Hillsong

Hillsong is an Australian Pentecostal megachurch that began its life as Hills Christian Life Centre, located in the suburb of Baulkham Hills, part of the Hills district of Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales. The Hillsong name evolved as a result of the enormous volume of insipid yet popular Christian Rock albums being pumped out by this money-hungry church on a regular basis.
The Church was started in 1983 by husband and wife hucksters Brian and Bobbie Houston ,Deborah Snow. Inside the Hillsong Church's money-making machine. Sydney Morning Herald, November 13, 2015. and has rapidly expanded into a global enterprise with large operations in 23 countries and a Hillsong TV Channel which takes their shameless message of financial prosperity in the name of Jesus to even more people around the globe.
Like many wealthy tax-exempt fundamentalist megachurches, Hillsong's leadership group have proven to be complete degenerates behind closed doors. Their behavior directly resulted in multiple lawsuits, multiple scandals, multiple accusations of swindling church funds in order to provide for a lavish lifestyle for the founders and head pastors, and multiple documentaries detailing the shenanigans behind their hip facade. By March 2023, such took its toll on the church; Hillsong's revenue was down 20% in the past two years, ten of the sixteen US locations had shut down, and attendance at other locations was considerably reduced."Hillsong Megachurch Revenue Fell Almost 20% In Last Two Years, Report Shows" by Jessica Eturralde, Religion Unplugged, 2022 November 24
Scott Morrison, the former Prime Minister is friends with Brian Houston and has described him as a mentor and friend.
==Child sexual abuse==
Frank Houston (father of Brian) confessed, at age 77, to sexually abusing hundreds of little boys throughout his entire career as a church pastor in Australia and New Zealand.Frank Houston (Paedophile Offender). Kelso Lawyers. The actual number of victims is still unknown. Brian Houston and other Hillsong church leaders were made aware of this in 1999, and instead of obeying the law and reporting the abuse, they kept quiet about Frank Houston's depravity.Donald Elley. Brian Houston Hillsong head pastor will be heading to jail at some time in the future for pedophile protection crimes. WordPress, 13 November 2019. Brian Houston even told one victim that it was his own fault: he was abused, because he "tempted" his pedophile father.Helen Davidson. Hillsong founder 'told man his father sexually abused it was victim's fault'. The Guardian, 6 October 2014. After his eventual confessions, Frank quit preaching, but he never saw the inside of a prison cell. He died in 2004 at the age of 82.David Marr. Hillsong - the church with no answers. Sydney Morning Herald, August 4 2007. Several conservative politicians attended his funeral.Hillsong farewells a lost sheep pioneer. Sydney Morning Herald, 13 November 2004.
It all came out during the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sex Abuse requested by the Australian government in 2013."Report of Case Study No. 18", the response of the Australian Christian Churches and affiliated Pentecostal churches to the allegations of child sexual abuse, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse Following these revelations, the New South Wales Police confirmed that they were launching a criminal investigation into Brian Houston for failing to report a serious crime. After a long delay from the conclusion of this investigation in 2015, in August 2021, Houston was formally charged with illegally concealing alleged child abuse by Frank; Brian denied the allegations.Hillsong Founder to Plead Not Guilty to Abuse Coverup. Associated Press in Sydney, reprinted in Christianity Today, 6 October 2021. Nonetheless, Brian stepped down from his role on Hillsong's boards that oversaw their governance (while maintaining his role as Global Senior Pastor).Maria Pasquini. Hillsong Church Founder Brian Houston, Charged with Concealing Dad's Sex Offenses, Steps Down from Board. People, 18 September 2021. He was in the United States when he was charged.Fergus Hunter, Laura Chung and Alexandra Smith. Hillsong pastor Brian Houston charged for allegedly concealing child sexual abuse by his father. Sydney Morning Herald, 5 August 2021. In January 2022, Brian Houston resigned from all ministry positions to defend himself against charges that he concealed child sexual abuse by his late father.Hillsong Church leader steps down to defend charge of concealing child sex abuse. CNN, 31 January 2022. Houston was acquitted of hiding Frank Houston's sexual abuse on August 17 2023."Megachurch Founder Acquitted of Hiding Sexual Abuse Committed by His Father" by Yan Zhuang, New York Times, 2023 August 17
In March 2022, Houston completely resigned from Hillsong after an internal investigation concluded that Houston had engaged in conduct of a "serious concern".Australian church says head quits over inappropriate behaviour with women. Reuters, 23 March 2022. The conduct concerned two incidents of inappropriate behavior with two women, one which reportedly occurred when "Pastor Brian was under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence", and the other where Brian consumed "anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dose, mixed with alcohol"."Hillsong church apologises after investigations find Brian Houston engaged in ‘inappropriate’ behaviour" by Donna Lu, Guardian, 2022 March 18
==Other scandals==
In November 2020, the lead pastor of Hillsong's New York City branch, was fired after admitting to an extra-marital affair.Roxanne Stone. Fired Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz Apologizes for Infidelity. Christianity Today, 5 November 2020. A source who spoke with Page 6 (the gossip section of the New York Post) claimed that the infidelity was not a surprise, as Lentz's lifestyle more closely resembled the pop star lifestyle of celebrities like former Hillsong NYC member ("popping bottles on private planes") versus what one would expect of a humble man of the cloth.Disgraced celebrity Hillsong pastor told mistress sex was best 'in his life'. News.com.au, 17 November 2020 Later, on May 31, Lentz's nanny, Leona Kimes, accused him of years of sexual and emotional abuse during her employment, including inappropriate remarks and contact.Joelle Goldstein. Hillsong Staffer Accuses Ex-Pastor Carl Lentz of Sexual Abuse as He 'Vehemently' Denies Claims. People, 1 June 2021.
On January 3 2021, the lead pastors of the Dallas branch of the Hillsong church, Reed and Jess Bogard, abruptly resigned via a prerecorded message that aired during the service that day.The Pastors of Hillsong Dallas Have Resigned. Relevant, 5 January 2021. It was later revealed that the Bogards were under investigation for allegedly using church funds and tithes to fund their lavish lifestyle while part of the New York City division. This eventually led to Hillsong shutting down the Dallas operation in April.Beth Stoneburner. Dallas Megachurch Shuts Down After Claims of Financial and Leadership Failures. Friendly Atheist, 14 April 2021. In 2022, additional details came out about this firing: reportedly Hillsong had learned that Bogard allegedly raped a junior female staffer in October 2013, and had drunk alcohol heavily, smoked marijuana, and bullied staff during his tenure at Hillsong NYC."Former Hillsong Dallas Pastor Reed Bogard resigned after he was accused of rape, investigation reveals" by Leonardo Blair, Christian Post, 2022 March 25
In 2021, reports emerged that a Hillsong staff administrator named Jason Mays (who was the son of the church's head of human resources), while extremely intoxicated, sexually assaulted a Philadelphia pastor's daughter at their headquarters in 2018. In January 2020, Mays pleaded guilty to indecent assault and received two years' probation and mandatory counseling."Married Hillsong Church administrator sexually assaulted Philadelphia pastor’s daughter: report" by Leonardo Blair, Christian Post, 2021 February 12"Carl Lentz and the Trouble at Hillsong" by Alex French and Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 2021 February 11
In 2021, the BBC released a documentary in their series entitled Hillsong Church: God Goes Viral.Hillsong Church: God Goes Viral. BBC 4. The documentary expanded on some of the problems within the church, including questionable luxury lifestyle expenses and some of the above abuse allegations. Hillsong was not amused.Josh Shepherd. BBC’s Hillsong Doc Reveals Global Church’s Celebrity Culture & Scandals. Roys Report, 28 July 2021
In February 2022, Brian Houston was charged with in Orange County, California."Hillsong founder Brian Houston charged with drink-driving in the US" by Australian Associated Press, reprinted in Guardian, 2023 March 28 In April 24 2023, after initially pleading not guilty, Houston plead guilty and received three years probation and other penalties."Hillsong Founder Brian Houston Pleads Guilty To DUI, Gets 3-Year Probation" by Josh Shepherd, Religion Unplugged, 2023 April 24
In March 2022, Discovery Channel premiered a documentary about Hillsong's multiple scandals on their streaming service Discovery+ called "Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed".‘Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed’ Docuseries to Air New Fourth Episode on TLC, Reveals First Look (EXCLUSIVE) by Kate Aurthur, Variety, 2022 December 5
In March 2023, independent Australian MP accused Hillsong of money laundering and tax evasion, claiming that leaked documents from the mega-church showed that Hillsong earned $80 million more than what it had publicly declared (a charge that Hillsong denied)."Hillsong accused of money laundering and tax evasion by Australian MP under parliamentary privilege" by Josh Butler, Guardian, 2023 March 9 According to Wilkie, these leaked documents showed that members of the Houston family spent $150,000 of church money on a luxury retreat in Cancun Mexico; used "private jets like Ubers", with nearly $180,000 in trips racked up in a three month period; and spent lavishly on luxury watches, designer clothes, and other luxury goods, of the "kind of shopping that would embarrass a " These leaked documents reportedly came as part of a court-ordered mediation in a federal case brought by an ex-Hillsong employee who claimed that she was suspended from her job for providing information about Hillsong's finances to the Australia's federal regulator for non-profits, charities, and churches."Hillsong Says It Is Moving Forward" by John Sandeman, Christianity Today, 2023 March 22
In April 2023, the Australian news channel released their own investigative documentary on Hillsong."Hillsong Church Global Investigation", 7NEWS Spotlight Full Documentary, Youtube, 2023 April 27 The documentary revealed more evidence of sex abuse cover-up at Hillsong and new details of pedophilia by Frank Houston and others at the church. For instance, a young woman interviewed in the documentary alleged that a male Hillsong youth leader asked her for nude pictures of her when she was 13."New Hillsong Exposé Reveals More Alleged Sex Abuse Cover-Up & Shameless Spending" by Josh Shepherd, Religion Unplugged, 2023 May 3
In May 2023, the streaming service debuted a four-part documentary called The Secrets of Hillsong. The documentary revealed that Carl Lentz had engaged in more than one extramarital affair, and was addicted to Adderall while working at Hillsong. In addition to the additional details regarding the Lentz scandal (as well as the multiple scandals of the Houston family), the documentary also addressed a long list of allegations of misconduct against the church, including congregants that faced alleged racial and LGBTQ+ discrimination. One Black woman reported that when she raised the issue of diversity to the church of Hillsong Kansas City, she was forcibly removed from the church by local police. A choir director at Hillsong NYC, Josh Canfield, who was homosexual, reported that he was allegedly fired from Hillsong after he appeared on an episode of with his partner and announced on the show that he was a "gay Christian". The documentary also alleged that Hillsong mismanaged church funds to purchase superfluous luxury items like private jets and luxury watches."The True Story Behind the FX Documentary Series The Secrets of Hillsong" by Mariah Espada, Time, 2023 May 19"‘The Secrets of Hillsong’: Carl Lentz Admits to More Affairs, Culture of Abuse at Megachurch Exposed" by Kelli Boyle, TV Insider, 2023 May 20
==Prosperity theology==
Like all prosperity gospel churches, the leaders of Hillsong live incredibly lavish lifestyles and see this as a sign of God's blessing. The core lie of their ministry is this idea that if you give your money to the church, then God will reward this act of faith, by giving a bigger amount right back to you. If this doesn't happen and no money is magically returned to you, then it's your fault for not having enough faith. Fleecing vulnerable people like this has made the Hillsong corporation extremely wealthy, to the tune of around $80 million in Australia and around $100 million internationally in 2015. Of course, once these desperate parishioners have nothing financial left to give, they are labelled the spawn of Satan and kicked out of the church.
Hillsong has long been accused of being more interested in wealth, materialism, and celebrity than traditional Christian theology normally allows for. Congregants at Lentz's congregation, for instance, described there being a distinct caste system at that church that directly corresponded to appearance, wealth, and fame. Lentz's congregation even had a special seating section up front for V.I.P.s, reserved for high-profile entertainers or sports stars.Ruth Graham. The Rise and Fall of Carl Lentz, the Celebrity Pastor of Hillsong Church. New York Times, 5 December 2020. 
Although Brian Houston denies being a prosperity theology preacher,Timothy Yap. Hillsong's Brian Houston Rejects Being a Prosperity Gospel Preacher. Jubileecast, 30 April 2018. it's kind of hard to to take his denial seriously when he has penned a book titled You Need More Money: Discovering God’s Amazing Financial Plan for Your Life.Anthony Sharwood. Hillsong Church is a haven of a thing called prosperity theology. But does God really want you to be rich?. News.com.au, 10 October 2014.
==Volunteer abuse==
In several reports, former Hillsong volunteers described a grueling volunteer culture, where working 12 or more hours a day was commonplace. Reportedly church leaders treated volunteers more like low-status workers who were there less to serve the community and more to serve the preachers' lavish lifestyles (the funding of which was being obtained by church member tithes, of course).Leonardo Blair. Hillsong pastors splurged tithes on luxury lifestyles, former members say. Christian Post, 27 January 2021. When Lentz was fired from Hillsong NYC, some of the accusations that emerged went even further, with claims that Hillsong's practices were bad enough to warrant a charge of "industrial slave labor" as defined by the Parliament of Australia. One person even called Hillsong a "cult".Hannah Frishberg. ‘It’s a cult’: Ex-Hillsong members claim church demanded ‘slave labor’. New York Post, 23 December 2020. Some allegations also emerged that Hillsong NYC staff engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior.Dan Adler. Hillsong Church Faces New Allegations of Abusive Behavior. Vanity Fair, 23 December 2020.
An example of this "volunteer" system was "nannying". In this system, young female volunteers were live-in or on-call nannies for pastors' families. Nannies obtained miserable compensation (at most $200 per week according to one claim, far below minimum wage), and conditions for workers were miserable, with nannies frequently working 14-hour days."Hillsong and the life of Brian" by Elle Hardy, The Monthly, February 2023
Former church member turned atheist, details the toxic culture at Hillsong in her critically acclaimed 2007 book People in Glass Houses.
==Hillsong music==
One of the biggest aspects of Hillsong (in the megachurch world, at least) is Hillsong's music division. By recruiting experienced personnel from the rock and roll industry, hiring excellent up-and-coming talent, setting up lavish stadium-oriented pop-style concert settings, and keeping up with the latest pop trends, Hillsong Music bucked the general lousy reputation of Christian rock and made slick (if very formulaic) worship pop. The result has been a massive success. As of February 2020, Hillsong had sold over 55 million albums since 1992 (including 15 Billboard #1 Christian Albums) and had 1.1 billion on demand streams in a year according to Jessy Edwards. Inside Hillsong Church's Hit-Making Music Machine. Rolling Stone Australia, 6 February 2020.Kelsey McKinney. How Hillsong Church conquered the music industry in God’s name. Fader, 11 October 2018.
Naturally, given Hillsong's prosperity gospel roots, their management makes sure to shaft everyone involved who is not at the top. Hillsong's massive revenues from their music are, of course, not taxed due to their church status. More controversially, Hillsong has also often listed the church as the performers of the work, not the actual performers themselves, thereby siphoning any performance royalties to the church's coffers. This is a unique arrangement even in the world of Christian music.
Some preachers are concerned that endorsing Hillsong's music will also implicitly endorse Hillsong's prosperity-gospel beliefs, prosperity gospel being an ideology that is very controversial even among evangelicals.Billy Graham. Does God want everyone to be rich?. BillyGraham.org, 21 September 2016.
Underscoring the problematic connection of Hillsong to money and celebrity, in October 2021, Hillsong announced that their February 2022 "Hillsong United and tour" would have "VIP experiences" with celebrity meet-and-greets and an on-stage catwalk photo shoot.Tom Read. Hillsong’s VIP experience shows worship music has a celebrity problem. Premier Christianity, 19 October 2021. After a public outcry over this blatant commercialism and glitz that seemed jarringly out of place for a Christian event, Hillsong quickly eliminated the VIP option a few days later.Nicole Alcindor. ‘Tomlin United Tour’ removes VIP option amid backlash over ‘celebrity-style commercialized worship’. Christian Post, 25 October 2021
==Bigotry and pseudoscience==
Hillsong is, at its core, anti-abortionMichael Paulson. Megachurch With a Beat Lures a Young Flock. New York Times, 9 September 2014. and generally homophobic. Organizations and individuals connected with Hillsong in the past have supported the discredited practice of gay conversion therapy and performing exorcisms on gay and lesbian people (though the church has distanced itself from some of this recently).Ruth Pollard. They sought help, but got exorcism and the Bible. Sydney Morning Herald, 17 March 2008.
Regarding creationism, in a 2005 interview, Brian Houston professed a "belief in creation". However! he left enough wiggle room on the fine details in his statement to cause Ken Ham to declare in a 2010 Answers in Genesis blog post that "church leaders" like Houston, with his not-quite-100%-literal viewpoint, "are succumbing to the pagan religion of the age!".Ken Ham. A Sad Day for the Assemblies of God Denomination. Answers in Genesis, 8 September 2010. Hillsong songwriter in 2018 also caused some controversy (for evangelicals, that is) by seemingly endorsing theistic evolution in one of his songs and some of his tweets.Jeannie Law. Hillsong's Joel Houston clarifies views on evolution after 'So Will I' lyrics spark debate. Christian Today, 29 June 2018.
Unlike some megachurches, Hillsong tends to downplay the culture war elements in its historical Pentecostal roots (often tending to be coy on speaking about political issues such as abortion and homosexuality). Instead, glitz and celebrity is emphasized above all.Ben Kesslen. Hillsong: Is this celeb-filled, Instagram-friendly church the new face of evangelicalism?]. NBC News, 14 February 2019. And to Lentz's credit, he strongly endorsed Black Lives Matter in a late September 2016 Facebook post.Lindsey Bever. Why this white pastor is not saying 'all lives matter'. Washington Post, 6 October 2016.
==See also==
*Pentecostalism
*Megachurch
==External links==
*Hillsong website
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Australia
Category:Christianity
Category:Christian denominations
Category:Cults
Category:Fundamentalists
Category:Homophobia
Category:Prosperity gospel