![]() ![]() Irrespective of the circumstances around this, we can all agree that Brian and Bobbie have served God faithfully over many decades and that their ministry has resulted in millions of people across the world being impacted by the power, grace, and love of Jesus Christ.” The daily deluge of disturbing information about Hillsong Church, from Brian Houston’s resignation to the parade of pastors leaving Hillsong churches in America, means that the church’s brand is sustaining serious damage.“We understand there will be much emotion at this news, and we all share these feelings. It may be meant to signal that the church did its due diligence and investigated claims of misconduct if lawsuits seeking money claims are made against it. The 51-page report that The Christian Post says the law firm, Zukerman Gore Brandeis and Crossman LLP, produced after its internal investigation may be motivated by more than simply chronicling the alleged misdeeds of the church. A corporation with a lucrative music production arm and brand ambassadors such as Lentz who were recruited to sell a certain type of Christian lifestyle to potential young adult members. Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse says in a 2015 report that when the allegations of Frank Houston's past abuse was made known to Brian Houston, then the national president of the Assemblies of God in Australia, Brian Houston " confronted his father, who confessed to the abuse."įocusing on the sexual abuses and other infidelities is important, but what is also important is that Hillsong isn’t just a church. As chronicled in “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed,” a series on Discovery Plus, Brian Houston, who founded Hillsong in Australia, was charged there with not telling officials that his late father, Frank Houston, also a pastor, had sexually abused a boy in the 1970s. What is different about Hillsong, however, is the foundation of the church. After all, there have been countless tales of sexual abuse, pedophilia and other abuses in Protestant and Roman Catholic churches and in religious groups across the world. Hillsong’s problems with reports of abuse - sexual and otherwise - are not unique. How did the church that once attracted stars such as Justin Bieber and Kyrie Irving (who's since converted to Islam) fail to keep its hip, holy image? Given the daily stream of new accusations regarding moral lapses and deceit, including mismanagement and sexual abuses, Hillsong makes " Righteous Gemstones," HBO's spoof of televangelism, look tame in comparison. In 2020, when Business Insider reported that multiple people had accused Kimes of racism, he responded, "Our Hillsong Boston team has taken some intentional steps to improve racial diversity and equity at Hillsong Boston since we launched and we’re committed to make further strides as we continue to listen and learn.” The Christian Post said the internal report shows that Kimes admitted to sending a racist text when asked about allegations against him of racism. ![]() ![]() On Tuesday, The Christian Post reported that in a deposition conducted by the law firm leading the investigative report, Josh Kimes admitted to having once sent a racist text to church colleagues, for which he later apologized. The couple explained that they're " ready for a fresh start.” Their departure is part of a string of resignations of Hillsong leadership across America as the church’s scandal sheet appears to grow longer by the day. Just this week, Leona Kimes, who said she was " subjected to manipulation, control, bullying, abuse of power, and sexual abuse" when she worked as a nanny for the lead pastors at Hillsong NYC resigned from Hillsong Church Boston where she served as a co-pastor with her husband, Josh, who also resigned. ![]()
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