Hillsong: Effigy or Elegy?
Should we enjoy the cringe or hope for contrition from Hillsong?
My wife and I have been watching an SBS documentary about Hillsong called The Kingdom, which charts the rise and fall of Hillsong. To be honest, Hillsong’s actions and culture make one cringe to the max. The documentary shows the pitfalls of celebrity church culture in a big way. Carl Lentz and Brian Houston in particular do not come off well!
But this is one of many docu-disasters about Hillsong. There is The Secrets of Hillsong and the follow-up podcast Hillsong: A Megachurch Shattered. In addition, a leading Aussie newspaper, the Herald Sun, launched its investigative podcast about Hillsong called Faith on Trial. Recently, David Hardaker published his book called Mine is the Kingdom: The rise and fall of Brian Houston and the Hillsong Church.
I’m wondering though, does Hillsong’s massive mistakes need a perpetual effigy, a repeated and public burning at the stake until the media tires of the topic? The burning effigy is a good warning to leaders and the laity about the seduction of success and a morality tale about becoming a religious multi-national corporation. Such public disgrace is especially deserved when there is abuse, adultery, and a multitude of other sins and failures.
But after the effigy, one needs an elegy, a lament, a mourning for what happened and calls for repentance and transformation. Given the lack of news about Hillsong since Brian Houston was ousted in 2022, I like to think that Hillsong has turned a corner. Although I’ll leave it to people in close contact with the church to offer a definitive verdict on whether the culture has changed for the better.
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