Reading this makes we want to throw things 🤬 the misogyny and hypocrisy in this is fucking overt, yet people swallow it hook, line and sinker as if it makes sense. “Women, be ultra desirable in every facet of your physical being including your mouth but also remember that if a man looks at you funny or touches you inappropriately that that will be your fault for being too desirable” 🤬🤬
And Men, while being more powerful and logical, should be obeyed by their wives. They’re also weak and cannot control themselves so you mustn’t tempt them. These ideas do such a massive disservice to both sexes! The level of cognitive dissonance in all of this is a joke.
If you go to Instagram - you can see his daughter @lauratoggs has made a post about this. No mention of the victims - just a giant "poor me and my poor family". And then under that post, 800 comments telling her she's amazing for speaking her truth. Many are other pastors, and some have millions of followers themselves. It's a cult.
I just took a look and I think I found the right post, especially considering it says “If we can be constantly humiliated publicly, then I am tempted to express my crushing pain publicly.” If this doesn’t scream persecution complex then I don’t know what does. 🙃
Also the level of pro-choice rhetoric in this Instagram post is ironic given how majority of evangelical Christians claim to be pro-life…It’s interesting how the word ‘choice’ can be so convenient at times in some circles.
Anti anxiety and sleeping pills usually just make me not anxious and super tired not arrogant and horny but ok Brian 😔✌🏻 in all seriousness the link between religion and sex is so damaging, the effects on mental health are terrifying never mind the physical assaults, have you heard of the case of the Kerry Babies? A horrible insight into how religion influences sex which influences how we view morality and it only happened in 1984
This is a topic that definitely needs to be discussed more often and more publicly. It’s one which I’ve been grappling a lot with the last few years, especially as someone raised during the tail end of the purity movement that started in the 1990s. I feel like people who weren’t raised super religious can’t fully grasp the harmful influence it has caused in the realm of sexuality.
Thank you lovely David - once again. Like many others here, I grew up in evangelical churches (and purity-fucking-culture) and have been trying to untangle all the wacky shit I was taught to believe for nearly 30 years now. I’m so grateful you write about it so often as it really helps me feel seen. Trying to explain it to someone who doesn’t know the fear we were taught feels almost impossible especially when these churches positions themselves as a “moral good” in society. As I read today’s column, the thing that got me is the lying and blame-shifting. They do so much lying - even in their “transparency”. Bobby’s words are especially offensive. I remember as a pre-teen being told I needed to manage how men saw me so that my body didn’t cause them to feel lust. I was made responsible for their thoughts at 12 years old. Makes me absolutely fucking furious. Again thanks for all you do x
Horrible teachings. And they stick deep in your lizard brain, too. It feels somewhat cathartic to see a leader like Brian, well, *fall*. I just think good riddance to such bad rubbish. I hope the church he started goes with him, one day.
That's awful Felicia, kids should not have to manage themselves to support an adult's (basic) decent behaviour - the suggestion that our bodies are the problem is just so fucking painful.
Bobby's stuff is truly disgusting, don't even know where to start 😡😭
I'm not sure about sleeping pills and anti-anxiety meds but as counselor said to me once about alcohol, it doesn't make you a different person, it just lowers your inhibitions. BTW this wasn't in relation to my behaviour but a boss who sexually harassed me and many others and then tried to blame alcohol
I’m sorry that happened to you. You are right on the money. Most people who drink and/or take drugs (prescribed or not) do not sexually assault people. Blaming substances is absolute BS
Sorry that happened. And I reckon that counselor is bang on. Brian seems incapable of taking responsibility - as is his church. I could not imagine a more pathetic press release. In saying that - it's Hillsong. They are pathetic grifters.
Just a moment of weakness and a relapse. Just those two times in 10 years, nothing more, no pattern here. Could happen to anyone (who's white, male, and rich). The good news is, Brian has prayed on it, apologised to god (but literally no one else) for his fuckery. And GOOD NEWS, god said it was all OK! In the end that's enough for Brian. He just asks that you all give generously to help dear humble leader through this time of heathen persecution.
In my circle of women friends we'd make short work of Brian - we've had a life time of this type of misogynistic and entitled behaviour; he might still need his anti-anxiety medicine though. Just saying...
Mental illness and medication can provide context, but should never be used as an excuse. Its offensive to every wonderful person living their life while experiencing anxiety or taking prescription medication, and NOT sexually harassing people, to have awful behaviour "excused" for these reasons.
I really appreciate you pursuing this david even though they are rich and awful
Thanks Beck, and you are bang on. Their treatment of this in the church on medication is a whole other story for another day. Also it's always so nice when you post here - you were one of the originals here! Thanks for hanging out!
Oh my gosh, of course! This has been one of my favourite places the last couple of years and I am so grateful for you and the amazing community you have built here. Such a regular source of hope, joy and snort laughs ❤
Creeps and hypocrites like these (Brian AND Bobbie) are why I stay as far away from religion as possible. Blaming alcohol and meds on criminal behavior is a cheap cop-out. I’ve taken anti-anxiety and antidepressants for decades, and it’s saved my life. There’s no self-awareness or accountability in this “church,” and it’s truly frightening.
I hear you. In defence of Christianity as a whole, I think Frank's words in this piece show a much saner, kind version of things! Which is important to remember, as not all Christians are like Brian Houston: https://www.webworm.co/p/squidgameforoursouls?s=w
A little backstory: I’ve had very negative experiences involving Fundamentalist Christians as a child. Because of this, I have deep-seated skepticism of religion. I do know there are good Christians out there - my next door neighbors are rare examples of people who live their Christian values.
Just stomach-churning stuff. It's amazing that such unsaintly people attract any followers given what Christianity's basic values are supposed to be. Honest to, well, God.
I do wonder what church members think when they hear this stuff, as it's just so objectively gross. And this particular type of Christian hates sex stuff.
I will try and answer you David as best I can. Whilst I am not currently a church member, mainly because of stuff like this I am a man of faith and find the true teaching of Jesus to be very grounding and helpful. The problem comes when these teachings became a religion because then it’s in the hands of deeply flawed men,almost always men, which is part of the explanation of the problem right there. You ask what I think, but I’ll answer how I feel. Angry, sad, disillusioned and horrified as to how such powerful and life affirming teachings can be so debased and bastardised by power addicted men. But strangely not shaken in my own faith.
So I keep well away from religion and try to apply teaching such as “do unto others as you’d have them do unto you” in my daily life. Sadly though because I’m a deeply flawed individual I am rarely fully successful in this endeavour. So maybe that’s the real answer we are all deeply flawed. Owning that and recognising that, or as Carl Jung would say truely owning our shadow, would take the emphasis away from bullshit around sleeping pills and allow Brian to say: I am unable to be a respectful and safe man towards woman and because of that I am resigning forthwith.
Nigel your comment reminded me of a short series I watched on sbs Australia a few years ago. It involved putting a group of christians from different churches in a house to live together. They discussed their beliefs and went to each other's churches. There was one guy in the house who refused to pray and didn't attend a church. He was by far in my opinion the most christian of the lot and the least hypocritical.
The most “Christian” Christian’s I know are the ones who I didn’t even know practiced a certain religion until well after I first met them. They just embody and live their values. None of them attend church.
Thanks, Brian. You still have a functioning, critical brain - and it's wonderful. I guess to be more specific I wonder what members of *Hillsong* will think. Going along to their Hillsong church in Australia or America or some other country, with that press release banging around in their head.
I imagine a bit of cognitive dissonance and flat out denial. But it must be a little irritating, surely. Like.... "Are we the bad guys?"
Well, they believe that we are born sinful, and only Jesus can save us, AND the devil is real and he and his evil demons are trying to trick people into sinning and falling from grace. Probably Satan tricked him into taking those pills that made him do bad things. But as long as he surrenders to Jesus and renews his faith in Jesus as his lord and saviour he gets to go to heaven and it's all OK. Also, he was just spending time with her, what's gross about that? Careful David, Satan is probably trying to trick you into having dirty thoughts.
Satan is such a naughty guy! Someone once pointe out that if you count up the death count of God vs Satan, God certainly comes out on top:
"The above graph, comparing God's Bronson-esque kill count in the Old Testament versus the Biblical Personification of Evil, Satan. Please note that God's kill count is 227,037% higher than Satan's."
This whole thing is horrid. I'm conflicted about Hillsong and I don't want to write off the whole thing.
The cover-up, the abuse, the hypocrisy, the greed are all un-Christian. The cover-up and the abuse should be particularly abhorrent to anybody. Like, I hope they are punished as much as possible for it... What an awful explanation.
Mega-churches are mega-problematic and they seem to have always been so. Some might say that the main issues with Christianity began when it became an organized religion under Constantine or whomever that Roman Emperor was.
Where I'm conflicted is that worship music holds a special place in my heart. Hillsong Worship songs are comforting to me, and the words I sing and say in some of those songs are really important to me. And millions of others obviously. I don't want Hillsong worship to be tainted by the actions of their church leaders. They are never represented on screen in any of the videos I watch. But how can it not be tainted?
Worship is a massive part of Christian life. There have been studies done on the reasons for this. The sort of communal peace and connectiveness you get when singing together in big groups, the warm fuzzies you get from being in a crowd all doing the same thing, the ability and skills of musicians to tweak and affect emotions in people just by playing certain chord progressions or notes, the aspirational, hopeful, huge ideas that get sung about... There is a reason that music is such a big thing to so many people, so worship music is a big part of that too.
So... I don't even know what the point of this is. I want to hold onto these songs that mean so much to me. Am I doing that thing where I blindly hold onto something bad just because I like it. Should it be a righteous stand where I ditch Hillsong on principal? There is other worship music. Bethel... lol
There are multiple movements in the colossal Christian movement like "I'm not that kind of Christian" and "That's not my God" where Christians call out that sort of behavior, that sort of messaging from the audiobooks, the greed of mega-churches, covering up crime etc etc etc. That is not what Christ-like Christians are called to be like.
Not to make light of this in any way - in case it comes across like that - but you are almost in the position as a fan of Michael Jackson's music? What to do?
There is no easy answer.
It's tricky too, as in buying this stuff you're giving money to this organisation that does a lot of - frankly - bad stuff. But I am sure they have been positive in some people's lives too - as per MJ.
Tricky. But - you're kicking this stuff around and I think that's a really great thing. You're not ignoring it.
Actually, how about this. The artists are not responsible for the producers. Even though someone like Suge Knight was a horrid producer you can still listen to the music produced under him because he wasn't the artist? Can still like Britney's old music? Is that a better analogy? You can still like movies produced under Weinstein Media?
I found it really easy to drop Chris Brown's music and the teachings of Ravi Zacharias because neither were important to me. MJ example is pretty accurate. I hadn't bothered to follow the story and had previously only thought that it was still muddy whether he'd done it or not. A quick read later, and it's clear he's guilty. So yeah... that sucks.
I've never given Hillsong money apart from what they earn from my spotify or YouTube views.
I appreciate how you feel about the music. One of the people whose music I have found very moving is Brooke Fraser. She seemed a very loving and joyful person, and I've no cause to think otherwise, even though many years have past since I first heard her songs.
And I also take your point about the togetherness - we are, after all, warm-blooded creatures who like being with family - "family" being members of a group - if peace and love are the guiding emotions; I hope you find this in your life outside of Hillsong, should Hillsong bite the dust.
There's no easy answer for the people who have found a lifeline belonging to this "church"; there are probably many people who genuinely practice a Christian life while worshipping in it, but the founding rot in Hillsong can't be ignored.
I'd love to talk to Brooke Fraser or Stan Walker about how they see their place in this church. Both lovely people, both smart. Would love to get their take on this press release, even. Because until well known members like that (I assume they are still members) start speaking up from the inside - zero will change. That church and its music label is a money making juggernaut.
Thanks for sharing this article, David! Once again, I’ve been out of the Webworm loop for a while now but I got back in at just the right time. I had a feeling something like this would unfold given Houston’s shady character and Hillsong as a whole. I’ll definitely be sharing this article with my sister since we’ve both been keeping our eyes on Houston, especially as we’ve been deconstructing our evangelical Christian upbringing.
It is excellent that these people get exposed and named. He wouldnt be the first who is exploiting his position.
I know from a relative a similiar story. And yes how blind the church people can be. Authoritive subservient . Really sad. But then it is their choosing to some degree at least. Or they get lied to in a big way.
I hope that people start thinking for themselves instead of believing what someone else is telling them. And mostly that they trust their own good judgement.
I just added a bit to the top of this newsletter about his daughter. They are all totally blind to the problem. Or in serious denial: https://www.webworm.co/p/brianhouston
I have long thought that the Christian industry at least has always existed for deviant men getting their jollies with children and oppressed women. They are evidently very good at cover ups and spin too! It seems that the provision of imaginary friends to attract the patronage and money of vulnerable people has been a really good business strategy.
There's a reason that the church has largely protected its male leadership. It serves many men in some pretty terrible ways. Not all of them - (gah, you made me say 'not all men!' damnit) but yeah, the structure is a perfect place for a certain kind of guy to operate.
Thank you for staying on this important issue, David, where the real sexual deviants prey. Their 'explanations' are a bloated load of hand-wringing lies.
I went through a phase in college of being part of the Christian Union group (I've, umm, moved on), and we were always singing Hillsong music. In a lot of the churches around the country, Hillsong music is bread and butter for worship.
I am personally a long way from being Christian these days but still have plenty of close friends from those days, and they are good people (just don't bring up the G-word in conversation!). People across a surprisingly wide range of demographics use religion as 'gutter rails' to help them make good choices, and to find personal meaning.
While I don't personally believe the fairytales now, my previous experience makes me genuinely sad to hear stories of evil like this. Increasingly these pricks are tarring all Christians with a pariah brush, and it just drives good people further from the good aspects of religion and into the welcoming arms of these ridiculous capitalism-worshipping-mega-churches where they will always be accepted.
Yeah - Hillsong is bread and butter for worship groups - and also of course such a GIANT piece of bread and butter for Hillsong church! God they make a lot of money from that brand.
I think I am similar to you, btw. Lot of friends in that space, and we just avoid the subject. We both get where we stand.
Haha, yes - sorry, too subtle ;-) ...My point was they make great friends, provided I don't start pondering about (what I consider to be) the less-scientific aspects of their beliefs
Probably a mix up at the factory where they make sleeping tablets and creeping tablets.
Must have been! The only explanation.
Reading this makes we want to throw things 🤬 the misogyny and hypocrisy in this is fucking overt, yet people swallow it hook, line and sinker as if it makes sense. “Women, be ultra desirable in every facet of your physical being including your mouth but also remember that if a man looks at you funny or touches you inappropriately that that will be your fault for being too desirable” 🤬🤬
And Men, while being more powerful and logical, should be obeyed by their wives. They’re also weak and cannot control themselves so you mustn’t tempt them. These ideas do such a massive disservice to both sexes! The level of cognitive dissonance in all of this is a joke.
If you go to Instagram - you can see his daughter @lauratoggs has made a post about this. No mention of the victims - just a giant "poor me and my poor family". And then under that post, 800 comments telling her she's amazing for speaking her truth. Many are other pastors, and some have millions of followers themselves. It's a cult.
I just took a look and I think I found the right post, especially considering it says “If we can be constantly humiliated publicly, then I am tempted to express my crushing pain publicly.” If this doesn’t scream persecution complex then I don’t know what does. 🙃
Also the level of pro-choice rhetoric in this Instagram post is ironic given how majority of evangelical Christians claim to be pro-life…It’s interesting how the word ‘choice’ can be so convenient at times in some circles.
Ha! And now I have seen the christian version of the Byron Bae. White, blonde, privileged. Selling you Jesus.
This is practically purity culture in a nut-shell. It’s disgusting and I totally agree - the level of cognitive dissonance is deplorable.
Anti anxiety and sleeping pills usually just make me not anxious and super tired not arrogant and horny but ok Brian 😔✌🏻 in all seriousness the link between religion and sex is so damaging, the effects on mental health are terrifying never mind the physical assaults, have you heard of the case of the Kerry Babies? A horrible insight into how religion influences sex which influences how we view morality and it only happened in 1984
This is a topic that definitely needs to be discussed more often and more publicly. It’s one which I’ve been grappling a lot with the last few years, especially as someone raised during the tail end of the purity movement that started in the 1990s. I feel like people who weren’t raised super religious can’t fully grasp the harmful influence it has caused in the realm of sexuality.
There is an insidious quality to it for sure.
I am. Horrible, and I despite it all so, so deeply (if that wasn't obvious already)
Thank you lovely David - once again. Like many others here, I grew up in evangelical churches (and purity-fucking-culture) and have been trying to untangle all the wacky shit I was taught to believe for nearly 30 years now. I’m so grateful you write about it so often as it really helps me feel seen. Trying to explain it to someone who doesn’t know the fear we were taught feels almost impossible especially when these churches positions themselves as a “moral good” in society. As I read today’s column, the thing that got me is the lying and blame-shifting. They do so much lying - even in their “transparency”. Bobby’s words are especially offensive. I remember as a pre-teen being told I needed to manage how men saw me so that my body didn’t cause them to feel lust. I was made responsible for their thoughts at 12 years old. Makes me absolutely fucking furious. Again thanks for all you do x
Horrible teachings. And they stick deep in your lizard brain, too. It feels somewhat cathartic to see a leader like Brian, well, *fall*. I just think good riddance to such bad rubbish. I hope the church he started goes with him, one day.
That's awful Felicia, kids should not have to manage themselves to support an adult's (basic) decent behaviour - the suggestion that our bodies are the problem is just so fucking painful.
Bobby's stuff is truly disgusting, don't even know where to start 😡😭
I'm not sure about sleeping pills and anti-anxiety meds but as counselor said to me once about alcohol, it doesn't make you a different person, it just lowers your inhibitions. BTW this wasn't in relation to my behaviour but a boss who sexually harassed me and many others and then tried to blame alcohol
I’m sorry that happened to you. You are right on the money. Most people who drink and/or take drugs (prescribed or not) do not sexually assault people. Blaming substances is absolute BS
💯
Sorry that happened. And I reckon that counselor is bang on. Brian seems incapable of taking responsibility - as is his church. I could not imagine a more pathetic press release. In saying that - it's Hillsong. They are pathetic grifters.
Just a moment of weakness and a relapse. Just those two times in 10 years, nothing more, no pattern here. Could happen to anyone (who's white, male, and rich). The good news is, Brian has prayed on it, apologised to god (but literally no one else) for his fuckery. And GOOD NEWS, god said it was all OK! In the end that's enough for Brian. He just asks that you all give generously to help dear humble leader through this time of heathen persecution.
Just a wee little mistake! Nothing to see here! Just quietly step down and into my multi-millionaire's life!
In my circle of women friends we'd make short work of Brian - we've had a life time of this type of misogynistic and entitled behaviour; he might still need his anti-anxiety medicine though. Just saying...
Avis - you're a legend. That is all.
Mental illness and medication can provide context, but should never be used as an excuse. Its offensive to every wonderful person living their life while experiencing anxiety or taking prescription medication, and NOT sexually harassing people, to have awful behaviour "excused" for these reasons.
I really appreciate you pursuing this david even though they are rich and awful
As we say in the profession, mad or bad. Mad does not give you an excuse to be bad
Thanks Beck, and you are bang on. Their treatment of this in the church on medication is a whole other story for another day. Also it's always so nice when you post here - you were one of the originals here! Thanks for hanging out!
Oh my gosh, of course! This has been one of my favourite places the last couple of years and I am so grateful for you and the amazing community you have built here. Such a regular source of hope, joy and snort laughs ❤
Creeps and hypocrites like these (Brian AND Bobbie) are why I stay as far away from religion as possible. Blaming alcohol and meds on criminal behavior is a cheap cop-out. I’ve taken anti-anxiety and antidepressants for decades, and it’s saved my life. There’s no self-awareness or accountability in this “church,” and it’s truly frightening.
I hear you. In defence of Christianity as a whole, I think Frank's words in this piece show a much saner, kind version of things! Which is important to remember, as not all Christians are like Brian Houston: https://www.webworm.co/p/squidgameforoursouls?s=w
A little backstory: I’ve had very negative experiences involving Fundamentalist Christians as a child. Because of this, I have deep-seated skepticism of religion. I do know there are good Christians out there - my next door neighbors are rare examples of people who live their Christian values.
And I loved the piece you sent in response to my comment. 💜
Just stomach-churning stuff. It's amazing that such unsaintly people attract any followers given what Christianity's basic values are supposed to be. Honest to, well, God.
I do wonder what church members think when they hear this stuff, as it's just so objectively gross. And this particular type of Christian hates sex stuff.
I will try and answer you David as best I can. Whilst I am not currently a church member, mainly because of stuff like this I am a man of faith and find the true teaching of Jesus to be very grounding and helpful. The problem comes when these teachings became a religion because then it’s in the hands of deeply flawed men,almost always men, which is part of the explanation of the problem right there. You ask what I think, but I’ll answer how I feel. Angry, sad, disillusioned and horrified as to how such powerful and life affirming teachings can be so debased and bastardised by power addicted men. But strangely not shaken in my own faith.
So I keep well away from religion and try to apply teaching such as “do unto others as you’d have them do unto you” in my daily life. Sadly though because I’m a deeply flawed individual I am rarely fully successful in this endeavour. So maybe that’s the real answer we are all deeply flawed. Owning that and recognising that, or as Carl Jung would say truely owning our shadow, would take the emphasis away from bullshit around sleeping pills and allow Brian to say: I am unable to be a respectful and safe man towards woman and because of that I am resigning forthwith.
Nigel your comment reminded me of a short series I watched on sbs Australia a few years ago. It involved putting a group of christians from different churches in a house to live together. They discussed their beliefs and went to each other's churches. There was one guy in the house who refused to pray and didn't attend a church. He was by far in my opinion the most christian of the lot and the least hypocritical.
The most “Christian” Christian’s I know are the ones who I didn’t even know practiced a certain religion until well after I first met them. They just embody and live their values. None of them attend church.
Thanks, Brian. You still have a functioning, critical brain - and it's wonderful. I guess to be more specific I wonder what members of *Hillsong* will think. Going along to their Hillsong church in Australia or America or some other country, with that press release banging around in their head.
I imagine a bit of cognitive dissonance and flat out denial. But it must be a little irritating, surely. Like.... "Are we the bad guys?"
Well, they believe that we are born sinful, and only Jesus can save us, AND the devil is real and he and his evil demons are trying to trick people into sinning and falling from grace. Probably Satan tricked him into taking those pills that made him do bad things. But as long as he surrenders to Jesus and renews his faith in Jesus as his lord and saviour he gets to go to heaven and it's all OK. Also, he was just spending time with her, what's gross about that? Careful David, Satan is probably trying to trick you into having dirty thoughts.
Satan is such a naughty guy! Someone once pointe out that if you count up the death count of God vs Satan, God certainly comes out on top:
"The above graph, comparing God's Bronson-esque kill count in the Old Testament versus the Biblical Personification of Evil, Satan. Please note that God's kill count is 227,037% higher than Satan's."
https://www.wired.com/2007/04/old-testament-m/
This whole thing is horrid. I'm conflicted about Hillsong and I don't want to write off the whole thing.
The cover-up, the abuse, the hypocrisy, the greed are all un-Christian. The cover-up and the abuse should be particularly abhorrent to anybody. Like, I hope they are punished as much as possible for it... What an awful explanation.
Mega-churches are mega-problematic and they seem to have always been so. Some might say that the main issues with Christianity began when it became an organized religion under Constantine or whomever that Roman Emperor was.
Where I'm conflicted is that worship music holds a special place in my heart. Hillsong Worship songs are comforting to me, and the words I sing and say in some of those songs are really important to me. And millions of others obviously. I don't want Hillsong worship to be tainted by the actions of their church leaders. They are never represented on screen in any of the videos I watch. But how can it not be tainted?
Worship is a massive part of Christian life. There have been studies done on the reasons for this. The sort of communal peace and connectiveness you get when singing together in big groups, the warm fuzzies you get from being in a crowd all doing the same thing, the ability and skills of musicians to tweak and affect emotions in people just by playing certain chord progressions or notes, the aspirational, hopeful, huge ideas that get sung about... There is a reason that music is such a big thing to so many people, so worship music is a big part of that too.
So... I don't even know what the point of this is. I want to hold onto these songs that mean so much to me. Am I doing that thing where I blindly hold onto something bad just because I like it. Should it be a righteous stand where I ditch Hillsong on principal? There is other worship music. Bethel... lol
There are multiple movements in the colossal Christian movement like "I'm not that kind of Christian" and "That's not my God" where Christians call out that sort of behavior, that sort of messaging from the audiobooks, the greed of mega-churches, covering up crime etc etc etc. That is not what Christ-like Christians are called to be like.
Not to make light of this in any way - in case it comes across like that - but you are almost in the position as a fan of Michael Jackson's music? What to do?
There is no easy answer.
It's tricky too, as in buying this stuff you're giving money to this organisation that does a lot of - frankly - bad stuff. But I am sure they have been positive in some people's lives too - as per MJ.
Tricky. But - you're kicking this stuff around and I think that's a really great thing. You're not ignoring it.
Actually, how about this. The artists are not responsible for the producers. Even though someone like Suge Knight was a horrid producer you can still listen to the music produced under him because he wasn't the artist? Can still like Britney's old music? Is that a better analogy? You can still like movies produced under Weinstein Media?
I found it really easy to drop Chris Brown's music and the teachings of Ravi Zacharias because neither were important to me. MJ example is pretty accurate. I hadn't bothered to follow the story and had previously only thought that it was still muddy whether he'd done it or not. A quick read later, and it's clear he's guilty. So yeah... that sucks.
I've never given Hillsong money apart from what they earn from my spotify or YouTube views.
I appreciate how you feel about the music. One of the people whose music I have found very moving is Brooke Fraser. She seemed a very loving and joyful person, and I've no cause to think otherwise, even though many years have past since I first heard her songs.
And I also take your point about the togetherness - we are, after all, warm-blooded creatures who like being with family - "family" being members of a group - if peace and love are the guiding emotions; I hope you find this in your life outside of Hillsong, should Hillsong bite the dust.
There's no easy answer for the people who have found a lifeline belonging to this "church"; there are probably many people who genuinely practice a Christian life while worshipping in it, but the founding rot in Hillsong can't be ignored.
I'd love to talk to Brooke Fraser or Stan Walker about how they see their place in this church. Both lovely people, both smart. Would love to get their take on this press release, even. Because until well known members like that (I assume they are still members) start speaking up from the inside - zero will change. That church and its music label is a money making juggernaut.
Tautoko
Tim you expressed what I was trying to get, thank you.
Interesting discussion Tim and David - making me think - prayerfully.
Thanks for sharing this article, David! Once again, I’ve been out of the Webworm loop for a while now but I got back in at just the right time. I had a feeling something like this would unfold given Houston’s shady character and Hillsong as a whole. I’ll definitely be sharing this article with my sister since we’ve both been keeping our eyes on Houston, especially as we’ve been deconstructing our evangelical Christian upbringing.
Like you, I had the same sense and did wonder what else might be unearthed. The rot is finally beginning to show
You can drop out of the loop anytime, Ali. But glad you appreciated this one. Appreciate you being here, and appreciate the journey you are on.
I think you saw it at the time, but in case not - Frank is a nice brain to listen to. The opposite to Brian's: https://www.webworm.co/p/squidgameforoursouls?s=w
It is excellent that these people get exposed and named. He wouldnt be the first who is exploiting his position.
I know from a relative a similiar story. And yes how blind the church people can be. Authoritive subservient . Really sad. But then it is their choosing to some degree at least. Or they get lied to in a big way.
I hope that people start thinking for themselves instead of believing what someone else is telling them. And mostly that they trust their own good judgement.
Such a topic. Could go on and on.
I just added a bit to the top of this newsletter about his daughter. They are all totally blind to the problem. Or in serious denial: https://www.webworm.co/p/brianhouston
I have long thought that the Christian industry at least has always existed for deviant men getting their jollies with children and oppressed women. They are evidently very good at cover ups and spin too! It seems that the provision of imaginary friends to attract the patronage and money of vulnerable people has been a really good business strategy.
There's a reason that the church has largely protected its male leadership. It serves many men in some pretty terrible ways. Not all of them - (gah, you made me say 'not all men!' damnit) but yeah, the structure is a perfect place for a certain kind of guy to operate.
Thank you for staying on this important issue, David, where the real sexual deviants prey. Their 'explanations' are a bloated load of hand-wringing lies.
Pleasure. I feel I am keeping an eye on about 100 things that I've poked into, because I don't want them to just slip away. Accountability.
I went through a phase in college of being part of the Christian Union group (I've, umm, moved on), and we were always singing Hillsong music. In a lot of the churches around the country, Hillsong music is bread and butter for worship.
I am personally a long way from being Christian these days but still have plenty of close friends from those days, and they are good people (just don't bring up the G-word in conversation!). People across a surprisingly wide range of demographics use religion as 'gutter rails' to help them make good choices, and to find personal meaning.
While I don't personally believe the fairytales now, my previous experience makes me genuinely sad to hear stories of evil like this. Increasingly these pricks are tarring all Christians with a pariah brush, and it just drives good people further from the good aspects of religion and into the welcoming arms of these ridiculous capitalism-worshipping-mega-churches where they will always be accepted.
Yeah - Hillsong is bread and butter for worship groups - and also of course such a GIANT piece of bread and butter for Hillsong church! God they make a lot of money from that brand.
I think I am similar to you, btw. Lot of friends in that space, and we just avoid the subject. We both get where we stand.
I must be daft - but is the G-word God?
Haha, yes - sorry, too subtle ;-) ...My point was they make great friends, provided I don't start pondering about (what I consider to be) the less-scientific aspects of their beliefs