City Impact Church Leader Posts Unhinged Video; Deletes It.

“Any high achiever, unfortunately, by their on sheer giftings and drive, run over a few people along the way”

Hi,

The founder and senior pastor of City Impact Church (New Zealand’s other big megachurch) Peter Mortlock has justified the mistreatment of staff and interns at Arise Church in one magnificent sentence:

“Any high achiever, unfortunately, by their on sheer giftings and drive, run over a few people along the way”

“Run over a few people along the way.”

Is that what modern Christianity is? Did I miss the memo?

Jesus Christ.

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Mortlock made the statement yesterday in a video he posted on Facebook.

The video was swiftly populated by comments telling Peter what a f—king idiot he was…. and it was deleted a few hours later.

Before it was gone, I took the opportunity to do some viral Webworm marketing:

I was banned shortly afterwards — before the whole video was removed.

But it’s the internet and nothing is ever really deleted, so I decided to upload a copy of the Mortlock’s idiotic monologue for posterity’s sake:

Here’s a short summary of some bits of wisdom from this outstanding Christian man:

18 seconds:

“Some small minded people delight in pulling someone else down.”

30 seconds:

“People delight in throwing stones… particularly from a distance!”

40 seconds:

“There is often an anti-Christ spirit working. This has been around for 2000 years!”

1 minute 18 seconds:

“I ask you, did they promote some gross sin like adultery?!”

Note: I gather what Mortlock is saying here is basically “If it’s not adultery, it’s probably OK!” This is quite a weird take.

1 minute 39 seconds:

“To achieve what John and Gillian have achieved one would have to be naive to acknowledge God’s hand on them and on Arise.

So some interns got worked too hard! Some people got hurt!

Can I just say that any high achiever, unfortunately, by their on sheer giftings and drive, run over a few people along the way”

Note: “Run over a few people along the way”…. or get their penis out.

Apples, oranges. You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

Or physically laying your hands on interns. Or emotionally abusing someone.

Or telling someone they need to hit the gym.

Or trying to sweep rape and sexual assault allegations under the carpet.

Or dismantling someone’s personhood.

2 minutes and 13 seconds:

“It was a long time ago and they were younger and naive.”

Note: This is a myth — Arise had not fixed all it’s problems back in 2016 like John Cameron and now Peter Mortlock keep claiming. This is the narrative they keep spewing, knowing it is untrue.

2 minutes and 30 seconds:

“They clearly state in 2016 they changed their culture dramatically.”

Note: No. No they didn’t. That’s the point you fucking brussel sprout.

2 minutes and 44 seconds:

“New Zealand is far worse off for this casualty.”

Note: Yes, of course centre John Cameron as the “casualty” in this. Not the — you know — actual victims.

3 minutes and 38 seconds:

“After being sent a screenshot of what one journalist wrote on his blog, on rejoicing with expletives on the fall of John and Gillian, you know what spirit is behind it!”

Note: The spirit of… Webworm?!

4 minutes and 3 seconds:

Let’s pray for our enemies.”

Note: Enemy? It gets so dramatic with these people. But of course it does, because Peter Mortlock thinks he’s engaged in an epic Lord-of-the-Rings-eque spiritual battle here on earth between good and evil. For that — please read the essay half-way down this Webworm, under the title “Evangelicalism is not just a religion; it’s a parallel culture”.

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It’s interesting watching how megachurches react when other megachurches come under fire — and I was waiting for City Impact to dive in.

I’ve written about City Impact before — in pieces like Worshipping at the Church of Anti-Vax and Fear of a Changing World — so perhaps an unhinged response was to be expected.

(Mortlock is a man who has control of City Impact to the point where he is City Impact):

One rich white Christian man defending another. Thank God these men have each other.

In the excellent words of AJ Hendry of the When Lambs Are Silent:

“If people are getting crushed, abused, and exploited in the pursuit of your faith communities’ journey, how can you say that the vision you’re following is from the Divine?”

I think it’s fair to say nothing Peter Mortlock does is particularly divine, unless I missed the bit in the Bible where Jesus talked about being cool with running over a few people now and then.

Some bloody skid marks on the road; some guts hanging off your wheels. A rape gone unchallenged, a woman told to lose weight. Interns broken, souls crushed.

Just a small price to pay to get some other people’s souls into heaven, a heaven apparently populated by abusers.

David.

PS: You can share this video here: www.webworm.co/p/runover