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A Texas baptist church — labeled an "anti-LGBT hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center — has ed outrage after a pastor said gay people should be "l

Contents:

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

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. * houston gay pastor *

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.

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

Sarah Gay is gog to prison for 10 years after LaQuenta Holey and Andrew Griff were killed a wrong-way crash on the North Freeway 2021. * houston gay pastor *

) 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. 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

Pastor Noah Hepler shar his story about fdg himself after g out as gay his 30s. * houston 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

* houston gay pastor *

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.

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

If Alan Chambers, who was the Print of the largt “ex-gay” anisatn the world n do , so n Hillsong.

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. Graner, while outspoken about beg gay, has been sgle sce her 28-year-partnership wh another woman end some years back.

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

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. 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.

OPENLY GAY LUTHERAN PASTOR ORDAED

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.

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

| (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. 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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* HOUSTON GAY PASTOR

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class="styl_ntaer__ZKkl3" data-activy-map="social-share-lks-article-top" data-ttid="social-share-menu"><li data-ttid="social-share-facebook" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_facebook__bOW_X"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-facebook"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-twter" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_twter__ww7sF"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-ptert" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_ptert__CaMm1"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-ptert"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-email" class="styl_em__b5A78"><a href="mailto:?subject=Founr of Hillsong Church says he had ncerns about Carl Lentz for years& target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-email"></span></a></li><li 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class="article-le-byle" data-activy-map="le-byle-article-top">By <span class="byle-name"><a href=">Elisha Fieldstadt</a></span></div></sectn><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><p class="">The founr of Hillsong, the ternatnal megachurch that beme a mag for lennial and superstar Christians, said he had had ncerns for years about Carl Lentz, the pastor who was fired last year part bee of "moral failur."</p><p class="">"Carl was Carl. He's a unique character. There's a lot of thgs I miss about Carl," Brian Hoton, the founr and senr pastor of Hillsong Church, said an terview wh NBC's "TODAY" show that aired Wednday.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><div id="taboolaReadMoreBelow"></div><p class="">"Havg said that, there were learship issu that I believe clud lyg, clud what I would ll narcissistic behavr," Hoton said.</p><p class="">"I'd have to adm I've had ncerns and many nversatns over the years wh Carl," he said. "I thk there's a lot of thgs I should have known earlier, and hopefully movg forward we make sure we have far better systems place and better acuntabily."</p><p class="">Lentz was the lead pastor of Hillsong's New York branch. He beme a pastor wh the church, based Sydney, after he lnched s first U.S. lotn wh Hoton's son Joel 2010, acrdg to <a href=" target="_blank">Relign News Service</a>.</p><p class="">About a to Lentz's tenure wh the church, <a href=" target="_blank">Hoton announced a statement that he had been fired</a> "followg ongog discsns relatn to learship issu and breach of tst, pl a recent revelatn of moral failur."</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">Lentz addrsed his termatn an <a href=" target="_blank">Instagram post</a>, sayg he had been unfahful his marriage.</p><p class="">"When you accept the llg of beg a pastor, you mt live such a way that honors the mandate. That honors the church, and that honors God. When that do not happen, a change needs to be ma and has been ma this se to ensure that standard is upheld," he ptned a fay photo that clud his wife and three children.</p><p class="">Hoton said he learned about Lentz's fily October. He was fired Nov. 4.</p><p class="">Hillsong, which scrib self as a "ntemporary Christian church," was found Atralia 1983. It has grown to clu lotns more than 20 untri; s lotns the U.S. have clud New York, New Jersey, California, Arizona, Geia, Missouri, Nevada, Texas, Connecticut and Massachetts.</p><p class="">The Hillsong brand also clus a Grammy-wng rerd label, a trag program and a televisn channel.</p><p class="">The church is known for attractg a number of celebry worshippers, cludg Jt Bieber and his wife, Hailey; Chris Pratt and his wife, Kathere Schwarzenegger; Kourtney Kardashian; and Kylie and Kendall Jenner.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">Asked on "TODAY" about Hillsong East's perceived practice of appealg to celebry parishners, like Bieber, Hoton said "there's another si" to .</p><p class="">"He was wreckg hotel rooms and basilly on the edge of gettg ported to Canada," Hoton said, sayg Bieber had been livg an "out-of-ntrol life" wh dg abe.</p><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend" data-ttid="remend-wrapper"></div><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend" data-ttid="remend-wrapper"></div><p class="">"And look at Jt Bieber today. Anyone who's beg fair uld see a radil change," Hoton said. "And so not everythg about is bad."</p><p class="">Prsed further about whether celebri got better treatment, Hoton said, "I do thk that we did allow a culture to velop where was one le for celebri and a different le for other people."</p><p class="">After Lentz's parture, the pastors of two other lotns rigned, and allegatns of abe and overworkg of volunteers surfaced.</p><p class="">"In my md, if one person is treated badly, that's one too many," Hoton said. "That, if 's te that people have been treated badly or that people have been bullied, I am 100 percent mted to movg that out of our church."</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">In addn, gay members have <a href=" target="_blank">tailed difficult experienc</a> at Hillsong.</p><p class="">"I want to get better at the way we munite and embrace and work wh people who are gay. We are an evangelil church, I would say a nservative evangelil church," Hoton said. "We're grapplg wh the issu. The world has changed so quickly.</p><p class="">"I love people. I love all people. And I love people om all walks of life. And I don't have any personal bias at all agast gay or lbian people. But unfortunately, as a pastor, you don't reprent what you thk. You reprent what the Bible says," he said. "But everyone's wele. Many, many people who are gay e to Hillsong Church."</p><p class="">Hoton said he don't ny that Hillsong has suffered om learship missteps.</p><p class="">"I'm acknowledgg that mistak have been ma and that there are thgs where we need to get far better, much better. I'm not shrkg back om that," he said.</p><p class="">The size of the anizatn, however, isn't the problem, he said.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="endmark">"I'm not sure a church n be too big. I jt thk we have to grow to ourselv," he said.</p></div><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><div class="expand-byle-ntributors articleByleContaer"><div class="expand-byle article-expand-byle" data-activy-map="expand-byle-article-bottom"><div class="byle-thumbnail byle-thumbnail--has-image expand-byle__thumbnail"><a href="><picture><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="48" width="48"/></picture></a></div><span class="byle-name expand-byle__name"><a href=">Elisha Fieldstadt</a></span><span class="byle-social expand-byle__social"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a><a href="" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-email"></span></a></span><div class="expand-byle__b-wrapper"><p class="byle-b expand-byle__b">Elisha Fieldstadt is a breakg news reporter for NBC News.</p></div></div><div class="expand-ntributors">Tim Fzsimons<!-- --> <!-- -->ntributed<!-- -->.</div></div></div></div><div class="article-body--right-rail-ntaer"><div class="article-body__right-rail layout-grid-em grid-l-4_5-l grid-l-3_5-xl grid-l-ph-half-xl"><div class="ad article-body__right-rail--ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxrail" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[[300,250],[360,360]]],[[758,1],[]],[[0,0],[]]]" data-offset="10" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div></div></div></div><span></span><div class="body-bottom-remend"><div class="ad ad--midrponsive ad-ntaer dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="midrponsive" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[[700,1],[5,5]]],[[758,1],[]],[[0,0],[]]]" data-offset="300" data-reh-terval="0" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div></div></div></div></article></div></div><div id="hfs-footer" class="dn-prt" data-activy-map="hfs-footer"><footer class="hfsf" ><div class="ner"><div class="logo"><a href="><svg class="peack" viewBox="578 62 67 39" xmlns=" fill="currentColor"><g fill-le="evenodd"><path d="M579.074 90.58c1.717-4.494 6.472-6.08 10.697-3.37l18.29 12.754h-22.18c-4.62 0-8.252-4.23-6.8-9.385"></path><path class="feather" d="M579.074 90.58c1.717-4.494 6.472-6.08 10.697-3.37l18.29 12.754h-22.18c-4.62 0-8.252-4.23-6.8-9.385"></path><path class="feather" d="M597.563 75.863l9.442 21.613-19.478-13.35c-4.887-3.24-3.896-8.79-1.19-11.237 3.83-3.24 9.245-2.12 11.226 2.97"></path><path class="feather" d="M610.57 70.93l-3.433 24.19-9.772-23c-2.113-5.75 2.64-9.516 5.81-9.583 3.632-.396 8.188 2.38 7.396 8.394"></path><path class="feather" d="M625.494 72.103l-9.707 23.067-3.102-20.82c-.265-3.17 1.716-3.237 2.443-3.832-.133-.463-1.124-.463-1.124-.463h-1.848c-.198-5.42 4.028-7.8 7.462-7.535 3.697.132 7.856 4.428 5.876 9.583"></path><path class="feather" d="M635.338 84.167L615.86 97.584l9.177-21.348c2.775-6.742 9.245-5.42 11.556-2.842 2.51 2.51 3.235 7.6-1.255 10.773"></path><path class="feather" d="M637.448 99.9h-22.515l18.29-12.756c4.49-2.975 9.244-.266 10.498 3.635 1.327 4.36-1.65 9.12-6.27 9.12"></path></g></svg></a></div><nav class="lks"><ul class="lks__wrap" data-l-2="14" data-l-3=15><li><a href=" target="_self">About</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Contact</a></li><li><a href=">Help</a></li><li><a href=">Careers</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ad Choic</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Privacy Policy</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Do Not Sell My Personal Informatn</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CA Notice</a></li><li><a href=">Terms of Service (Updated JULY 7, 2023)</a></li><li><a href=">NBC News Semap</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Closed Captng</a></li><li><a href=">Advertise</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Select Shoppg</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Select Personal Fance</a></li></ul></nav><div class="py"><p>© 2023 NBC UNIVERSAL</p><div class="brands"><a href="><svg viewBox="0 0 120 20" fill="none" xmlns=" aria-labelledby="nbc_news_logo"><tle class="nbc_news_logo">NBC News Logo.

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