Amidst the latest developments in the Wilkie Leaks scandal, CWC has deemed it crucial to release pertinent articles from Hillsong Church Watch. With Hillsong’s contentious political reactions to the Wilkie Leaks, it is important to revisit these series of articles that the leaks also observed back in 2010. Quite a while ago, we looked at Steve West, and the Australian media, expose the appalling systematic and problematic behaviour found in Hillsong and its leadership.
The Steve West & Hillsong Saga (Part 6)
Before reading the article by Steve West, it is important to understand who Steve West is.
Steve studied for his Diploma in Christian Ministry at Hillsong International Leadership College in 2001 and 2002.
During that time he served in most ministry areas – kids, youth, carpark, sound, new Christians, offering collection and ushering. He worked closely with many leaders and gave virtually all his available time and money to the church, volunteering at all conferences in that time and spending an average of six to seven days a week at Hillsong Church. He progressed to an effective pastor position at an affiliated church and ran a local young adults ministry effectively for several years.
Read his earlier articles here to see where he is coming from in the below article:
The Steve West & Hillsong Saga (Part 1)
The Steve West & Hillsong Saga (Part 2)
The Steve West & Hillsong Saga (Part 3)
The Steve West & Hillsong Saga (Part 4)
When Steve West Went To The Media
(Before reading, we would like offer a correction to the below article: Hillsong and C3 do not represent the beliefs and practices of Pentecostalism. These movements are cults that have hi-jacked and morphed the ideas and practices of Pentecostalism. As a result, they are leading many unknowing Pentecostal churches down their road of liberalism and neo-gnostic paganism (occultism) through their Word of Faith teachings.)
Steve West writes the following.
The Dishonest Church
“Pastors and other trained professionals of the church often have developed a system of beliefs that is qualitatively different from the faith they communicate to local congregations. Their individual faith has developed, in most cases, after an intense and sometimes painful time of questioning, dismantling, and reconstruction. For reasons that are not clear, these leaders assume that local church members are either unwilling or unable to survive a similar process. So, in an act of dishonesty that threatens to erode the core of the church’s mission, they hold one kind of faith for themselves while the literature they produce for the laity and the sermons they deliver assume another, basically different, style of faith for the non-professional.”
-Good, The Dishonest Church
Lifted from here: http://mysticalseeker.blogspot.com/2007/03/dishonest-church.html
Of course, I would observe that the Pentecostal church leaders are simply unaware of the biblical textual criticisms. This leads to their greater vitality, and ignorance.
Brian Houston only holds a diploma of ministry. I’d hardly be willing to ask him or Phil Pringle how to deal with source theory.
They’re not interested in those issues, even though for most of the Western world, these issues, plus evolution, destroyed any desire to engage with a literal reading of the text.
These Pentecostal churches aren’t the faithful remnant.
They are the uneducated remnant, using rhetoric to shield themselves from these issues.
Source: Steve West, The Dishonest Church, http://www.facebook.com/notes/steve-west/the-dishonest-church/463207876927, 28/08/2010. (Accessed 18/11/2012.)
(Disclaimer: The views of Steve West do not necessarily represent our own personal views. We have decided to publish his articles so people may witness his journey out of Hillsong.)
This is the last article of the series. We hope you have found this series informative.
NOTE: SCREEN GRAB WAS TAKEN ON THE 18/11/2012.
Email all comments and questions to c3churchwatch@hotmail.com
“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:16
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