What’s the glaring fault with the advice given by Greg Laurie and his panel, to the young man who inquired of Hillsong? The glaring fault was they offered their opinions. Not facts. Not research. Not even the word of God. Just subjective opinions based on their own standards, standards we find so widespread within the “Evangelical Industrial Complex”.
This is incredibly misleading. Unlike Laurie and his panel, we use the words of Christ to prove why Hillsong music is inappropriate for Christians to sing in their churches:
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:24 (Emphasis added.)
If we are worshiping God just because we selfishly like the music more than God, Christ condemns it,
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
“‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matthew 15:8-9
People may think they are singing in ‘spirit and in truth’ when they sing Hillsong music. However, the opposite is true.
Hillsong exists not to glorify God but themselves.
And this has been true even since its inception when Brian’s father Frank Houston used the worship experience he created to build a name for himself and his unqualified ministry. Sadly, nothing has changed. Brian has followed the footsteps of his father: he has used Hillsong music to give the impression to all who listen to him that he is a qualified, ordained and pastor called by Christ Himself when he was NEVER biblically qualified to begin with.
We aren’t necessarily describing the individuals who write music as writing songs to be ‘personally’ glorified. The music itself however, does glorify the Hillsong organisation and persuades people into thinking that what Hillsong believes is Christian. Nevertheless, in the above radio clip, they brought up Geoff Bullock and his contribution to Hillsong music. What they don’t realize is that Geoff Bullock came out and confessed that he was indoctrinated by Hillsong’s prosperity gospel and realized he was writing from a very legalistic perspective. Among many other things, Bullock was not tolerated for embracing a theology that contradicted Brian Houston’s legalistic prosperity theology.
Here is Bullock talking about why he rewrote his worldwide hit ‘Power of Your Love’:
To this day, Hillsong have used their music to promote the damnable Prosperity Gospel (Song title: Blessed, More Than Enough). Brian Houston even writes about how his theology inspired Hillsong singer-songwriter Reuben Morgan to write a song about his prosperity theology in his book ‘You Need More Money’:
Warning: Hillsong Music Spreads Their False Doctrine
Hillsong have even got NAR Latter Rain theology (Song title: Latter Rain), Mysticism (Song title: Oceans – where feet may fail, Lead me to the cross) legalism and other songs that allow heretics (i.e. modalists) can sing along too (Song title: This I Believe).
In the video below , someone on Laurie’s panel said she liked their song ‘Shout to the Lord’ by Darlene Zschech – a Hillsong worship leader who thinks Jesus and the pagan deity in Roman Catholicism are one in the same. Is this because Hillsong founders Frank and Brian believe in the Apostolic authority of the Roman Catholic church? Hillsong is also the religion that claimed Muslims and Christians worship the same god and who teach the belief that unrepentant occultists, homosexuals and Muslims can also worship their god.
Their music is not only deceptive, it is downright anti-Christian, (no matter how many Christians think that it makes them feel close to God). Light can not fellowship with darkness. Knowing people who go through these creative institutions, they do unfortunately ‘sell out’ to get where they are. Other worship leaders like Joel Houston, Darlene Zschech and many others sing to the Pope. Geoff Bullock, by the grace of God, left with his bruised spirit intact.
Unlike Hillsong, Christians do not have a pope, do not worship Allah, do not worship the devil, do not worship an anti-trinitarian god, do not worship an idol that promises to make us rich – all in the context of worship. Jesus was right to quote Isaiah, people caught up in Hillsong worship God with their lips, but their hearts are far from God. If they were true worshipers, they would worship God in Spirit and truth – not selfishness and deception.
It is incredibly dangerous for Laurie to assume that young man has the ability to discern the paganism and heresy behind Hillsong’s lyrics, mystical soothsayers and seductive sirens.
Greg Laurie has been deceived by Hillsong. Expressing an opinion to this young man as to whether Hillsong music is good or not has proved to be very misleading.
We strongly encourage Laurie to present a biblical response to Hillsong’s music and research how pagan their worship actually is in light of God’s Word. If any parent or pastor loved their children – they would not allow them to be indoctrinated by Hillsong music. Hillsong is the MacDonald’s of Christianity – they don’t care about your spiritual health, they care about you supporting their brand, using every tactic to keep you coming back for more.
Here are other good articles tackling the dangers of Hillsong music: