🌴💥 How one Hipta Megachurch Wen Get All Mix Up in Scandal, Brah 😱
A brand-new documentary series stay go check out da story of Hillsong, you know, da kine church wit da famous people an’ all da fancy stuff, but now stay catch up in one whole lotta scandal, yeah? 🎥🎬
Dis global megachurch, Hillsong, wen stay famous fo’ all da kine hip stuff dey had goin’ on – da fashion, da celebrity members, an’ da real popula worship music back in da 2010s. But lately, dey stay mo’ associated wit all dis scandalous stuff, like when dey wen fire dea superstar pastor, Carl Lentz, cuz he wen mess up “morally.” 💃🕺🔥🚫
Eh, dis four-part documentary series, “Da Secrets of Hillsong,” goin’ premiere on FX dis Friday, an’ it goin’ dig deep into all da craziness. Dey wen base da series on one article from 2021 dat wen come out in Vanity Fair magazine, an’ dey even get da first interview wit Mr. Lentz since he wen get fired back in 2020. 📺🍿📰
Check out how dis whole ting went down, bruddah. 🤙
Why da buggah Hillsong stay so popula? So, dis guy Brian Houston and his wahine, Bobbie, wen found Hillsong all da way back in 1983 down unda in Australia. Den dey wen open up da first branch in da United States, in New York, in 2010. Da church wen start off as part of one odda Pentecostal denomination called da Assemblies of God, but den dey wen split off an’ form dea own denomination in 2018. 🌏🌍🌴
Hillsong stay get all dis expansion an’ get real big in da United States, all cuz of da way dey stay doin’ worship music. Dey services stay attractin’ all da young people, especially in da big cities like New York, where dey stay holdin’ da services in concert venues, like Irving Plaza an’ da Hammerstein Ballroom. Da people dea, man, dey stay all about da fashion an’ style, an’ even some celebrities like Justin Bieber, Kevin Durant, an’ Vanessa Hudgens stay showin’ up. 🎶🌃👚🎵
But da main man, Mr. Lentz, da lead pastor of da Hillsong branch in New York, he wen become one real celebrity himself. He stay rubbin’ elbows wit all da famous people, like Bieber, an’ he wen baptize him in one N.B.A. playa’s bathtub. He even stay get one article in GQ magazine callin’ him “hypepriest” cuz he stay all stylish, wearin’ aviator glasses, skinny jeans, an’ designer sneakers. He stay talk ’bout important stuff too, like racial inequality, an’ he wen support da Black Lives Matta movement back in 2016. 🎤👑🤩🎸
But den, all dis craziness wen come to one screechin’ halt when he wen get fired from Hillsong in November 2020. Da church wen say dey had fo’ let him go cuz he wen mess up big time, wit “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.” Mr. Lentz, he wen say on Instagram right afta he wen get fired, dat he wen cheat on his wife, an’ dat was da biggest betrayal of all. His wife, Laura Lentz, she stay one Hillsong pastor too. 😔💔📵
Since den, he stay stayin’ outta da spotlight, yeah? Las’ week, he wen say on Instagram dat his wife an’ kids stay his “only priority” for da past three years. He wen talk ’bout how he wen go through all dis hurt an’ pain, an’ dat led him to make one decision fo’ be part of dis documentary, even if he no can control it an’ he no even see it yet. He stay hopin’ fo’ some kind of healing, I guess. 🙏💔🎥
What wen happen afta Carl Lentz wen leave? More craziness, my bruddah. Da founder of Hillsong, Mr. Houston, he wen step down from his position in March 2022, afta da church wen say dey wen find out he wen do some inappropriate stuff wit two women. He wen break da church’s rules an’ code of conduct, you know. But even befo’ dat, back in January 2022, he wen step away from his ministry duties cuz he stay fightin’ one criminal charge, sayin’ he wen hide one child sexual abuse case from back when his fadda, Frank Houston, was alive. Mr. Houston, he stay denyin’ all da accusations, an’ da case still stay goin’ through da courts, da Australian Associated Press wen say. 🙅♂️🔒📝
Den, in March, Mr. Houston wen say he wen get charged wit one DUI in da United States back in February 2022. He wen say, “At da time, it seemed like all hell had broken loose within Hillsong church.” Mr. Houston, he no like talk ’bout it no mo’. He no wen respond when dey wen ask him fo’ comment. But he wen make one video, yeah? He wen post ’em on his social media, an’ he wen criticize da Hillsong leadership fo’ how dey wen handle all da allegations against him. He wen say, “I no wen resign cuz of my mistakes. I wen resign cuz of da announcements an’ statements dat had been made.” 🗣️🚫📹
How Hillsong stay today? In March 2022, nine outta da 16 Hillsong churches in da United States wen cut ties wit da organization, so now da church wen get way smaller in America. On da Hillsong website, dey say dey still get seven churches in da United States, plus plenny mo’ in odda countries all ova da world. Dey say dat ’bout 150,000 people still go church every week, but dat’s one estimate dey stay usin’ from even before da pandemic. Dey no wen say not’in’ when dey wen ask ’em ’bout how many people stay goin’ now. Guess dey no like talk ’bout dat, yeah? 🌍🚪💒
Dis documentary dat goin’ premiere on Friday, yeah, dis one stay get interviews wit da people who go church an’ dey goin’ look into da history of da church an’ all da stuff dey stay get mixed up in, like money, sex, an’ God. Goin’ be one wild ride, fo’ real. 🎥🌺💰🔥
So, there you go, my bruddah. Hillsong, dis once hipta megachurch, stay goin’ through one whole lotta drama an’ scandal lately. Da famous people, da fancy stuff, all da controversy, it’s all part of da story. We goin’ see how dis documentary goin’ shed some light on it all. Stay tuned, yeah? 😎📺🔦🎉
NOW IN ENGLISH
🌴💥 How a Hip Megachurch Became Entangled in Scandal, Brah 😱
A new documentary series is set to explore the story of Hillsong, you know, that super cool megachurch with all the famous folks and flashy vibes. But lately, they’ve found themselves caught up in a whole lot of scandal, yeah? 🎥🎬
Hillsong, this worldwide megachurch, used to be the talk of the town with all its trendy elements – the fashion, the celebrity members, and the insanely popular worship music back in the 2010s. But recently, it’s been more about the scandals, like when their superstar pastor, Carl Lentz, got the boot for some major moral slip-ups. 💃🕺🔥🚫
So, this four-part documentary series, “The Secrets of Hillsong,” is all set to premiere on FX this Friday, taking a deep dive into all the craziness. Based on a 2021 article from Vanity Fair magazine, it even includes the first interview with Mr. Lentz since his departure from the church in 2020. 📺🍿📰
Let’s take a closer look at how it all went down, bruddah. 🤙
Why was Hillsong so popular? Well, this guy Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie, founded Hillsong way back in 1983 down in Australia. Then they expanded and opened their first branch in the United States, right in New York, in 2010. The church initially started as part of another Pentecostal denomination called the Assemblies of God but eventually formed its own denomination in 2018. 🌏🌍🌴
Hillsong’s popularity skyrocketed, especially in the United States, thanks to their unique approach to worship music. Their services attracted a young crowd, especially in big cities like New York, where they held their gatherings in concert venues like Irving Plaza and the Hammerstein Ballroom. The people there, man, they were all about the fashion and style, and even some celebrities like Justin Bieber, Kevin Durant, and Vanessa Hudgens would show up. 🎶🌃👚🎵
But the main man, Mr. Lentz, the lead pastor of Hillsong’s New York branch, became a celebrity himself. He rubbed shoulders with all the famous folks, like Bieber, and even baptized him in an NBA player’s bathtub. He even got featured in GQ magazine, which dubbed him a “hypepriest” because of his trendy attire, rocking aviator glasses, skinny jeans, and designer sneakers. He spoke up about important issues like racial inequality and publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement back in 2016. 🎤👑🤩🎸
But then, everything came crashing down when he got fired from Hillsong in November 2020. The church cited “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures” as the reasons for his departure. Mr. Lentz took to Instagram shortly after, confessing that he had been unfaithful in his marriage, considering it the biggest betrayal of all. His wife, Laura Lentz, was also a pastor at Hillsong. 😔💔📵
Since then, he’s been keeping a low profile, you know? Just last week, he shared on Instagram that his wife and kids have been his “only priority” for the past three years. He talked about the pain he went through, which led him to make the decision to be part of this documentary, even though he has no control over it and hasn’t even seen it yet. I guess he’s hoping for some healing, yeah? 🙏💔🎥
What happened after Carl Lentz left? Well, things got even more chaotic, bruddah. Hillsong’s founder, Mr. Houston, resigned in March 2022 after the church revealed that he had acted inappropriately toward two women, violating the church’s code of conduct. Earlier, in January 2022, he had already stepped away from his ministry duties to fight criminal charges alleging that he had concealed child sexual abuse by his late father, Frank Houston. Mr. Houston has denied the allegations, and the case is still making its way through the courts, according to the Australian Associated Press. 🙅♂️🔒📝
Then, in March, Mr. Houston revealed that he had been charged with drunk driving in the United States back in February 2022. He mentioned, “At the time, it seemed like all hell had broken loose within Hillsong church.” But he chose not to comment further. Instead, he posted a video on his social media, criticizing Hillsong’s leadership for their handling of the allegations made against him. He said, “I didn’t resign because of my mistakes. I resigned because of the announcements and statements that had been made.” 🗣️🚫📹
What is Hillsong like today? As of March 2022, nine out of the 16 Hillsong churches in the United States decided to cut ties with the organization, significantly reducing the church’s presence in America. According to Hillsong’s website, they still have seven churches in the United States and many more in various countries worldwide. They claim that about 150,000 people attend their services every week, but those figures have been estimates from before the pandemic. Hillsong did not provide any information regarding current attendance numbers. 🌍🚪💒
The documentary premiering this Friday will feature interviews with church members and explore the church’s history, including its involvement with money, sex, and God. It’s going to be quite the wild ride, no doubt. 🎥🌺💰🔥
So, there you have it, bruddah. Hillsong, this once hip megachurch, has been caught up in a whole lot of drama and scandal lately. The famous people, the fancy stuff, and all the controversies, they’re all part of the story. We’ll find out more as this documentary sheds some light on it all. Stay tuned, yeah? 😎📺🔦🎉”
