Gay Ex-Hillsong Members Speak Out Agast Chris Pratt’s Church: ‘They Don’t Believe Us as Human Begs’

JT BIEBER SPARKS GAY SPECULATN AFTER ACCG PASTOR RICH WILKERSON OF CHEATG
CARL LENTZ ON HOW HILLSONG CHURCH IS BEG ‘GAY WELG’ WHOUT PROMISG THEIR NVICTNS
J NEVER DISCSED HOMOSEXUALY PUBLICLY, SAYS MEGACHURCH PASTOR OF HIS REFAL TO TALK OPENLY ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE
HILLSONG PASTOR CARL LENTZ IS ASKED FOR HIS STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE — HERE’S HIS RPONSE
GAY EX-HILLSONG MEMBERS SPEAK OUT AGAST CHRIS PRATT’S CHURCH: ‘THEY DON’T BELIEVE US AS HUMAN BEGS’HUMAN RIGHTSCHRIS PRATT FEND HIS EVANGELIL CHURCH AGAST ELLEN PAGE’S ‘ANTI-LGBTQ’ ACCATN, BUT FORMER HILLSONG SUPPORTERS SAY THEY FELT ‘SHUNNED.’JOSEPH LONGOUPDATED FEB. 18, 2019 7:47PM EST / PUBLISHED FEB. 15, 2019 10:21PM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY LYNE LUCIEN/THE DAILY BEASTON A NOVEMBER 2017 NIGHT DOWNTOWN LOS ANGEL, SELENA GOMEZ TEARFULLY REUNTED HER JOURNEY TO BEG “A CHILD OF GOD” ONT OF A ROOM FULL OF FELLOW EVANGELIL CHRISTIANS. SHE READ ALOUD A SELF-ADDRSED LETTER, SHARG THE DAY SHE SAT A CHURCH SERVICE WH A IEND AND FELT THE END TO A OF “FALLG AND TRYG, HURTG AND QUTNG.” CLIFFORD JABS SAT THE DIENCE AT THE MICROSOFT THEATER WH A CLOSE IEND OF HIS OWN. HE’D TRAVELED OM NEW YORK TO ATTEND HILLSONG CHURCH’S ANNUAL NFERENCE, AS A RELIG NFIRMATN OF SORTS. HE’D STARTED ATTENDG HILLSONG SERVIC NEW YORK LS THAN A YEAR AGO. THE MORN MIC AND LIVELY PASTORS SATISFIED HIS SPIRUAL YEARNGS A WAY HE HADN’T FELT SCE CHILDHOOD.LISTENG TO ONE OF HIS FAVORE SGERS SPEAK, JABS, WHO IS GAY, HAD A SUDN REALIZATN. “I’M NOT HEARG ANYTHG ABOUT THE LGBTQ POPULATN,” HE SAID, QUICKLY PICKG UP HIS PHONE TO GOOGLE “HILLSONG CHURCH LGBTQ.” SCROLLG THROUGH THE ONSLGHT OF NEGATIVE PRS, HE SAT SHOCKED AND WAED FOR SOMEONE ON STAGE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE LGBTQ MUNY. NO ONE DID. “IN THE ABSENCE OF NOTHG BEG SAID, ADDN TO THE HISTORY, I REALIZED THAT THIS CHURCH WAS NOT FOR ME,” HE RELLED. JABS IS JT ONE OF SEVERAL FORMER HILLSONG CHURCHGOERS AND MIC FANS REVISG THEIR EXPERIENC—MOSTLY NEGATIVE—THIS WEEK ON SOCIAL MEDIA THE WAKE OF ELLEN PAGE CRICIZG CHRIS PRATT’S ASSOCIATN WH THE “ANTI-LGBTQ” CHURCH. PRATT ATTENDS LOS ANGEL’ ZOE CHURCH, A BRANCH OF THE SOCIAL-MEDIA SAVVY HILLSONG FAY EVANGELIL CHURCH TREE. ZOE CHURCH HAS NOT OFFICIALLY E OUT AGAST THE LGBTQ MUNY, THOUGH S PASTOR PRODUCED A FILM THAT EQUATED HOMOSEXUALY WH “SEXUAL BROKENNS.” PRATT FEND HIS PARISH ON INSTAGRAM AGAST PAGE’S CLAIMS, CG THEIR SUPPORT AFTER HIS DIVORCE OM ACTRS ANNA FARIS. “IT IS WHAT I HAVE SEEN THEM DO FOR OTHERS ON UNTLS OCSNS REGARDLS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATN, RACE OR GENR,” HE WROTE.HOWEVER, AS THE DAILY BEAST PREVLY REPORTED, PARENT CHURCH HILLSONG HAS A LENGTHY HISTORY OF GAY NVERSN THERAPY, AND REFG LEARSHIP ROL TO LGBTQ PEOPLE. A REPRENTATIVE FOR HILLSONG CLED TO MENT ON THE CHURCH’S CURRENT LGBTQ BELIEFS, STEAD REFERRG TO GLOBAL SENR PASTOR BRIAN HOTON’S 2015 BLOG TLED, “DO I LOVE GAY PEOPLE?” FOLLOWG BACKLASH AFTER THE FIRG OF JOSH CANFIELD, A GAY MAN WHO SERVED AS HILLSONG’S NYC CHOIR DIRECTOR, OVER HIS SEXUALY, HOTON WROTE, “HILLSONG CHURCH WEL ALL PEOPLE BUT DO NOT AFFIRM ALL LIFTYL. PUT CLEARLY, WE DO NOT AFFIRM A GAY LIFTYLE AND BEE OF THIS WE DO NOT KNOWGLY HAVE ACTIVELY GAY PEOPLE POSNS OF LEARSHIP, EHER PAID OR UNPAID.” THE NEWS ME AS A SHOCK TO MANY WHO DIDN’T EXPECT HOMOPHOBIA WH THE MORN, HIGH-TECH CHURCH. BUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WRER CLARKISHA KENT ALREADY KNEW WHERE THEY STOOD ON HER MUNY. SHE’D DONE HER REARCH A FEW YEARS EARLIER. “I DIDN’T KNOW, BEG A YOUNG QUEER, WHAT THEIR ACTUAL MSAG WERE,” SAID KENT, WHO BEGAN HER VTIGATN AS A UNIVERSY OF CHIGO UNRGRAD 2012. “HILLSONG IS A VERY GOOD STUDY ON HOW TO PACKAGE BIGOTRY.”WHILE NEVER AN OFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE HILLSONG CHURCH, KENT WAS A VOTED FAN OF HILLSONG UNED, ONE OF THREE BANDS THAT PRISE THE CHURCH’S MIC BRANCH. SHE FIRST HEARD THE BAND AT THE NONNOMATNAL 2009 ACQUIRE THE FIRE CHRISTIAN YOUTH NFERENCE NASHVILLE. ATTENDG WH HER BAPTIST TEEN MISTRY GROUP, KENT WAS ENRAPTURED BY HILLSONG UNED’S MOODY, GUAR-DRIVEN TAKE ON CHRISTIAN SONGS AND STAGE “SET UP LIKE A EAK’ BEYONCé NCERT.” THEY BEME PART OF HER DAILY PLAYLIST AS A TEEN. BUT AFTER HEADG OFF TO THE UNIVERSY OF CHIGO, KENT ME OUT AS BISEXUAL AND STARTED REARCHG HILLSONG’S STANCE ON LGBTQ ISSU. SHE QUICKLY LOST FAH A BAND THAT ONCE MA HER FEEL ACCEPTED. “THEY’RE NOT GOG TO PUT ANTI-GAY THEIR LOVE SONGS. THEY’RE SMART FOR THAT, BUT WE GOT TO BE SMARTER,” KENT, WHOSE TWTER THREAD CRIQUG HILLSONG AND PRATT WENT VIRAL EARLIER THIS WEEK, EXPLAED. EVER SCE HILLSONG NYC’S SENR PASTOR CARL LENTZ JOED JT BIEBER’S ENTOURAGE 2017, MEDIA OUTLETS ROUTELY VER THE INSTAGRAM-IENDLY EVANGELIL CHURCH BUT ONLY OCSNALLY EXPLORE THEIR NOT-SO-PICTURQUE PAST. IN AUGT 2018, THE CUT OUTLED THE MANY CELEBRY NNECTNS TO EVANGELIL PASTORS OM THE KARDASHIANS AND VO CHURCH’S RICH WILKERSON TO CHRIS PRATT AND ZOE CHURCH’S CHAD VEACH.IN THE PIECE, WRER LEA CEASRE—WHO INTIFI AS STRAIGHT—RE-EXAMED HER TIME ATTENDG HILLSONG NYC FOUR YEARS EARLIER. “I THOUGHT I HAD MOVED ON WH MY LIFE. THIS WASN’T A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE MY LIFE,” CEASRE SAID. “NO ONE HAD OPENLY E OUT TO ME THERE, BUT I HAD SOME IENDS WHO WANTED TO JO THAT WERE GAY. IT WAS THIS WEIRD THG WHERE I ULDN’T VE THEM OR TALK ABOUT .”CEASRE, TIRED OF READG LARGELY POSIVE, CELEBRY-FOCED ARTICL ON THE CHURCH, WROTE A PERSONAL SAY FOR THE OUTLE SEPTEMBER 2018 ABOUT LEAVG BEHD THE “RETROGRA VALU” OF HILLSONG. SHE LLED THE EXPERIENCE LARGELY POSIVE, APPRECIATG THE NGREGATN’S RACIAL DIVERSY AND MUNY SERVICE. BUT SHE ULDN’T STOMACH THE “SHADY AND DISGENUO” FOC ON CELEBRY WHILE BEG “SHUNNED” FOR QUTNG THEIR FOC ON TRADNAL MARRIAGE. HER PARTURE WASN’T WHOUT RAMIFITNS. “IT WAS ME LEAVG THAT REALLY END OUR IENDSHIP,” SHE SAID OF THE IEND WHO FIRST BROUGHT HER TO HILLSONG. “I DIDN’T GET THE SENSE HE WAS GOG TO E AROUND TO ANYTHG I WAS GOG TO SAY.”CEASRE’S ARTICLE EXPERIENCED A RURGENCE ON TWTER THIS WEEK, AND SHE’S FIELDG MSAG OM CURRENT AND FORMER HILLSONG PARISHNERS OFFERG SIAR EXPERIENC. SHE NO LONGER FEELS ALONE HER RISTANCE TO HILLSONG BUT IS TRATED THAT PRATT AND OTHER CELEBRI WON’T NDIDLY DISCS THE CHURCH’S HOMOPHOBIA. IT’S A SENTIMENT ECHOED BY JABS, WHO LEFT THE 2017 HILLSONG CONFERENCE NVCED HE WOULDN’T RETURN TO THE CHURCH. HE DON’T HOLD ANY RENTMENT TOWARD GOMEZ—WHO PENNED A LETTER TO THE LGBT MUNY FOR BILLBOARD 2017—OR PRATT’S ASSOCIATNS WH THE CHURCH. HE JT WANTS THEM TO ADDRS S NOT-SO-SECRETIVE HISTORY. REPRENTATIV FOR PRATT, GOMEZ AND ZOE CHURCH DID NOT RETURN REQUTS FOR MENT. “THIS CHURCH HAS A PROBLEM WH ME. IT’S OK IF THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF VIEW,” HE SAID. “WE’RE GIVG THEM A CHANCE TO TELL WHAT THEY BELIEVE, AND BY THEM NOT TAKG THAT CHANCE, ’S BASILLY THEM TELLG THEY DON’T BELIEVE AS HUMAN BEGS AND WHO WE ARE.” JOSEPH LONGO
CARL LENTZ ON HILLSONG'S 'GAY-WELG' STANCE: CHURCH SEEKS TO 'REACH ALL PEOPLE'

JT BIEBER SPARKS GAY SPECULATN AFTER ACCG PASTOR RICH WILKERSON OF CHEATG

Hillsong Church says they are a "gay welg" ngregatn, even though they are not gay affirmg. Hillsong pastor Carl Lents explas how they are attemptg to thk through and navigate this difficult issue. * carl lentz gay marriage *

As the "Baby" hmaker sound like a disgntled ex, some people uldn't help thkg that he and the pastor were gay lovers. "Yeah they were gay, " one suggted. While his church holds to a tradnal view of sexualy that do not affirm “gay liftyl” and believ marriage n only be between a man and woman, the church is managg to draw an “creasg number” of LGBT people to their servic.

Hillsong’s Senr Pastor, Brian Hoton, has said that his church is “gay welg” even though they are not gay affirmg.

CARL LENTZ ON HOW HILLSONG CHURCH IS BEG ‘GAY WELG’ WHOUT PROMISG THEIR NVICTNS

What ncerns me is that seems like more people are ncerned about our “method, ” spe the fact ’s workg, than they are the young gay teens that are killg themselv, and the LGBT muny at large that has found zero refuge our “church. Regardg whether Hillsong Church allows “openly gay people to serve at church”. Hillsong NYC Lead Pastor on Homosexualy: Not His Job to Be People's 'Judge and Jury'Pastor Carl Lentz of Hillsong NYC appears on "Kae" wh Katie Couric a Thursday, Dec.

| (Photo: Disney/ABC)Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz has ma clear that he will not take a public stance on social issu like homosexualy bee, as he said durg media appearanc this week, that is not the example J Christ mols the asked durg an terview wh Katie Couric on her self-tled daytime show if he felt that he had a moral imperative to speak publicly about "some of the more ntroversial issu, " Lentz said, "No, bee we try to be like J. "Lentz's pre-rerd appearance on "Katie" aired Thursday, the same day the Hillsong NYC pastor vised HuffPost Live and was asked siar qutns about the same Ahmed Shihab-Eld asked Lentz, 35, if same-sex upl were weled to attend the popular megachurch, which prompted the Pentestal pastor to speak out agast crics who sist that he needs to make a public stance on homosexualy and other social issu.

"Asked if he was " a posn to support homosexual upl, " the married father said, was not his job to be a judge and jury for others.

J NEVER DISCSED HOMOSEXUALY PUBLICLY, SAYS MEGACHURCH PASTOR OF HIS REFAL TO TALK OPENLY ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE

"If I sat down wh a homosexual uple and they ask me what I thought about their relatnship, I would tell them, and would be at their table and would be our bs. " said Christian mister said that he had gay iends and people whom he lov who are "right the thick of that bate, " which he will not be participatg publicly, at least not om the Hillsong NYC pulp.

| (Photo: Vimeo/Hillsong Colege)Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz mented a recently aired CNN feature on his megachurch why he ref to publicly exprs his posn on homosexualy by notg that J, who "was the thick of an era where homosexualy … was wildly prevalent, " did not addrs the issue "on the rerd ont of people. "Lentz ma the remark when CNN reporter Poppy Harlow noted an terview wh the pastor and his wife, Lra Lentz, "Every article I've read about you guys says you cle to discs gay marriage. "When to homosexualy, I refe to let another human beg or a media moment dictate how we approach .

J was the thick of an era where homosexualy, jt like is today, was wily prevalent. "The uple shared that gay men and women were weled at Hillsong NYC, wh Lentz statg, "We have a lot of gay men and women our church and I pray we always do.

HILLSONG PASTOR CARL LENTZ IS ASKED FOR HIS STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE — HERE’S HIS RPONSE

” sayg that ’s a “non-issue” sce gay marriage is now legal. “Marriage equaly, ’s a non-issue, bee the laws of the land New York Cy — gay people n get married.

Lentz’s gay marriage ments e after a separate ntroversy over his statements about abortn on “The View. Servic may have featured pastors wearg expensive sneakers and a band wh electric guars, but the mistry at the heart of Hillsong was as nservative as most tradnal evangelilism: anti-gay marriage, anti-abortn, and head up primarily by a dre of straight, whe men. Pratt posted a rponse to this cricism fense of the church, sayg that Hillsong "opens their doors to absolutely everyone, " spe the fact that the Hillsong webse mak clear that the church don't affirm a "gay liftyle.