“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” – Jesus, Matt 5:37
This is a two part series exposing Brian Houston’s stance on same sex issues. Read part two here:
[LINK COMING]
BACKGROUND 
Thanks to our online ChurchWatch FaceBook community, we were alerted to an article which we published on Church Watch Central.
Now THIS is sexy entertainment!
It was the last paragraph that caused the major controversy:
“In their own lives, both Canfield and Kelly are devoted Christians. They attend Hillsong Church in New York City, where Canfield is a volunteer choir director, and despite the two being demonstrative on camera while filming “Survivor,” Canfield said in a diary interview that the two are remaining abstinent until marriage.”
A flurry of tweets, articles and headlines emerged around the article that was published by Broadway Tour. Of course, Chris Rosebrough was on it (as was Stand Up for the Truth):
Famous Gay Couple, who attend Hillsong NYC volunteer with the choir AND say they’ll remain abstinent until marriage. http://broadwaytour.net/survivors-reed-kelly-josh-canfield-made-first-splash-on-broadway …
Source: Chris Rosebrough, Twitter, https://twitter.com/piratechristian/status/626378046124093444, Published 29/07/2015. (Accessed 05/08/2015.)
In this article, we will publish:
– Brian Houston’s media statement that supposedly addresses this controversy (which we will critique in this article). – Brian Houston’s blog article that addresses his relations to homosexual people (which we will also address in this article).
In spite of his double-speak, Brian Houston has historically and more recently shown where he stands on same sex issues.
MEDIA STATEMENT: HOUSTON’S LIE # 1:
Because Brian Houston is vague on these issues, this shows where he does stand, although he comes across as a “double-minded man, unstable in all his way” (James 1:8). However, we are openly calling out Brian Houston. He said in this media statement:
Hillsong’s position on homosexuality and gay marriage has not changed and is consistent with Scripture.
If this is true, then Brian Houston needs to be upfront with the meeting he had with gay activist Ben Gresham in 2010. We covered Ben Gresham reporting what Brian Houston and himself discussed in that 2010 meeting and the changes that were going to be taking place at Hillsong regarding same sex issues:
“A discussion then progressed that went for over an hour and Brian was more than happy to answer most of my questions and concerns and possibly even learned something himself. Here’s a bit of a breakdown of what happened in three categories:
Ex-Gay? • Brian stated clearly that Hillsong church (and himself) no longer support ex-gay ministries • Brian acknowledged the involvement of Hillsong church in ex-gay ministries in the past such as Exit Ministries, Living Waters and Exodus. Brian mentioned that he was never truly convinced of the idea of ex-gay ministries, although his father Frank Houston supported them. • Brian does not want an ex-gay message preached from the pulpit of Hillsong. • When questioned about Sy Rogers, Brian responded by saying “I think Sy regrets his previous involvement in Exodus”.
Brian’s Commitments • More training and education on sexual orientation and sexuality (particularly amongst youth leaders) • Commitment to read and explore theology and resources on homosexuality. • Discussions with other pastors (such as Rob Buckingham of Bayside Church, Melbourne) • Position statement on homosexuality which can be easily accessed on the Hillsong website”
Source: Ben Grasham, Breakfast with Brian: Hillsong, Homosexuality and the Future, BennyGresham.com, http://bennygresham.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/breakfast-with-brian-hillsong.html, Published 24/05/2012. (Accessed 05/08/2015.)
While Houston is trying to give the impression he is tight-rope walking the issue, he has in fact made up his mind where he stands and simply lied about Hillsong’s position. The fact is this: Hillsong has been slowly grooming it’s members to change it’s stance on same sex issues slowly but surely. Houston blatantly lied in this media statement. 
MEDIA STATEMENT: HOUSTON’S LIE # 2:
He writes,
As I have stated previously, I believe the writings of Paul are clear on this subject.
While Paul the Apostle instructs that we must preach the full counsel of God’s Word, Brian Houston has committed himself to do the opposite. As Ben Gresham wrote:
“Brian does not want an ex-gay message preached from the pulpit of Hillsong.”
Brian Houston has confirmed this in an interview with Hope 103.2 Radio. He even stated that if he gave a pro-gay/non-biblical or anti-gaybiblical answer, “there’s no great answer.” Why? Because truth appears to be nothing more than a popularity contest to Brian Houston. By his own admission, the bible is not his authority, nor is not important, which sadly reflects his standing with Christ, when Christ Himself said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
Clare Chate: I want to ask a couple of questions about the church and it’s position in society. You’re aiming to lead a church that influences the culture but also’s culturally relevant and sensitive. [Brian: Yes.] So. And in Australia we are now dealing with the issue of same sex marriage, which is looking like it might be inevitable. How do you address issues like that as a leader in a church? And how should Christians deal with that?
Brian Houston: Well I think it’s very vexing and very challenging. The moment you get asked the question on ah- secular media in particular- ah- “What do you think about homosexuality?” or “What do you think about gay marriage?,” you’re going to lose people.
You’re either going to lose people on the one side or you are going to lose your constituency on the other side. And if you say nothing, you lose everybody. And so it’s one of those questions where there’s no great answer…”
Source: Hope 103.2, Hillsong Pastor Brian Houston on the issue of same-sex marriage, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_kBhrjlGfY, Published 26/06/2015. (Accessed 05/08/2015.)
Brian Houston has openly shamed his movement by his response in light of what Apostle Paul says:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,e as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.” Romans 1:16-19
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10
Do you think the Apostle Paul would consider Brian Houston a “servant of Christ” in light of Houston’s behaviour towards the truth of the gospel and the full counsel of God’s Word?
MEDIA STATEMENT: HOUSTON’S LIE # 3:
Houston seems to be unaware of who is in his churches these days, especially in leadership. It appears Brian Houston does not want homosexuals in the positions of Hillsong staff:
Several months ago when one of our choir directors made an unexpected public statement regarding his engagement to a man who sometimes sang in the choir, it was a complete surprise to us as well.
This is ANOTHER lie since in the 2014 Vision Sunday service (a special service where God gives Brian Houston an annual vision for the direction of Hillsong), he implied that the Ethiopian eunuch was part of a sexual “minority group,” linking it to someone with “real sexual identity problems.” The above quote sounds meaningless until you watch Brian Houston preach on this. He WANTS people in his church to understand what he is pushing. He knows he cannot say what he wants to say. Therefore, we urge people to watch the below video to see Brian Houston push this God-given vision on this “New Grace” teaching. (Before watching, it is important to that in Hillsong, LEADERS sit in the front row of his church. Not plebs. Leaders. Watch Houston speak about those on the front row. Where is repentance? Where is proof that the person with “real sexual identity problems” bears fruit in keeping with repentance along with the other ‘converts’?)
[Click here to download video]Read the transcript and part of the review here:
Houston’s 2014 God-given “Vision” (Part 1): “New grace” scrutinised
So the issue is this:
When Brian Houston has been openly challenging his church to embrace unrepentant people who have “real sexual identity problems” who are part of a “minority group” sitting on the “front row in church,” how can Brian Houston CLAIM to be ‘surprised‘ to find an UNREPENTANT HOMOSEXUAL man in a position of Hillsong leadership?
MEDIA STATEMENT: HOUSTON’S LIE # 4:
Going by the date that the image was uploaded to the article, the controversial Broadway Tour article appeared to be published in November 2014. PlayBill.Com published an article on the 29th of January, 2015, reporting Josh Canfield proposing to Reed Kelly. PlayBill.Com reports:
On his relationship with Kelly, he said, “I did my best before I went on the show to just kind of come to grips with myself and be like, ‘I want to be an honest individual,’ and that’s how I’m trying to live my life. I had only recently told my family about [my relationship with] Reed, so that was still really fresh, but it was a time where I was just letting everything down — letting all my walls down. [I thought], ‘I need to be truthful with everyone.’ I became truthful with my church. I’m a part of Hillsong NYC. I’m one of their choir directors. I also sing on their Worship team. They’ve been amazing as well. Nothing has changed there now that I’m completely out and with Reed. He sings in the choir as well. I found that being an honest person has actually come with a lot of benefits. People are more sincere with you, and you find out a lot more about other people when you become honest.”
Source: By Michael Gioia, Broadway Boyfriends of “Survivor” Get Engaged on Stage (Plus Video), PlayBill.com, http://m.playbill.com/news/article/broadway-boyfriends-of-survivor-get-engaged-on-stage-plus-video-340487/print, Published 29/01/2015. (Accessed 06/08/2015.) (Emphasis ours.)
Going by the time frame, it appears that Hillsong knew of this controversial relationship as early as November 2014. It appears that Hillsong leadership did not react over a period of 2-3 months when Josh Canfield came out with his partner. And this would make sense in light of Houston’s “New Grace” vision. This explains why Canfield stated “Nothing has changed there now that I’m completely out and with Reed”. Things may have changed when Hillsong leadership found out about the proposal. However, things still do not really line up. Brian Houston said that Hillsong reacted when,
“[…] one of our choir directors made an unexpected public statement regarding his engagement to a man who sometimes sang in the choir”
Why is Brian Houston surprised when Hillsong KNEW that these men were in a relationship? Now comes the tricky language. It appears Brian Houston is playing word games to present a selective truthful presentation of events. Specifically with the words “understanding” and “active”. WORD GAMES Understanding Houston states,
It is my understanding that they have not been involved in an active leadership or ministry role since.
People don’t want Mr Houston’s understanding. People want CLARITY. They want FACTS. Brian Houston’s understanding can be wrong or unreliable in this instance and that’s what people do not want. In fact, because he is offering his understanding, this gives him license to manipulate and mislead people with further word games. And this is EXACTLY what he is doing… again. (We saw him do this with Driscoll’s statement and we called him out on it… and we were right.) It’s convenient that Houston is making this statement and not Carl Lentz. Why? Well Lentz would be more familiar with the case (and less surprised). Brian Houston can be surprised and can be further surprised if his understanding of events is wrong. Active Chris Rosebrough from Fighting for the Faith said,
“When I covered the story last week, I made it clear that I had heard through channels that Carl Lentz had said they had addressed this and that the pastors at Hillsong were privately counselling the couple. And so when we covered the story, I made it clear this was a while ago, this wasn’t an ongoing thing.”
Source: Chris Rosebrough, Mike Murdock Likes Onions On His Tacos, Fighting for the Faith, http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2015/08/mike-murdock-likes-onions-on-his-tacos.html, 50:35, Published 04/08/2015. (Accessed 06/08/2015.)
If this is true, then this going against their vision from God. So what’s going on? The public news that they were a couple did not cause Hillsong to remove them from their “leadership” and “ministry role”. This means Hillsong has no problem with these men sitting in the front row. But didn’t Brian Houston say that because of these revelations that these men were no longer involved in leadership or ministry roles? The answer is no. Brian Houston said that they were no longer involved “in an active leadership or ministry role.” Big difference. At the moment, they are in “counselling”. Counselling for what? Counselling to be quiet about their lifestyle? After all, Houston has made it clear that he no longer supports ex-gay ministries. And what can Hillsong say to the couple if they have “no great answer”? Nothing suggest that Houston is being upfront with Hillsong’s dealing with this celebrity gay couple.
CONCLUSION
We can say for a FACT that Brian Houston and his movement do not show Christian love to these men. This is because they deny them the truth and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which calls all people to repent of their sins, homosexuality included, and be forgiven by trusting that Christ died for their sins. Brian Houston has had plenty of opportunities to explain and demonstrate how he loves someone of a different sexual orientation by preaching the truth to them, but he doesn’t. This response shows once again the absence of Brian Houston’s Christian love towards the gay community. If he and Hillsong did love them, how did one get so far into gaining a leadership position? Where is the bible in all this? We think that Brian Houston purposely left the bible back on the coffee shop table with Ben Gresham.
The bible that Houston left behind with Ben Gresham…
BRIAN HOUSTON’S MEDIA STATEMENT
Brian Houston released this media statement for damage control,
Hillsong Church Statement by Senior Pastor Brian Houston
“I wish to correct reports that Hillsong church has “an openly gay couple directing a choir” at our New York City campus.
Hillsong’s position on homosexuality and gay marriage has not changed and is consistent with Scripture.
As I have stated previously, I believe the writings of Paul are clear on this subject.
Several months ago when one of our choir directors made an unexpected public statement regarding his engagement to a man who sometimes sang in the choir, it was a complete surprise to us as well.
It is my understanding that they have not been involved in an active leadership or ministry role since. That said, we still love them and acknowledge that they – like all of us – are on a journey, and our role as a church is to assist them on this journey with grace and compassion.”
Source: Brian Houston, Hillsong.Com, Hillsong Church Statement by Senior Pastor Brian Houston, http://hillsong.com/media-releases/hillsong-church-statement-by-senior-pastor-brian-houston/, Published 04/08/2015. (Accessed 05/08/2015.)
Categories: Hillsong
In the above video Brian Houston states, that of the three early converts the second one was a “part of the minority group” (note the long pause while Brian waits for cheap laughs – disgraceful) but Houston then goes on to state that because the eunuch was castrated he was a guy with “sexual identity problems” and was”not sure who he is” . Is Houston maintaining that castration causes homosexuality? My understanding is that castration does NOT have any impact on sexual orientation – it simply made men incapable of reproduction (thus they were used as guards in women quarters etc). I would most humbly suggest that this eunuch knew EXACTLY who he was – a man who had undergone a barbaric procedure…….. this has NOTHING to do with homosexuality whatsoever. But nice try Houston!
Facepalm.