Hillsong, the immensely powerful network of Christian megachurches, is in the midst of a new crisis. Readers who want to know the details of the latest reported scandals can read a huge amount of material on the internet. A new television documentary on Hillsong is currently being released and this will contain revelations of various kinds, with much of the speculation focussed on the leader and founder, Brian Houston. Among other things, he has been reportedly found to have been with a woman in a hotel bedroom who was not his wife. Houston has recently been required, not only to step back from his responsibilities, but to step down as leader. His position as the founder/leader of Hillsong seems to have been made impossible. For many people there is little surprise in discovering that Christian leaders are involved in sexual scandal and I do not intend to focus on any of the detail of the reported misbehaviour. Rather, what I want to do is to reflect on the wider issue of scandal in the Church and how it can damage the institution in ways that are not always obvious at the time.
When sexual scandals break in the Church, the first thing often to be mentioned is the fact of hypocrisy. The standards of Christian morality are undermined when Christians, especially their leaders, engage in sexual behaviour which, while it may not break the law, certainly offends the ten commandments and/the New Testament injunctions to love our neighbour. Some sexual behaviour is contested as to whether it is indeed immoral. The churches are still debating whether same sex behaviour is ever justified or whether it can be regarded as a moral form of sexual self-expression. I have to confess to a certain weariness with the arguments on same-sex behaviour. These have been rehearsed over and over again throughout my adult life. The area of behaviour which is regarded as invariably ‘sinful’ is that behaviour which involves betrayal and deceit. But it still needs to be repeated that sin, as understood by Christians, is so much larger a topic than sexual misdemeanours.
In order to escape from the popular but misleading view that Christians are only concerned with sex when they speak about sin, we need to consider what are the worst failings among Christians that we can imagine. Betrayal and harm of another person in the pursuit of personal gratification comes fairly high on the list of sinful actions. There is one word in English that sums up what we need to be or to have to be less likely to engage in this kind of behaviour – the word is integrity. Integrity is one of those words that defies easy definitions but is suggestive of character, honesty and reliability. The absence of integrity suggests many things including the potential for selfish and abusive behaviour. A person without integrity seems to lack a core or a solid centre. The interesting thing about integrity is that one can claim to be a man or woman of integrity without pretending to be perfect or sinless. A person with integrity may still break commandments but we have the realistic expectation that they will have enough self-awareness to pick themselves up again. They will know when they have fallen short in some way. If they are Christians they will often submit to a mentor or spiritual director figure who can gently put them back on the right track when they stray.
Integrity is not just a feature of individuals; it also is a description which can be applied to institutions. Institutions fail the integrity test when their members are found to be turning their back on the standards that the group is supposed to be upholding. Talk of ‘institutional racism’ is describing an institution failing to preserve integrity at its heart. We look to the police force not only to treat women and people of minority groups with respect and dignity, but to observe all the other values which are implied in the word integrity. While perfection cannot be expected in any institution or individual, even those who have integrity, we do expect things to come out right in the medium term. Institutions which lack integrity are extremely difficult to deal with. Unlike individuals, institutions may have power and wealth in abundance. Such an institution cannot easily be challenged. Money gives access to legal defences and the threat of litigation. All that those of us outside a powerful institution with integrity issues can do, is to challenge it through publicity. Private Eye is the journal that challenges many institutions in British society. Whether it always get things right in its presentations of the facts, I do not know. What I do know is that it is extremely healthy for institutions and individuals to be forcibly tackled for their failures in upholding integrity and standards of morality.
To return to the topic of Hillsong. What struck me as I waded through some of the predictable stories of financial and sexual excess was the sheer seediness of the culture that has grown up around parts of this church. Whether it is the rave character of much of what passes for worship or the stories of credit cards handed out to members of staff with no credit limit, there is a lot that fails the ‘smell test’. Institutional integrity expects there to be in a church, above all, a place which preserves the values of honesty, openness and justice. Any institution will self-destruct or become enfeebled if it does not observe these protocols of integrity. This applies to every institution including the Church. There is no ‘get out of jail’ card available to a church because it claims to have God on its side.
My final remarks (being written on the train to London!) is that reputational damage is a serious problem for all churches today. A failure to control the behaviour of leaders in their hedonistic lifestyles is a problem for some churches. Another problem is the way that leaders, even in the the Church of England, are found to have failed the integrity test in areas which have nothing to do with personal morality. When information is blocked, people are silenced and when lies are told by senior figures in the church in the cause of maintaining reputation and power, then we still have a problem every bit as damaging and corrosive to a church as what is now being revealed about Hillsong. These failures of integrity have to be considered over and above the failures that are apparent in individual bullying and abuses of power. The question that remains for all of us to ask is whether our church is an institution which still has integrity. The answer is unlikely to be a simple yes/no one. The fact that it even needs to be asked is an uncomfortable reality. I leave it to my readers to answer the question for themselves. I hope that for your spiritual and mental health that you have found places and people with the integrity to allow you to follow the Christian journey safely and well.
Not to minimise betrayals of any sort, but I experience a weariness when it’s always sex and money! Why is the Church so unconcerned about bullying? Rhetorical question.
EnglishAthena, when I was being supported by an independent organisation after what happened to me, I once asked my advisor if she could give me a broad overview of her caseload (she specialised in abuse in church settings). She said that the sexual cases she handled tended to be historic, though she noted that for many reasons, these incidents are often reported retrospectively. Her contemporary cases tended to be bullying or financial abuse.
Sadly, the constant revelations about abuse, hypocrisy and lack of integrity tarnish all churches in the public’s eye, not only those whose faults have been brought to light.
Has anyone reading this been part of Hillsong? It would be great to hear your thoughts.
I was drawn to the music they produce in some volume (both sonically and numerically). Scripted I know, but it had a compelling vibrancy and carried a sense that God was present in its auditoria. If only I could somehow replicate that sense as l lead others in worship.
On the other hand, tales of leaders’ Ferraris and pressure to give money (presumably to fund said vehicles) were legion, and I never dared step over the threshold of an actual Hillsong venue.
It’s a strong brand of course, or was. I don’t think I’m being disparaging in referring to it in this way, as I heard one of the exiting American leaders using the term himself. Brand is meant to convey quality and consistency, for example. I like power tools and buy on brand, because there’s such choice that it’s hard to be sure what you’re getting otherwise. However, the moment I discover a duff tool, the brand diminishes enormously, and I start looking elsewhere. I don’t want to, however because it takes a lot of effort and brings uncertainty, not least the previous assurance I’d been carrying about the ones I already use. Will they break or let me down?
The Hillsong brand was creaking and is now cracked. I never personally completely bought it, as mentioned above, but there are other brands I did, in church terms, for example “New Wine”, C of E, HTB etc
Of concern to me in particular is how we apprentice young people in these places without a big “earth cable” plugged into the ground to keep them from getting carried away and then destroyed when it all goes pear shaped, as it often seems to do.
On the topic of the music, you are right. The quality of their late 1990s output has rarely been bettered.
‘The current upheaval at the church “is a very big deal and will have ramifications not just for Hillsong, but for contemporary evangelism [sic] around the world.’
Useful summary in the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/us/hillsong-church-scandals.html?smid=url-share
The current edition of Private Eye highlights yet another example of lack of integrity in the Church of England. Its Pensions Board has written to retired clergy renting church properties, telling them not to offer to take in refugees until it has sought advice whether this will be ‘possible’. It will take the Pensions Board ‘a few weeks’ to go through the process.
The Church claims to be in the business of promoting the teachings of Jesus; and Jesus taught that one of the criteria at the final judgement will be, ‘I was a stranger and you took me in.’
Janet I’m not surprised the Pensions Board is unnecessarily drawing out the process. Some years ago I tried to help someone to donate a retirement bungalow to the Pensions Board. Several months later and innumerable obstacles, the donor gave up. Another institution accepted the property on the day it was offered.
I watched both the bbc doc last year on hillsong God goes viral and the very recent 3 part documentary on Hillsong – a megachurch exposed, which is excellent. Interestingly, several of the researchers refuse to call Hillsong a church, instead referring to it as an Empire, a corporation etc. The doc exposes the following criminal behaviours :
– the predatory paedophile behaviours of the founder Frank Houston (there are at least 8 adults reporting historic child sex abuse)
– the deliberate cover up, failure to inform and cooperate with police on this (Brian Houston awaits sentencing for this)
Other very serious issues include: a widespread abuse of power and control including
– a horrendously misogynistic control over women and women’s sexuality
– the abuse of volunteers in terms of the amount of time they are pressured to give for free
– financial abuse in terms of a pressure on people to give more money than they can afford (Ukrainian church leaders in the doc talk of being bullied to give way outside what their context can afford to a ‘senior global pastors fund’)
– the abuse of money given by the leaders who spend lavishly on designer goods cars jets lifestyles- this prosperity-gospel is a false gospel, and leaders like lentz and Houston have abused and misused people’s tithes
– the failure to include lgbtq ppl is mentioned in the doc but not examined
– the deliberate courting of fame, celebrity and power, and then the creation of a two tier status of church attendees
– emotional manipulation going on in terms of very emotive music and language ‘weaponised’ to the ends of the leaders whether that be in exploiting people for free labour, money, or sex
Its pretty damning and its really worth us thinking about what makes a healthy church? Because some of the issues I listed above are also endemic to conservative evangelicalism, including those con evo churches in the c of e.
What is being exposed does not reflect gospel values to look after the poor and walk humbly and to try to be in genuine community with one another.
I think it’s a good thing that this empire, this domination system is crumbling. But then I guess I would think that, as conservative evangelical churches have always been an unsafe space for me.
My own journey is at the stage of EXVIE / exvangelical but still Christian. I also won’t set foot in Anglican churches where I live following the homophobia, abuse of power and lies I have experienced therein.
Maybe some new renewal will come from the rubble, from the earth beneath our feet, like the spreading of a mustard seed. From the grassroots up, from the soils we inhabit rather than the imposition of a giant mega church or church plant
That’s my prayer x
It can be instructive to glance at some of the information available on the Charities Commission website:
https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/-/charity-details/4019447/financial-history
The financial profile for Hillsong U.K. shows a rollercoaster ride up to £21m income 2019 dropping by a third to £14m 2020. Of course much of the decline would be covid, but the 2021 figures available by September will be interesting.
Readers focussed on the Anglican Church maybe unaware of the scale of other churches. Of course these figures only show the U.K. position.
Good to hear from you #churchtoo, and I can appreciate your designation “exvangelical”!
I’m not sure my link worked above. The charities number for Hillsong is 1120355. If you search the Commission website for this you should find them.
Sorry to go off topic but I have just returned from what I thought was a communion service. The service began as usual than morphed into the annual vestry meeting and votes were taken. The service than carried on as usual until after the gospel reading. Instead of the sermon the Rector than embarked on the APCM with the communion cup on the altar. I left at this point but assume that when the APCM had finished the Rector intended to return to the service and either give his sermon or go straight on to communion. Had anyone else ever gone to a communion service to find it was twice interrupted by annual meetings? Can Anglican communion services be disrupted like this?
The canons I’ve been able to find in a hurry say a service shall “glorify God and edify the people”. And elsewhere, “All variations ….. shall be reverent and seemly”! That would make me very cross, and I might consider writing to the Bishop!
Thank you Athena. I can’t believe that twice interrupting a communion service to hold a meeting is normal. It was very annoying to those who just wanted to come for the service. I also noticed that the atmosphere of worship made it very difficult to bring up matters and if you did or there were any discussion or debate as could reasonably be expected to take place you would essentially be holding up Sunday worship. But you have to see this man to believe it. First he introduced a procession at the start of the service, then his usual verbal dhirehia kicked in, to which he managed to add his customary irreligious remark, then whilst the bible was paraded and the gospel read he was crossing the chancel and seemed to be counting the parishioners ( we can’t think why he otherwise he repeatedly crosses the chance and manoeuvres himself to see every parishioner during the Bible reading) whilst we turn towards the Bible. It is such a curious mix of Anglo Catholic and high comedy with the odd irreligious remark thrown in that it comes across as a satire in the worst possible taste. Still, if he doesn’t bellow at parishioners berating some elderly parishioner as he has twice previously we feel we have a lucky escape. You simply could not make it up.
Thanks Steve! I didn’t coin #exvangelical, it’s quite a movement in the States.
I also like Hillsong music, and I am now in a bit of a dilemma about listening to it. There is no doubt that they have produced some of the best worship music of the past 25 years. Can we still listen to it, knowing the context that its come out of?
In particular there is a song ‘who you say I am’ about being a child of God which I love. Like many lgbt Christians , for me it’s a reclaimed song, no doubt hillsong did not intent for lgbtq Christians to read it in this way but nonetheless I love it!
I value diversity in music and musicians. It saddens me that some of our greatest artists have been sidelined, for example Vicky Beeching, when they no longer fit the mould. Their music is just as good now, but gets hypocritically vetoed.
Bigger churches have bigger budgets, which sometimes means musicians actually get paid, which is helpful if you’re trying to live by your gifting. Their output remains at the mercy of the money men and people who are tone deaf. I guess it will always be like this.
As musicians our egos sometimes get the better of us that’s true, but it doesn’t justify discrimination of any kind nor the man-handling of creativity in the process of building the corporate empires we keep hearing about.
I suspect all music begins to die when it gets commoditised, but I don’t so why it can’t be resurrected from time to time!