Shameful history of anti-gay megachurch Hillsong as founr rigns

Contents:

• GAY, EX-HILLSONG LEAR SPEAKS ABOUT EXPERIENCE WH UNCLEAR POLICY
• SHAMEFUL HISTORY OF ANTI-GAY MEGACHURCH HILLSONG AS DISGRACED FOUNR RIGNS AMID MISNDUCT CLAIMS
• NORTH TEXAS CONFERENCE ORDAS OPENLY GAY PASTOR
• HILLSONG'S BRIAN HOTON 'CORRECTS' REPORT THAT 'OPENLY GAY COUPLE' LEADS NYC CHURCH CHOIR, INSISTS STANCE ON HOMOSEXUALY 'ABSOLUTELY' HAS NOT CHANGED
• HILLSONG'S BRIAN HOTON ON GAY MARRIAGE: 'I BELIEVE THE WRGS OF PL ARE CLEAR ON THIS SUBJECT'
• MEGACHURCH PASTOR SIGNALS SHIFT TONE ON GAY MARRIAGE
• 'QUEER EYE'S' FAB 5 HELPS GAY FISHTOWN PASTOR FD HIMSELF
• TEXAS PASTOR SAYS GAY PEOPLE SHOULD BE 'SHOT THE BACK OF THE HEAD' SHOCKG SERMON
• OPENLY GAY LUTHERAN PASTOR ORDAED
• HOTON WHDRAWS LEGAL MAND TO SEE PASTORS' SERMONS GAY RIGHTS BATTLE

GAY, EX-HILLSONG LEAR SPEAKS ABOUT EXPERIENCE WH UNCLEAR POLICY

Canfield and his boyiend, Reed Kelly, ma natnal news 2015 when he was forced to step down as choir director for Hillsong NYC’s worship team, after appearg on a natnal televisn show, Survivor, which he stated that he was a gay Christian who attend Hillsong. At the time I was not tellg anyone at church that I was gay. Around 2011, I told one of the head mic pastors I was gay wh tears my ey, and I thought they wouldn’t let me sg aga.

I was a staway on CBS’ Survivor, and on the show, I was vol about beg gay, Christian, and servg as a choir director at Hillsong NYC. ) After the show began airg, some article me out sayg that Hillsong had a gay choir lear at their church to which Brian Hoton wrote a rponse sayg that was not te unls that man didn’t tell the learship he was gay.

SHAMEFUL HISTORY OF ANTI-GAY MEGACHURCH HILLSONG AS DISGRACED FOUNR RIGNS AMID MISNDUCT CLAIMS

Unfortunately, he fot to check wh the learship of the NYC branch who knew I was gay and a mted relatnship.

JC: After I stepped down and was servg as an offstage vol ach, the lead pastor of Hillsong NYC told me that he believed homosexualy was a s.

There are many LGBTQ people who serve as “hosts” and the choir, but apparently, you n’t lead worship, lead choir, or be a Front Le Volist if you are openly gay. Everyone the church learship knew that I was gay and datg, and wasn’t an issue until Brian Hoton ma his statement that I wasn’t a choir lear at church and that they don’t approve of homosexualy.

NORTH TEXAS CONFERENCE ORDAS OPENLY GAY PASTOR

In fact, the only time I heard the word “gay” om the ma stage was when was grouped together wh other mori, like the black muny or lack of clary on what the church believed hurt my relatnship wh the church bee I began not tstg people. I knew God loved me and created me as a gay man.

HILLSONG'S BRIAN HOTON 'CORRECTS' REPORT THAT 'OPENLY GAY COUPLE' LEADS NYC CHURCH CHOIR, INSISTS STANCE ON HOMOSEXUALY 'ABSOLUTELY' HAS NOT CHANGED

Hillsong tly lov people, I believe that wholeheartedly, but by not beg clear about their beliefs [and l] on homosexualy, ends up hurtg the same people they are tryg to love. For many years, Hillsong evad the qutn of s stance on LGBT+ people, but 2013, Brian Hoton, which preachg the UK, addrsed what he lled “the gay suatn”. The sermon seemed tentatively posive towards LGBT+ people, but 2015, Hoton published a blog post lled “Do I Love Gay People?

He wrote that while he “lov and r” about all people, “I also live by my own nvictns, and hold to tradnal Christian thought on gay liftyl and gay marriage. “The wrgs of the apostle Pl scripture on the subject of homosexualy are also clear… Hillsong Church wel ALL people but do not affirm all liftyl.

We are a gay welg church but we are not a church that affirms a gay liftyle. ”, published the Journal of Femist Studi Relign, Marn Maddox pats a picture of Hillsong as a place where sex and genr are strictly bary, and scrib the church as “an tensely homophobic environment”. Gay former pastor Anthony Venn-Brown, who mistered at Hills Christian Life Centre, now works wh LGBT+ people om Evangelil backgrounds and found Ambassadors and Bridge Builrs Internatnal (ABBI), which works wh church to bee LGBT-affirmg.

HILLSONG'S BRIAN HOTON ON GAY MARRIAGE: 'I BELIEVE THE WRGS OF PL ARE CLEAR ON THIS SUBJECT'

In a rearch paper on Hillsong and the “ex-gay” movement, Venn-Brown discs what seems to be the first rerd of anti-LGBT+ sentiment surroundg Hillsong. In 1986, Sy Rogers, “former homosexual” and then print of the ex-gay anisatn Exod, was ved to preach at Frank Hoton’s Christian Life Centre.

In the months afterwards, an ex-gay mistry was formed at Christian Life Centre lled Ex. But one former pastor is reported to have told Venn-Brown this wasn’t bee they didn’t believe nversn, but allegedly bee they were worried that gatherg too many ex-gays together would rult an avalanche of hook-ups.

MEGACHURCH PASTOR SIGNALS SHIFT TONE ON GAY MARRIAGE

“I was enuraged to exercise to enhance my masculy, we prayed the mons off my back and I was sent to an outsi mister for unsellg who had a specialisatn homosexualy and more earth shattergly for me child sex offenrs.

In the years that followed, multiple LGBT+ former Hillsong members spoke out about beg referred to nversn unsellors and ex-gay programm, and some of the programm claimed to have good relatnships wh Hillsong. In 2011, Hoton banned referrals to ex-gay or nversn therapy unsellors, and 2015 Hillsong Internatnal Learship College removed s ban on homosexualy s of ethics. If Alan Chambers, who was the Print of the largt “ex-gay” anisatn the world n do , so n Hillsong.

'QUEER EYE'S' FAB 5 HELPS GAY FISHTOWN PASTOR FD HIMSELF

Graner, 57, is openly gay.

Church law prohibs ordatn of “self-avowed practicg” homosexuals, but nference officials noted her sgle stat and said she qualified for ordatn.

It me not long after she disvered she was gay. “And I thought naively that by the time I got through high school and llege and semary, there wouldn’t be any problem wh beg an openly gay ordaed person The Uned Methodist Church. The Uned Methodist Church officially prevents “self-avowed practicg” homosexuals om servg as clergy.

TEXAS PASTOR SAYS GAY PEOPLE SHOULD BE 'SHOT THE BACK OF THE HEAD' SHOCKG SERMON

Graner, while outspoken about beg gay, has been sgle sce her 28-year-partnership wh another woman end some years back. North Texas Conference Bishop Michael McKee said the nference’s Board of Ordaed Mistry and Clergy Conference were wh the Book of Disciple to approve her ordatn, given that she’s self-avowed but non-practicg her homosexualy.

Other nferenc have ordaed openly gay persons, and Mounta Sky Area Bishop Karen Oliveto, a lbian married to another woman, was elected and nsecrated a bishop 2016. Graner, 57, is believed to be the first openly gay person ordaed an elr eher of the southern jurisdictns of The Uned Methodist Church. Church law prohibs ordatn of “self-avowed practicg” homosexuals, but Graner is sgle, a fact North Texas Conference officials noted when asked about her ordatn.

OPENLY GAY LUTHERAN PASTOR ORDAED

But Graner is glad her ordatn me this year, as The Uned Methodist Church has seen wispread ristance to 2019 General Conference, which strengthened official rtrictns agast same-sex unns and ordatn of self-profsed practicg homosexuals. Hoton, said that gay people were wele at Hillsong, but that did “not affirm a gay liftyle. Viral Blog Post, Cg PlayBill and New York Tim, Claims Two Engaged Gay Men Are Involved MistryPastor Brian Hoton appears on stage durg Hillsong's 2014 nference New York Cy at The Theater at Madison Square Garn.

| (Photo: Hillsong Church)Hillsong Church foundg pastor Brian Hoton sists that his Sydney-based megachurch has ma "absolutely no change" regard to s "stance on homosexualy and gay marriage, " after a cril blog post claimed that two engaged openly gay men were leadg Hillsong NYC's choir. 4, 2015, "rrectg" reports that two openly gay men were leadg the choir at Hillsong NYC. | (Photo: The Christian Post)"There has been absolutely no change to Hillsong Church's stance on homosexualy and gay marriage, " Hoton wrote on his Twter acunt early Tuday morng.

HOTON WHDRAWS LEGAL MAND TO SEE PASTORS' SERMONS GAY RIGHTS BATTLE

In the statement, Hoton challeng the recent blog post about two gay men who attend Hillsong's NYC lotn. Hoton wr:"I wish to rrect reports that Hillsong church has 'an openly gay uple directg a choir' at our New York Cy mp. Hillsong's posn on homosexualy and gay marriage has not changed and is nsistent wh Scripture.

"The statement lks to a blog post wrten by Hoton also published Tuday, which the megachurch pastor explas that gays are wele to attend, worship and "participate as a ngregatn member" at Hillsong church. However, Hoton adds that gay worshippers nnot "take an active learship role. "Hoton stat this blog post, which is clud full at the end of this article:"I also live by my own nvictns, and hold to tradnal Christian thought on gay liftyl and gay marriage.