Joel, all I asked you for last time was to bring forward one audio file of a sound biblical presentation of the gospel that has been preached at Hillsong. It is a sincere question and I will be sincerely happy if you can show one to me. It shouldn't be difficult considering the many thousands of souls that get saved at Hillsong church.
Joel responded with these words:
Cameron, the offer still stands to meet with me over any of the gospel presentations I have delivered. And to all of you, as I have previously offered, I would be happy to sit with you over coffee.
For someone who lives in Denmark, Sydney would be a long commute so I asked Joel if we could speak over Skype. Joel then informed me that it was coffee or nothing. I don't know what this thing is about coffee?? Does he want to put something in my coffee? Anyway, I would like to extend the offer to my Aussie friends to take up Joel's offer to meet over coffee. He is not entirely unreasonable even if he has an unnatural aversion to Skype. Maybe you can plead with him over the Gospel preached at Hillsong. Wouldn't it be awesome if a preacher stood up in Hillsong and preached the biblical Gospel - now that would be a landmark day!Go Back To Part 6
Go Back To Part 1
6 comments:
http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/briefing/library/3883/
Here is a very interesting article re: Hillsong. Written in Jan 2007 but still relevant as nothing has changed.
Good work Cameron. To put it mildly this is egregious behaviour by an organisation as influential as Hillsong to be editing scripture.
Perhaps it is due to the daily overload of media information, but I am surprised that the issues you have so meticulously laid out are not discussed in wider circles.
Or maybe I just have not been visiting the correct blogs.
I commend your tenacity and am always thankful to find true believers who are not afraid to wield the tools of discernment for the sake of truth, the Gospel and ultimately for the glory of God.
Soli Deo gloria
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Prov 18:21
Are you speaking life or death?
1But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 1 Corinthians 3:13
1But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? I Cor. 13
I'd be happy to talk with Mr A'Bell next time I am in Sydney on your behalf, though I doubt I'd do you justice!!!
The thing that strikes me hardest in all of this is such a sense of pride that refuses to acknowledge that they may not be doing something very well. What does it say about the state of their hearts that they are unwilling to receive a loving rebuke from a brother? Matthew 18:15-20 anyone?
Greetings. While I'm an Australian I don't drink coffee(seriously don't get it either; seems coffee is as big an idol as money these days). I could do it anyway, but I've never been to Hillsong and not sure I ever intend to.
Many people I know have been to Hillsong conference and I believe they have a 'branch' in Melbourne now, so I could go there easily enough, but I've never been keen. Aside from the allegations you've made I have an issue with Hillsong representing what I call 'pilgrimage mentality'. Several times people from my Church have taken a bus interstate(which is a bigger deal here), travelling for hours to Sydney for a week-long 'spiritual high' that always seems to dissipate in the week afterward. It reminds me of Paul's 'milk' analogy, or - to reference a more poignant liquid simile - it's like drinking a Red Bull for lunch.
Speaking of bulls, you mentioned in another post that Hillsong is a 'sacred cow' here(Australia). With a slight pang of patriotism I went to say 'No it's n..' but ended up sighing 'ahh, who am I kidding, it's a sanctimonious heifer alright'...
The trouble is it's probably the largest conglomerate Church in our nation. The mere fact that's it's comparable to an American mega-church(even to the point of international influence there and elsewhere) considering our relatively small population says a lot; as does the fact that I heard a lot of Hillsong worship songs, in Spanish, when I went to Peru recently(pretty much all I heard in most Churches we ministered at).
Honestly, there's not many Australian's who could say something against it and actually be recognised. Tim Costello did criticise their prosperity doctrine a while back, but that's the only major criticism I'm aware of from a known Christian Australian. In saying that I am, of course, part of the problem; tough love is the hardest type of love, as the apologist must be constantly aware. In saying that I certainly intend to ask some pointed questions next time the topic arises and maybe even bring it up at my Bible study(where several members have attended Hillsong events on multiples occasions). Prayer for me and my nation would be much appreciated.
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