In a couple of weeks many young people in my church and other church-goers will be making their annual pilgrimage to Sydney, NSW for the Hillsong Conference. Over the past three years, this white man has accompanied the masses to 'megachurch Mecca' and, if really honest, gained a lot from the conference experience. So coming up to this time of year, I have had many youth presume that I'm again going to be a guest of the Houstons in the first week of July. And they have appeared slightly bemused when told that this year I'm not going. I have explained to many that I need to be around this year for planning purposes re. our own church's National Youth Conference at the end of this year. True in some part but not entirely. So I want to explain the real reasons I'm not going to Hillsong Conference this year...or to any Hillsong Conferences in the foreseeable future for that matter!First, this year the headlining keynote speaker at Hillsong Conference is Joel Osteen. For those unaware, Osteen is the pastor of America's largest church, Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. He is also one of the most outspoken apologists of the "prosperity gospel". In essence, this man holds the belief that the strength and sincerity of your Christian faith is inextricably linked to the state of your assets and income. In other words, the stronger in faith, the richer in wealth. It is the view that God's grace isn't just a reflection of your forgiveness, salvation and righteousness, but is tangibly linked with his blessing on your life in terms of your material prosperity. There is no other warped twisting of God's Word and Being that infuriates this white man more than prosperity gospel thinking. I've never once heard of any legitimately struggling, materially poor person of God spruiking prosperity gospel nonsense. I guess it really must only be the wealthy Kingdom-dwellers who are most blessed - Jesus must have 'unintentionally' left that one off His Beatitudes list! So with Joel Osteen headlining Hillsong Conference this year there is no chance I'd be supporting him or his ministry team in any way, shape or form.
Secondly, I have had a gutful of Hillsong Church themselves and their adherence to all things prosperity gospel. As a church they boast an annual income in excess of 50 million per annum. And I acknowledge that it is their money - what they choose to do with it is up to the church leadership in accordance with the agreeance of those members who make their own choice to give their titles and offerings into Hillsong. I guess I have just come to realise that they really don't need my paltry once-a-year offering of my time and money into their conference coffers and, more the point, I don't need to offer it. Actually, to be more precise, I don't want to offer it! I know Hillsong have more than enough people in their fields 'sowing seed into their harvest'. My seed would be better sown elsewhere. If there is a more materially-driven body of Christ in this nation than Hillsong Church then I'd like to know about them! They are as much prosperity gospelists as Osteen and Lakewood Church - perhaps just not as prosperous?! Yet!
Lastly, last year Hillsong Conference finished on the usual high it does on a Friday night with a praise & worship celebration night. The highlight of which was the appearance of one Michael Guglielmucci who, complete with oxygen mask etc... performed his renowned worship song "Healer". Following this, with 20 000 other attendees mostly in tears, including myself (unashamed to admit that given I cry once-a-week on cue when watching Find My Family!) watching on, Guglielmucci was prayed over by some of the most famous Christian speakers today. Of course this all happened before the sensational revelation that the whole Guglielmucci terminal cancer story was simply an elaborate, if not confusing hoax to deflect attention away from his real confessed condition of having a pornography addiction. Anyway, as far as I'm concerned there are two issues that I still cannot reconcile regarding the whole Guglielmucci scandal - if Hillsong church and their leadership are meant to be the 'spiritual giants' and 'front-runners' of this nations collective local Church with supposedly the most spiritually-intune Christians in their fold then why did not any of them discern or detect some issue with Mike Guglielmucci's situation? Was the devil just way too sneaky when it came to Mike and his 'cancer'? And secondly, I have seen few, if any sincere attempts by Hillsong to maturely and positively deal with the scandal from their end. Yet all it seemed they were interested in was pulling their CD's with his songs on them off the shelves so as not to tarnish their precious name. Constant trawling and copyright restraining of Youtube downloads of the song "Healer" also make Hillsong look bullyish and petulant. What I have still to reconcile in myself is that I was present, I was witness to and I was spiritually moved by what ended up being one of the greatest church shams this nation has ever seen in recent times. And for that, at this time at least, I am unwilling to return to the venue where I was duped and played for a fool.
So this white man isn't attending Hillsong Conference this year. By no means is this a protest against Hillsong and my views must not be taken as authoritative and even definitively correct. They are just my views - nothing more, nothing less, take them as you please. And as I said before, I won't be returning in the foreseeable future. I never say never because who knows; maybe one day Hillsong church might begin to see past the collection plate and return to what I believe is a truer essence of Christian living - something like what Micah spoke of in 6:8 - that is living out justice to the poor, loving mercy and walking with God in humility. So there it is...bye-bye Brian and Bobby...have a 'richly' blessed conference!
4 comments:
I don't recall hearing Jesus promise worldly riches if you follow Him - not in my Bible. However, He has always provided me with what I need - in conjunction with me working and playing my part - and I am richly blessed!
Another thought! In the church we talk about 'sacrifical giving'. Do these Christians who appear to have plenty of money, posh cars, houses, etc., give sacrifically? I know many of them earn good money because of their abilities but does that mean they have to have 'outward show' to go with it? A lot of pride comes into it I think! Good discussion point!
Amen Brother amen
At Hillsong, faith blessing is purchased with money – no coins, only “the folding”, and credit cards.
This is a contradiction of the Bible and a manipulation of people to cause tremendous harm.
In addition to the “faith money” there is all the merchandise – clothing, CD’s, DVD’s, books, seminars, etc. as well as income from all entities that Hillsong controls. These are tax free where registered under “not for profit” status.
The large Hillsong churches may be nothing more than entertainment factories that promote hedonistic materialism to seduce Christians from what they should be doing and living.
1 Corinthians 10:7 …. do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
Luke 4:5-7 shows the Devil offering Jesus Christ worldly kingdoms and their trappings in exchange for worship.
Hillsong must be partnering with the Devil through their love of money and the building of worldly kingdoms.
Jesus Christ kicked the money enterprises out of the temple: “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” (John 2:16 NKJV)
Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (NIV)
Christians should discern and reject fraudulent church ministries:
2 Cor 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
1 Tim 6:11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
Rev 22:14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
People who willingly participate in corruptions of Christianity like Hillsong are “loving and practicing falsehood”:
Rev 22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Hillsong is a deception the Bible has warned about:
2 Tim 3:2-4 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--
2 Tim 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
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