Gay Couple at Center of Hillsong Controversy Say They've Been 'Open and Forthright' About Relatnship 'From the Get-Go' | Church & Mistri News

Contents:

• GAY, EX-HILLSONG LEAR SPEAKS ABOUT EXPERIENCE WH UNCLEAR POLICY
• GAY COUPLE AT CENTER OF HILLSONG CONTROVERSY SAY THEY'VE BEEN 'OPEN AND FORTHRIGHT' ABOUT RELATNSHIP 'FROM THE GET-GO'
• HILLSONG NYC'S GAY UPLE SAY THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN 'OPEN AND FORTHRIGHT' ABOUT RELATNSHIP
• “WE HAVE A LOT OF GAY MEN AND WOMEN OUR CHURCH AND I PRAY WE ALWAYS DO.” – PASTOR CARL LENTZ, HILLSONG NYC
• MEGACHURCH PASTOR SIGNALS SHIFT TONE ON GAY MARRIAGE
• CARL LENTZ ON HOW HILLSONG CHURCH IS BEG ‘GAY WELG’ WHOUT PROMISG THEIR NVICTNS
• HILLSONG'S BRIAN HOTON ON GAY MARRIAGE: 'I BELIEVE THE WRGS OF PL ARE CLEAR ON THIS SUBJECT'
• HILLSONG NYC'S GAY UPLE SAY THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN 'OPEN AND FORTHRIGHT' ABOUT RELATNSHIP

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.

GAY COUPLE AT CENTER OF HILLSONG CONTROVERSY SAY THEY'VE BEEN 'OPEN AND FORTHRIGHT' ABOUT RELATNSHIP 'FROM THE GET-GO'

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.

HILLSONG NYC'S GAY UPLE SAY THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN 'OPEN AND FORTHRIGHT' ABOUT RELATNSHIP

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

“WE HAVE A LOT OF GAY MEN AND WOMEN OUR CHURCH AND I PRAY WE ALWAYS DO.” – PASTOR CARL LENTZ, HILLSONG NYC

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.

MEGACHURCH PASTOR SIGNALS SHIFT TONE ON GAY MARRIAGE

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 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.

Hillsong Senr Pastor weighs on the mor the New York Cy Camp has a practicg gay choir director. In se you hadn't seen the headl, there's a story floatg around that claims Hillsong Church has an openly gay uple directg a choir at the New York cy mp.

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

Many tomatilly believed the story, perhaps bee Hillsong Senr Pastor Brian Hoton once said he would not take a public stand on gay issu and New York mp pastor Carl Lentz waffled on Hoton is clarifyg what happened.

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

"Hillsong's posn on homosexualy and gay marriage has not changed and is nsistent wh Scripture. | (Photo: The Christian Post/Stt Liu)The two gay men at the center of a ntroversy regardg their volvement wh popular and fluential Hillsong Church sist they have been open about their relatnship om the very begng, and "have been nversatn wh Hillsong NYC's lead pastors regardg the church's non-LGBT affirmg stance.

""The drama that is unfoldg at the moment all revolv around the fact that we have been heavily volved our church, Hillsong NYC, " reads a public statement wrten by Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly, the gay uple highlighted a viral blog post cril of their volvement wh the megachurch. "Geofey Grir, a Christian mister, published a viral blog post on Hillsong NYC's openly gay and engaged members, Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly, on Sunday, Augt 2. | (Photo: Google Pl)The gay uple, who are engaged, go on to refer to their "openns and very public appearance together" on the CBS realy show "Survivor" as the reason for their "nversatn wh Hillsong NYC's lead pastors regardg the church's non-LGBT affirmg stance.

HILLSONG NYC'S GAY UPLE SAY THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN 'OPEN AND FORTHRIGHT' ABOUT RELATNSHIP

"Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly, two openly gay men who are also engaged, published a statement onle about their relatnship wh Hillsong Church New York Cy, on Augt 7, 2015. | (Photo:)"Hillsong has many mp around the world, many plac where gay marriage is now legal, so this has been an ongog dialogue tryg to figure out how and where we, as part of the LGBT muny, f . As a church fay, we have been wadg through the uncharted waters of shiftg culture and social change, " Canfield and Kelly add their men pot to a viral blog post at that is cril of Hillsong NYC "for allowg to serve when we are 'unrepentantly embracg [our] s' as homosexuals.

Hoton also re-affirmed Hillsong Church's biblil nvictns on human sexualy and s posn regardg LGBT worshippers his own lengthy blog post tled, "Do I Love Gay People? Due to s populary and Lentz's apparent unnventnal style, Hillsong NYC has been vered extensively by the relig and secular prs sce lnched servic October his statement, Hoton wr:"I wish to rrect reports that Hillsong church has 'an openly gay uple directg a choir' at our New York Cy mp.