennifer Garner, staged an intervention Wednesday at his Pacific Palisades home and drove him to an L.A. County rehab facility where he will live for at least 30 days. We're told Ben didn't need much convincing because he knew he was in desperate straits.

We're told the trigger for Jen was on Monday, when she saw this pic (below) of Ben accepting delivery of a box full of beer and hard liquor.

The actor has been open about his struggles with sobriety over the years. After Ben completed his second stint at a rehab facility last year, he said, "I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step."

He continued, "I'm lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I've done the work I set out to do."

Here's the reality ... most addicts relapse. It doesn't mean they can't eventually stay sober, but it's a long, difficult road and falling off the wagon is not necessarily game over. The most important thing ... it's clear Ben realized he had a problem and sought help, even before Jen staged the intervention.

Here's something you don't see everyday ... a nun that could probably come out of the bullpen for the White Sox if she tightened up her curve ball.

Sister Mary Jo Sobiek of Marian Catholic High School was tasked with throwing out the first pitch Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field in honor of her institution. Perhaps to everyone's surprise ... she dished out a wicked toss from the mound to kick off the game.

It wasn't just the pitch that impressed ... Sister Mary Jo also had a nice little arm trick up her sleeve -- knocking the ball off the inside of her elbow and catching it again. BADASS!!!!

Sadly, the Sox couldn't ride SMJ's coattails to a win -- they ended up losing to the Kansas City Royals, who are last place in their division. At least we got a nice follow-up sister act in Chicago though!

Al Sharpton wants someone to blast Donald Trump with a little of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" ... 'cause dude really needs it.

We got the reverend out in NYC Thursday and, of course, had to ask him about The Queen of Soul passing away several hours earlier. Al paid heavy tribute and went down memory lane when it came to her iconic performances.

But more than anything, Al says on the heels of Trump calling Omarosa a dog he, more than anyone else, should soak in the classic track. As we reported ... Aretha died Thursday after a long battle with cancer.

Still no birthday sex for Tim Tebow ... but the former Heisman Trophy winner got the next best thing for his 31st -- best wishes from the hottest chick in the galaxy!!

Of course ... Tim's been dating Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters -- aka Miss Universe 2017 -- for a while ... and FINALLY, Demi made it Insta official, with DLNP wishing Tim a happy birthday Tuesday.

"Happy Birthday Timmy ❤️," she wrote.

"You are such a bright light in so many people’s lives. Have the best day ever!"

Tim's been smitten with the 23-year-old South African for quite a bit ... telling ESPN back in July, "She is a really special girl and I am very lucky and blessed for her coming into my life."

Seems like an engagement COULD be coming ... which means for Timmy's next birthday, maybe he'll finally get to cross home plate!

Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger are officially a couple -- a churchgoing one at that -- but they won't really show it until they're out of God's purview.

The recently-single Hollywood stud was spotted on another date with Arnold and Maria's 28-year-old daughter Sunday -- this time with his and Anna Faris' son, Jack, tagging along ... not to mention JC. The trio hit up a church service in L.A. and ice cream afterward.

It wasn't until Chris and Kat were out of the Lord's house that they smooched a bit ... not once, but twice! Seems like things have gone well since their Santa Barbara picnic last month.

Bishop Michael Curry -- the man who told Prince Harry and Meghan "love is the way" -- is now dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

Bishop Curry says he found out a few months ago, during an annual exam, he has prostate cancer ... and he's now decided on a course of treatment.

He'll undergo surgery next week to remove his prostate gland, and anticipates taking 4-6 weeks to recuperate ... before getting back to work. Curry says, "I am happy to say that the prognosis looks very good and quite positive."

Carl Lentz -- the pastor at the Hillsong church who was inseparable from Justin Bieber -- appeared to have trouble congratulating Justin on his engagement, and we're told it's because the 2 have had a major falling out.

Lentz was in Sydney, Australia Friday when the photog asked about Bieber, and it's pretty clear Lentz was uncomfortable.

Sources connected to Bieber tell TMZ ... Justin became angry at Lentz a while ago and broke ties with the pastor.

Justin and his fiancee, Hailey Baldwin, have both been active members of Hillsong and continue to patronize the church but, at least as far as Justin is concerned ... Carl is history.

We contacted Lentz, who told us he will not comment on his personal relationship with Bieber.

WE GOT TIM TEBOW'S MOM!!!! How cool is this?!

Tim Tebow's mother, Pamela, tells TMZ Sports her son is ready to play in the Big Leagues ... and she couldn't be more proud of the way he's playing!

FYI, Tim's been raking down in the minor leagues -- earning a spot in the Eastern League All-Star Game -- and Mama Tebow says he's ready for the call up to the Mets' MLB roster.

"We're partial, so we would vote for him to go up to the majors," Pam said at LAX ... "But, it's not up to us!"

We also asked how the Tebow family felt when Tim decided to make the switch from football to baseball -- and she was super candid about it.

"Timmy never had any bitterness. He had such a great attitude, because he believed it was God's plan for him. And then, we just all supported him because he still had a competitive drive."

"And he just still wanted to play ball. So baseball was second, so why not try it?"

"I think he's an example for all the little boys that maybe are afraid to try something because people don't think they'll succeed. So, you don't make it? At least you tried! That's what his main purpose is, he really wants to be a good example for them."

President Trump has tapped his pick for the next Supreme Court justice to replace Anthony Kennedy -- and he's being hailed as a strong conservative choice.

The Prez nominated DC Circuit Court of Appeals judge Brett Kavanaugh Monday, nearly two weeks after Kennedy announced he was retiring. Kavanaugh, a George W. Bush appointee, is considered by many to be an establishment guy, and has even been called the "Forrest Gump of Republican politics." He's also Catholic.

Kavanaugh has quite the resume ... having gone to Yale Law, and working in the Solicitor General's office in George H.W. Bush's administration. He also worked for Ken Starr during his investigation into then-President Bill Clinton, and is credited with pushing for tough questions on Bubba's sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky.

Oh, and he also used to clerk for the guy he's replacing on the Supreme Court.

Scarlett Johansson's fired up about a former Scientologist making a claim -- on live TV -- that she once auditioned to date Tom Cruise ... and she's not letting him get away with it.

The 'Avengers' star put Brendan Tighe -- who says he used to work on Cruise's Scientology security team -- on blast after he appeared on Megyn Kelly's NBC show Wednesday and claimed she was on a list of women who auditioned to date him after his split from Nicole Kidman years ago.

Johansson tells The Hollywood Reporter, "The very idea of any person auditioning to be in a relationship is so demeaning. I refuse for anyone to spread the idea that I lack the integrity to choose my own relationships."

She added ... "Only a man aka Brendan Tighe would come up with a crazy story like that."

Tighe also claimed Scarlett's audition must not have gone well, because actress and Scientologist Erika Christensen had to distance herself from her afterward.

The minister who officiated Cardi B and Offset's wedding says the rappers never made her sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep it all hush hush ... she's just really good at keeping a secret.

Minister Melinda Guess tells us she'd never met Cardi or Offset prior to their September day ... and was totally caught off guard when their team called and asked if she'd do the honor.

Guess tells us, all Cardi and Offset wished for was privacy, and Guess happily obliged. TMZ broke the story ... Cardi and Offset have now been married for 9 months. The nuptials went down after Offset woke up one September morning and straight-up told Cardi to marry him.

Guess -- who owns Officiant ATL -- tells us her standard rate for home ceremonies runs between $500 and $1,000.

As for the wedding day attire ... Guess says they both wore pants and a t-shirt. Nothing fancy. They exchanged traditional vows, though nothing was personalized.

If there's one thing Todd Chrisley knows best ... it's that Attorney General Jeff Sessions does NOT know best when it comes to Bible scriptures about separating kids from their parents.

The "Chrisley Knows Best" star was at LAX on Saturday, and we asked him about Romans 13 .. the Bible verse Sessions quoted the other day while defending the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Todd immediately shot down the atty gen.'s interpretation of the passage, which was -- "I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.”

Todd's not willing to buy that Romans 13 still holds true, telling us ... "Based on the way our government runs, that would cause me to question my faith if I had to be submissive to the way this country's being handled."

A bible Whitney Houston left behind when she moved out of her Newport Beach luxury rental is now being sold by her former landlord ... for a whopping $95k.

Whitney rented the home from 2009-2011. The owner says he found the bible in a box along with some clothes and CDs by the trash after she'd moved out. He says he had signed an NDA and contacted Houston's agent about the left-behind items, but was told he could keep them.

The bible, which is being sold through Moments in Time, has Whitney's handwriting all over it. There are pages documenting life events. For instance, under marriage Whitney scribbled in her name and Robert B. Brown and the date July 18, 1992, which matches up. Under births, it lists Bobbi K. Kristina and her birthday March 4, 1993.

The owner sold the home in 2012, and says he threw out all the other stuff Houston left behind except the bible because he thought it was "interesting." And a good investment, if he finds a buyer.

Roseanne Barr is getting torn apart, unfairly mind you, by liberals out to attack "a Jew" ... at least according to Roseanne Barr.

Despite her twice issued threat to get off Twitter for good, Roseanne continued tweeting up a storm late Wednesday ... replying to the barrage of comments about her racist tweet and ABC swiftly responding by yanking "Roseanne" off the air.

In one tweet she said, "I'm not sure, but I think I spent the last 24 hours watching the party of inclusion, diversity, understanding, and acceptance, lynch a Jew."

Seems Roseanne's already forgotten her 'muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes' description of Valerie Jarrett.

She also claimed to be the victim of anti-Semitism when some of her detractors called her out over the 2009 photo shoot she did ... dressed as Hitler putting human-shaped cookies in an oven.

The Pope is gonna be stoked ... 'cause he just got some serious props from the guy who won "Dancing with the Stars!"

Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon -- the first openly gay U.S. athlete to medal in the Winter Olympics -- says he heard about Pope Francis telling a gay man that his sexuality "does not matter" and thinks it's "so awesome!"

Backstory ... Pope Francis had spent some time back in April with a man who was sexually abused by a priest. When the topic of his sexuality came up, the Pope reportedly said, "God made you like this. God loves you like this."

He added, "The Pope loves you like this and you should love yourself and not worry about what people say."