More Scandals at Hillsong

I’ve always had some sympathy for Hillsong Church in Australia. They get a lot of unfair criticism in the media and they are the subject of several weird conspiracy theories about how Hillsong is secretly running the Australian Government. But the scandals keep coming and the latest ones are bad.

First, you’ve got the sad story of Carl Lentz, the senior pastor of Hillsong New York who was caught out having an extra-marital affair and had an unhealthy celebrity culture around him.

Second, Hillsong senior pastor Brian Houston has had a string of problems. Houston has acknowledged that his father Frank Houston confessed to abusing a boy in New Zealand in the 1970s. Houston reported his father to church authorities, had him disqualified from ministry, and has spoken openly about the event. But Brian Houston is now facing court proceedings for allegations that he attempted to conceal the crime by not reporting it to the authorities.

Third, more recent accusations have aired that Brian Houston engaged inappropriate texting of a colleague and several other instances of inappropriate behaviour which were often explained due to his dependence upon anti-anxiety medication and alcohol. The global board of Hillsong has written an open letter to congregations about these accusations which makes for an interesting read.

I do not relish Brian Houston’s now imminent demise. But I have to point out that no anti-anxiety medication lists sexual harassment as a possible side effect.

Hillsong needs to conduct an open and transparent investigation of all allegations, review its accountability structures for leaders, and do a thorough audit of its strategies for the training and supervision of leaders.

Hillsong has had meteoric success, I know many fine people in the Hillsong movement all over the world, I’ve seen some good things from them. But some things should never ever be tolerated. So I wish the Hillsong leaders the gift of discernment to figure out how best to serve their churches, to discipline those who deserve it, to bring healing to those hurt by deplorably behaviour, and to ensure that their leaders are not only gifted but godly!