Someone whose reddit handle is Go West Young Kanye. But that’s what you take away, and so of course their numbers are increasing. Ben: You're talking about being at this service with Carl Lentz, the New York City pastor. But it has a big reach. But it’s 82. With him on my side, I'm fearless, all caps, afraid of no one and nothing. And you really do feel like it's a second family. Amory: But, along with its history of financial growth, along with its cachet of coolness and celebrity participation, along with its promises to followers that it will help them reach prosperity and positivity, Hillsong has a darker history. And as a non-straight person, to kind of phrase it like that, like, “We'll let gay people into our church but we're not going to like make them feel that it's OK to be gay,” that was really problematic to me. And so far be it from me to stand in the way of someone who clearly has a gift to lead worship. Hillsong College Brazil We want to walk alongside people when the days are glorious and the nights are bleak, as well as everything in between. There were a lot of sluggish hipsters for sure. Media And I go in, it's a fun experience, there's great music, I’m getting a positive message in neon lights from a cool guy that likes me and that's what you take away. Russia Amory: That’s no longer true. Correction: In the original version of this story, we said Justin Bieber led worship at a Hillsong church. And Kiki stays up on all the latest goss by following insider accounts. Brandy: And that's a literal reading of the text, in that the Bible is the literal word of God. Ben: The show featuring stories found in the vast ecosystem of online communities called Reddit. Kiki: It's basically a rock concert on Sunday and you can see Justin Bieber in the audience. Amory: It’s hard to calculate an exact dollar amount, but the latest album we mentioned, the one that debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 charts, sold more than 100,000 units in its first week and was the top-selling album in the US across all genres. You know, I went to church with them every Sunday and Wednesday and Friday night. . They're they're not trying to accommodate the culture, they're trying to change it! 10 million people follow Hillsong on social media, including Justin Bieber. Brandy: Sure. Ben: This is especially chilling since, according to some of the victims of Frank’s alleged abuse, the church has never truly answered for it or been truly held accountable by the authorities in Australia. And an estimated 50 million people sing their songs in church every Sunday. Amory: Kiki is very active in the Pop Heads community. So this to me this looks a little bit like backstage at a tech conference or something. Now, Carl has now sort of said, “Well it's just like any other sin and I don't really feel like talking about it. They are fun, dynamic and passionate about Jesus and community. Explore your calling, create with beauty, and respond in worship to fulfil Jesus’ Great Commission. And at the time I really loved Kanye West. You really do have to take a seat sort of at the back of the bus in order to worship there. But the other point Gruen was making, that Hillsong has a strategy of larger church gatherings rather than lots of little ones, is true – and Gruen saw it as part of Hillsong’s success. Amory: So we’ve heard the ways in which Hillsong is reimagining what church can look and sound like. How was your Hillsong experience different from that? 1:30 AM: Andre : 2:00 AM: Hillsong Church Special Guests Friends of Hillsong share messages of faith. Brandy: Yeah. He built up his preaching skill set, started a church, started finding some success. The Beebs. At one point, he pulled out a notepad and pen and was seen jotting down notes. And that's how you get the kids. Another on-point article by fellow polemicist and good friend Marsha West: “The tragedy that evangelicals have lost the art of biblical discernment must be traced to a disastrous loss of biblical knowledge. Two of these guys I didn’t recognize and one I’m not too too old to recognize: Justin Bieber. Championing the cause of local churches everywhere. Good looking How old are you son? Policies Curly hair. What We Believe Brian Houston TV Here’s a CBS This Morning report from 2014. The 42-year-old ousted megachurch leader appeared to be taking time to reflect early Friday morning as he watched the sunrise from a bench at Manhattan Beach pier all by himself. So again, a basis for the religion is hell, is punishment for sins. Brandy: Oh sure! I don't know what Post Malone is. Amory: Hillsong might feel like a brand new church, stylistically and in terms of visibility. CBS This Morning: Every week in 12 countries, 75,000 faithful fill Hillsong churches. Brandy: Hillsong would have, to my church, been seen as unbiblical. Amory: Kiki put her palms together, raised those prayer-like hands above her head and dove in to Hillsong’s history, which actually goes back decades. I mean, religion isn't fun. Just think it through the day. Partly because the church has been associated with a bunch of celebrities, from Chris Pratt to Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Bono, NBA stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. There is something so attractive about a black and white view of the world." Brandy: Oh absolutely. That's God. Department of Physical Education. Amory: Yeah. Her Reddit post is heavily researched, with footnotes, links, separate sections on the church's beliefs, music, fundraising, scandals. Revealing the truth of who Jesus is and inspiring us to be used by God. Kiki: When I was in London, I was staying at an AirBnb. The story goes like this, Hillsong’s grandfather of sorts was a man named Frank Houston. Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Apps Discernment cannot survive without doctrine.” What exactly is discernment? And that made me go, “Wait. In a way that has some people comparing it to Scientology. Because We Can Here's a few samples: Frank Houston: What a fantastic young fella he is. Media outlets like ABC News have developed a favorite phrase... ABC News: And the pastor is a hipster heartthrob…, Kiki: You can pull up their Instagrams. The leader of megachurch Hillsong has apologized — but will congregants forgive him? Ben: Do you feel like the music part of it was almost a platform for the church itself to grow? But I want to start by asking you to watch this video. Stories, thoughts and articles about what People like Guy Sebastian, the 2003 winner of Australian Idol. Brett: You know, "you're my golden boy and you're special to me," and all these sort of things, which as an adult now I look back and it makes me want to vomit. What Brian Houston did that was really smart was that he combined, you know, typical megachurch preaching with a wildly popular music ministry. So who are Hillsong and what is this?”. So it doesn't come across as like a lot of proselytizing. Brandy: So in 2014, Australia called a sort of royal commission to look into the testimony of nine boys who said that Frank Houston had abused them, had sexually molested them. And that really is only because of the music and maybe the celebrity chasing that would be seen as worldly, secular. By the late 90s those allegations had come to Brian himself. Amory: You said you grew up in a Southern Baptist Church. Connecting technology with the everyday needs of the local church, About The venue has a capacity of 3,300. We regret the error. Brandy: I don't know actually, but I think it was like a communion thing. Strategically placed within the life of our local church in Sydney, Hillsong College allows you to apply the skills you will learn in a practical ministry setting so that you can lead and impact in your world. Hillsong founder Brian Houston announces investigation after NYC pastor Carl Lentz’s firing ‘We are launching an independent investigation into the inner workings of Hillsong NYC/ East Coast. And it says light, space,  zest. And this is in the 60s and the 70s. Amory: With the continued support of people like Justin Bieber, it seems like Brandy’s right. Hillsong’s services don’t feel all that, well, “churchy.”. Library. He's talking about a group of people from the Bible, the Nicolaitans? Sam and Cheryl Fagan are the Campus Pastors of Hillsong Inner West. Amory: For the very first time, Justin Bieber moved from the backstage couch in 2017 to lead worship for the first time at Churchome, a "Hillsong Family" church. Amory: A few years ago, one of the accounts Kiki follows got something right. Some of that audio, given the larger context, is chilling.