For decades Australian media has portrayed Hillsong as a prosperity or word of faith cult. As former members once involved in Australia’s biggest cult, we know this is not an accurate representation. In reality, Hillsong is part of a global network known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) – with its roots beginning with the New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR) cult at Sharon Orphanage in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1948.
Brian Houston, the leading Apostle of Hillsong Church, is acknowledged as one of Scott Morrison’s mentors. As the newly elected Prime Minister of Australia, this has potentially advanced Hillsong’s influence across Australia (their connection with Morrison has already attracted media attention in the past). Hillsong would consider this to be a milestone within their movement, claiming this to be ‘Kingdom influence’ (which is another way of saying ‘taking the nation for God’.
We remind our readers that Brian Houston’s father, Frank Houston, was directly influenced by the ‘dominionist’ and ‘restorationist’ teachings of the Latter Rain cult, false doctrines that teach the church must take over the world (known as Joel’s Army).
An ‘infallible’ apostolic teaching within this movement is this – by conquering the ‘seven mountains of society’, they will take control of cultures around the world. This is known as the 7 Mountain Mandate, or the 7 Spheres/Pillars of Society.
Hillsong also calls this theology ‘The Seven Spheres‘, which is why they target successful businessmen, celebrities or influential figures in law/politics (such as the now newly-elected Prime Minister Scott Morrison). [Read more on this here.]
Back in the year 2000, David Cartledge recorded in his book ‘The Apostolic Revolution’, that the now late C. Peter Wagner was personally invited by Hillsong’s Brian Houston, to unite and expand the New Apostolic Reformation under the Australian Christian Churches (ACC) across Australia.
The late C. Peter Wagner, leader of the NAR, acknowledged Hillsong as part of his NAR Apostolic Network.
As its leader, C. Peter Wagner claimed that this movement is not held accountable or bound by doctrinal or legal obligation but by apostolic relationships. Coincidentally, this was also concluded by the Royal Commission when they investigated the cover-up of Frank Houston’s sexual abuse crimes of by the leading ‘apostles’ in the Assemblies of God (AOG/ACC) and Christian Life Centre (CLC/Hillsong).
It’s important to note that Cartledge and Brian Houston did not disclose the crimes of Frank Houston to Wagner, and Hillsong only started speaking about Frank’s paedophilia when a concerned insider and the media started asking questions. The full extent of the cover-up was exposed at a Royal Commission back in 2014. (Click to read resources and a thorough timeline of events here.)
What needs to be understood is that those in the New Apostolic Reformation pride themselves in not being bound by rule or regulation. Their message is about freedom from man’s rules, expectations and opinions. Nevertheless, Apostolic Centres (as they are also called) like Hillsong, see it as their mandate to ‘infiltrate’ and take over governments to influence culture. That any culture allows a ‘dominionist’ cult, rife with sexual and financial scandal, influence their top leaders (particularly the now newly elected Prime Minister Scott Morrison here in Australia) is a problem that needs to be seriously addressed.
NSW Police Commissioner – Andrew Scipione (now retired); representing Hillsong’s ‘kingdom influence’ in Government/Law Sphere.
This was not missed by the Australian media. Back in 2015, Grant Goldman from 2SM Radio publicly challenged Scott Morrison’s associations with Hillsong leader Brian Houston.
Image from 2SM Super Network
Grant Goldman addressed these serious issues (also introducing Phil Pringle, leader of the C3 movement into the dialogue) – highlighting the fact that both he and Brian Houston had covered up the ‘betrayal’ of pastors under their governance, for incorrectly handling the issues of child sex abuse.
You can listen to the radio segment below of Grant Goldman challenge Morrison here:
TRANSCRIPT: Grant Goldman to Scott Morrison, Monday 21 September 2015.
“On August 24, less than a month ago, I had something to say about Scott Morrison, I stated that in 2007 Morrison as State Director of the Liberal Party was the beneficiary of a totally unfounded and unjustified smear campaign against a man by the name of Michael Towke, the telecommunications engineer who had been pre-selected by the Liberal Party for the seat of Cook. The effect of that smear campaign was that Morrison, who in contesting the pre-selection, had received less than one tenth of the votes won by Towke. But Morrison was able to gain the Liberal endorsement as the Member for Cook.
In recent days, supporters of Tony Abbott have suspected the loyalty and sincerity of Scott Morrison who appears to have been rewarded for his failure to defend the then Prime Minister against the Turnbull attack. In his Maiden Speech to the Federal Parliament on 14 February 2008, Scott Morrison made favourable mention of Pastor Brian Houston who operates the Hillsong religious organisation.
So who is Pastor Brian Houston, the mentor to Scott Morrison. Is he?
This is the fellow who told a Royal Commission that he had no legal or moral obligation to the victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by his predecessor in the leadership of Hillsong, his father Frank Houston. In October 2014 the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse was told by a witness known as AHA that when he was seven years old, Pastor Frank Houston would come to his room, lie on him, fondle him and masturbate him.
When Brian Houston found out that in 1999 that his father was a pederast taking advantage of a young boy, he failed to tell the Police. Instead, Brian Houston and committee of the Assemblies of God suspended Frank Houston’s preaching credentials, for just two years.
It gets worse. I have in my hand as I write a copy of testimony given to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse by a lady named Kerri. I shall put this document on my website.
Kerri told the commission the tragic story of how her son was raped by the man she had married. Her son reported the crime to two Pastors, Gary Dench and Ian Treacy. They did not tell the police. They did not tell the victim’s mother. They admonished the victim, telling him he was partly to blame.
After Kerri learned from her son what had happened, she told the Police and also asked for help from the Head Pastor of the Christian City Church, Phil Pringle who provided no assistance. Pringle had suspended Dench, not because Dench had concealed a crime against a child, but because Dench’s wife had won a prize in the lottery.
Later Kerri asked for help from Pastor Brian Houston of Hillsong Church knowing him to be a close friend of Pastor Phil Pringle. I’ll quote what Kerri told the commission:
“I related our circumstances to Brian Houston who became very irritated, told me he did not believe that such a thing had happened, turned his back on me and walked away.”
That is Brian Houston, who I understand with his wife Bobbie, still calls the shots at Hillsong.
I am inviting Scott Morrison to come on my program and repudiate Pastor Brian Houston. I want Scott Morrison to express disgust at a Christian leader who fails to report the sexual abuse of a child. I want Scott Morrison to express disgust at a Christian leader who turns his back on a member of his own congregation, a mother whose son has been betrayed by other pastors in the network, who refused to report to police that that boy had been raped, and instead told the boy he was partly to blame.
If you agree with me, back me up. If you disagree, prove me wrong.”
Email all comments and questions to c3churchwatch@hotmail.com
Categories: Hillsong