This person contacted us the same Tuesday night they attended this Hillsong event (Tuesday, 10 Feb, 2015). The email has been slightly edited to help assist readability, to make shorter and to ensure anonymity.
Tonight I attended the Hillsong Vision event because some friends wanted to go. I’m not particularly a great fan of Hillsong but I was not prepared for what I was about to witness that night. I had to go home and jot down what I heard straight away. My observations are in no particular order.
I listened to Brian Houston talk about his new book entitled, “Live, Love, Lead”. Of course he was encouraging people to buy it, but he also wanted us to pray over it. (As if THIS will make the book Holy). Anyway, in an effort to get people to read this book, Brian said that he talks about his father, Frank Houston, his pedophile “pastor” inside his book. (Only he didn’t mention the pedophile part.) What was really interesting is when he said that this new book is the only book he’s ever written. He kept emphatically stating this, which was very weird. My question, of course, was, “Then who wrote all of the other books that claim Brian Houston as their author?”
Another time, Brian randomly talked about Garden City Church, claiming that Hillsong merged with them to create a Hillsong church, I was obviously upset. They didn’t merge – it was a deceitful and hostile take-over! He lied to us!
Houston also made an offensive joke about his kids. In an “off the cuff” remark he talked about the fact that since he sent Joel (or Ben?) off to the United States to plant a church he should do the same with his daughter. The difference is that he would send her to Iraq. I was disgusted when the crowd laughed as though this was meant to be good joke.
Two Hillsong pastors also talked about two churches being planted in South America. They said that because UNITED was so well received, (apparently people attended the musical event in the rain), they knew it was time to plant churches there. The talk was all about building and growing churches. It was NEVER about saving people from their sins. The focus was on getting people into these churches to further the “cause.” How creepy!
I think it was one of these leaders that mentioned that he was planting a church in an influential city because Hillsong wanted to plant churches in influential places.
Need I say more?
Brian also talked about how the biggest mistake he ever made was publishing the book, “You Need More Money.” What about “You Can Change the Future?” Doesn’t he think THAT book was an even bigger mistake? That book was published eight months after his father confessed his crimes! I remember reading that book! It only taught how wonderful Frank Houston was and how we would should live like him to impact future generations.
From ‘You Can Change The Future’*:
“The day my father committed his life to Jesus, he didn’t understand what was actually happening in terms of impacting other people’s lives. Because of his decision, our family has been changed forever, and thousands of people have been trained up and are preaching the Gospel worldwide.
There have been some great men of God in days gone by – Wigglesworth, Finney, Spurgeon, Booth – but they are now in eternity. They made an impact during their generation but in all His wisdom, God chose to put you and me in this generation. You may imagine living in the time of horse-drawn carriages, but it isn’t coincidence or chance you are here today. You are here for a time such as this to be part of God’s eternal purpose. […]
The decision you make and the actions you take have a huge impact, not only on yourself but on the generations to come.
You will pass on a baton to the next generation. What will that baton look like?
In 1999, my father Frank Houston decided to step back from day-to-day running of his church, Sydney Christian Life Centre and passed the baton of leadership on to me. What an honour for Bobbie and me to continue building on the foundations laid by my parents. It was also a tremendous responsibility as we were already pastoring Hills Christian Life Centre in Sydney’s north west. Today Hillsong Church continues what was started in 1977, with our two major worship centres, a city-wide network of cells, and contributing services and ministries all adding to the expansion of future generations.” – pg. 122
Brian Houston, You Can Change The Future, Published July, 2000.
Brian Houston also talked about the time that Hillsong bought a property for $28 million only to have it lose half its value when the GFC* hit. I didn’t understand what he was talking about. He was acting like he wasn’t telling the whole truth about this. This is something I plan to look into.
The music tonight was garbage. It was such a manufactured scene to watch. You could feel people going through the motions while leaders tried to manipulate people to get into the mood. It didn’t look right and it definitely didn’t feel right. One song was called “Wings of Everlasting” and was so self-centered and creepy. It was about touching the sky when our knees hit the ground. I don’t really know what gnosticism is but it made me think of it. I could easily envision the devil himself singing the lyrics.
At one point I asked the people who were sitting next to me if they knew what the Gospel was. Even though they’d been going to Hillsong for a few years they had no clue what it was. If I wasn’t already convinced that Hillsong isn’t a real church, that exchange would have done it. How tragic that so many people who think they are Christians aren’t. The consequences are eternal. God help these people!
People thought they were going to get preaching. They didn’t. Instead everyone heard how fantastic Hillsong was.
Oh yeah! And Hillsong was updating us about their movie and promoting it.
Promoting what? A self-centered corporation that could draw a crowd but not lead people to Jesus? A movement that tried to cover up the crimes of a serial pedophile by writing about how wonderful the pedophile was? A movement that lies and covers up it’s sins? A movement that’s takes over Christian churches?
I’m devastated. How can this perverted corporation even be considered to represent the standards of the Christian faith?
Source: Email sent: Wed, 11 Feb 2015 01:13:16 +1100 || Edited and approved by sender: 24/03/2015.
* Snippet from original book inserted later into email.
* GFC – Global Financial Crisis
Categories: Hillsong
Well I was stunned when ‘Christian” website began saying pastors should have 3 month sabbaticals to go lay on the beach
I told them I quit church when I learned the pastor spent 1 month playing golf & the next month on the beach with his family in Hawaii! The ‘Christian ‘ website sent me hate mail!!!! I complained to Facebook! In Christ Lorraine
When a church doesn’t preach the Gospel any more and doesn’t care about the souls ( mind will and emotions ) of the saints that The Holy Spirit has brought in and doesn’t lift up The Risen Lord . I may be wrong but I believe the Holy spirit leaves that place . In fact I think that some thing happens within the hearts of the leadership before hand which may cause the Holy spirit to leave which causes the aforementioned signs .
What an Awful thing to happen . A truly Awful thing .
I want the Lord to be the center of my life . Not money, not church, not celebrity neon Pastors or pastorpeneurs ( discusting term ) but him .
It is an awful thing to vex the Holy Ghost .;
I hope i never do that .
Did some fact checking… lots of bad information from the source above (about 90% misleading and factually wrong)
For instance:
The Tuesday night was an informational night about the activities of the church. It wasn’t a normal church service and wasn’t meant to be, there was NEVER going to be preaching, that’s not what the Tuesday is about? If you want preaching come on Sundays. There’s not many churches where you’d hear preaching on Tuesdays at a informational session?
As for the gospel, they preach it nearly every week. I watched two of their online videos this week and both had the gospel preached? I think hatred is getting in the way of fact here.
Once again can you please post your address or phone number so I can sit down and ask more questions about why this rant is going on and on? You clearly don’t go to any church, and if you do I’d guess it has a congregation of less than 50 and is dying from bigotry.
Why not have a Uniting church watch… a whole bunch of their congregations aren’t preaching the gospel? Some Anglican churches are also preaching evolution… seems you are evangelical and only want to bag penticostal churches. Salvo ministers live in 30 million dollar mansions, the catholic church has 100 million dollar buildings… why are there no reports on that?
My background is a mix of Pentecostal, and evangelical – both are pathetic when it comes to name calling. I just don’t think anyone from ANY Bible college or ANY pastor in senior leadership of a denomination would have a bar of this tone.. it’s tone is hate and fear. Sounds like a freemason or Aithiest is writing some of the stuff…
please would like to meet you in person some day soon just to ask questions.
Also breaching copyright law by using these church’s logos and images is breaking the law. So you too are preaching heresy as you are taking the law into your own hands?
Seriously I’ve met many people with strong oppinions from all quaters, would love to meet ‘the team’ behind this website. (if they exist)
What has been interesting with people’s negative responses to this insiders piece is how they try to discredit by emphasising the most insignificant details.
Generally people who hate speak lies and practice deceit. The way you critiqued this piece gave us more insight into the fact you hate truth.
Why are you treating us as “haters” because we haven’t got a Uniting church watch? When it comes to desecrating the Christian faith – Hillsong still comes out on top.
And for the record – some of us ARE Pentecostal. We will always be Hillsong’s biggest critics, because Hillsong lie compulsively that they are Pentecostal. They are not. By every single definition of the word, they are a full fledge dangerous mind-controlling cult.
And if you have a problem with that – read your bible. It is people like you who don’t know the faith who hate God and their Christian brother more. If you love God – you will keep his Word. If you love your Christian brother – you will warn him against evil cults.
You do neither. So don’t call us unloving when your faith and love comes across more pagan and hypocritical. You need to repent of your falsehoods and hate and return to the cross and unlearn some of the lies from false teachers.
It’s a hard thing to do. Especially as an evangelical Pentecostal. We naturally grow up in church environments thinking we can trust the pastor without even thinking they have evil intentions.
“I just don’t think anyone from ANY Bible college or ANY pastor in senior leadership of a denomination would have a bar of this tone.”
Then you should meet Brian Houston. If you think that we sound a like a freemason or Atheist – you should meet Brian Houston.
You can’t even ask him a question without him screaming at you, trying to thump you or labeling you or demonising you with all types of insults.
But then you already know all this, don’t you Facelift? Good try, but not surprising as you continue to “hide” behind your own many identities, while trying to be so clever with your little “exposes” of those who love God’s truth more than those called so clearly “clouds without water”.
Rather than disciplining believers in Christ according to Scripture all that they are doing is creating people in images of themselves.
That is prideful and what accompanies pride is jealousy. ( competition )
They are works of the flesh.
What will be the outcome of their Christian works they provide ( since their Salvation ) at the Judgement Seat of Christ .. Wood, Hay, Stubble which results as ash when tested by fire.