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Is Hillsong becoming more gay friendly?

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HillsBen
Youth Coordinator
Joined in 2008
June 11, 2014, 15:35

Hillsong Church has taken another step forward towards welcoming gay people in a recent CNN interview with Pastor Carl Lentz who heads up Hillsong New York. In the interview Carl says many positive things about the church, including a section where he says that gay people are welcome and that he hopes they will always be a part of their church. This is a huge statement from a church which used to promote and support 'ex-gay' programs and has mostly adopted the "don't ask, don't tell" approach to LGBT people in recent times.


When I watched this interview I was encouraged yet I know that there are many LGBT people who have been or who still are at Hillsong church and have not had such positive experiences. I'm worried that LGBT people who are watching this interview might confuse acceptance with affirmation. I was part of Hillsong for a long time and still have a lot of love for the church yet I know that gay people in relationships still can't become involved in ministry, attend college or volunteer. The expectation is that if you are gay you either remain celibate or become straight. Still… I guess this is a step forward and we should feel encouraged and hopeful about the future.


You can read the article here: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/hillsong-new-york-pastor-refuses-judge-gays-and-hopes-they%E2%80%99re-always-his-congregation060614


What do you think?


Ben

forestgrey
Chapter Leader
Joined in 2008
June 11, 2014, 23:16

A good story, Ben. Changing attitudes in churches can be like turning around a huge oil tanker at sea. It's a slow, gradual process. But, it is little bits of evidence like this which shows that it IS happening. Sometimes, when we are in the midst of such change it seems very, very slow. But, both churches, and society in general, have actually changed a lot in my lifetime (which is, admittedly, a bit longer than yours)! We see many small steps forward, and a few backwards from time-to-time, but overall the momentum is overwhelming and unstoppable.

laz91
 
Joined in 2013
June 14, 2014, 20:18

G'day Forrestgrey, Yes ,we should do all we can to get Christians to favour the acceptance of Gays as Christians. However, the time is ripe to take acceptance a lot further. For the general good and survival of the world, I believe..

Society has shown a tendency to want to put everything in boxes, all tied up with red tape. It is neat and tidy and you know where to find things.

But I don't believe God's ecological world is like that that. It is dynamic, ever changing and adapting and we should go along with it. The Jewish religion, one of the earliest, has suffered badly from the fundamentalist desire to put things in "little Boxes". It has become divided and stagnant. No dictator or tyrant has managed to stay in power very long after trying to lay down the law in "little boxes".

We should accept the Eco- world of God and not the word of God which can be tied in knots and cause fights to the death for possession.

Dragunov
 
Joined in 2013
June 19, 2014, 19:44

I am deeply suspicious of Hillsong for much, much more than their treatment of gay people. Much theological and secular criticism has been leveled at their evangelical doctrine and practices…just google 'Hillsong church cult' etc. I came from a church closely affiliated with them and can say that many of those allegations ring true. We were taught that it was our duty to reclaim the (secular) world for Christ, and that meant imposing our highly conservative worldview by placing members in positions of power in politics, law, education, the field of medical science etc. This results in a lot of unfairness in the treatment of people of other faiths as well as LGBTIQ.


In Australia, the Rise Up Australia Party, led by a man who claims his prayers can literally raise the dead, rails constantly against Muslim immigration and gay marriage, from a 'Christian' platform, and advertises Hillsong Church's events on its website. Its hard for me to see Hillsong as anything other than supporting bigotry and their new efforts to appeal to gay people as lip service.

Tim617x
 
Joined in 2014
October 27, 2014, 17:08

The answer is a resounding no!
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