‘We are sorry’: Hillsong apologises for Brian Houston conduct breach

[stu]

The following, and I quote, is not belittling, denigrating, and disrespecting?

"Anyway, despiteall that nasty bs you've clearly been brainwashed into,"

How would you feel on the anniversary on which you remember someone's sacrifice you very much care about, and I start to joke about chocolate and bunnies, irrelevant stuff, both stuff pagans have introduced and which has nothing whatsoever to do with the original meaning of Easter? How would that make you feel? Respected? Let's say your wife had a fatal accident and I walk by and say "hey smile, after all your wife did a service to the world and disappeared, one less to destroy the environment". You would not think how inappropriate, disrespectful, and weird I am?

It's ok you have different opinions and beliefs but why do you have to put down the others for their belief in a God that you clearly cannot disprove? What has this God done to you or I done to you?

Fair up to a point, but my comment wasn't a direct personal attack in the way your response was. Aren't you supposed to be the one who 'turns the other cheek' ?

No dude, I can't drum up respect for a so called anniversary on which you remember a fictional character from an ancient story book.

Once again you are making false equivalence to equate respect for personal loss of a loved one who really had existed in one's life, against an imaginary supernatural figure doing things straight out of an episode of The Walking Dead.

The whole Christian thing is too silly and so absurd in its preposterousness it deserves all the disparagement and derision it receives.

As far as disproving God goes, the very fact that you can't prove God along with every other mythical concept is sufficient disproof.

I respect your right to believe, I don't respect your beliefs.

 

[M.W.]

You are creating your own talking point and arguments. I never suggested respecting a holiday. I asked to respect each other regardless of their faith or belief.

You cannot prove or disprove anything about God yet denigrate it as a fictional character. You are being nasty and try to belittle others because they believe in something that makes no sense to you. Of course you now reply that you have never been nasty and here we come full circle.

I made my points clear. I respect everyone regardless of their faith. I would wish we can all at least respect our basic being. I dislike organized religion and every crime that was committed in the name of organized religion probably more than you do. Hate the sin, love the sinner. Peace and Happy Easter,..., I mean, hope you find all the eggs that are stuck up your....

Fair up to a point, but my comment wasn't a direct personal attack in the way your response was. Aren't you supposed to be the one who 'turns the other cheek' ?

No dude, I can't drum up respect for a so called anniversary on which you remember a fictional character from an ancient story book.

Once again you are making false equivalence to equate respect for personal loss of a loved one who really had existed in one's life, against an imaginary supernatural figure doing things straight out of an episode of The Walking Dead.

The whole Christian thing is too silly and so absurd in its preposterousness it deserves all the disparagement and derision it receives.

As far as disproving God goes, the very fact that you can't prove God along with every other mythical concept is sufficient disproof.

I respect your right to believe, I don't respect your beliefs.

 

[stu]

I never suggested respecting a holiday.

How would you feel on the anniversary on which you remember someone's sacrifice

I asked to respect each other regardless of their faith or belief.

and I said, I respect your right to believe, not your belief.

You cannot prove or disprove anything about God yet denigrate it as a fictional character.

Mythical ideas do tend to be fictional.

I would wish we can all at least respect our basic being

I mean, hope you find all the eggs that are stuck up your....

True Godliness.
You were saying about having respect for each other?
I suppose you must mean, unlike yourself, whose head is stuck up there.

 

[themickey]

LMAO

 

[themickey]

Breaking news...Theaustralian newspaper

More scandal.

 

[themickey]

Hillsong Church Founder Brian Houston Is A Multimillionaire
By Keith Calayag on May 23 2022 10:38 PM
https://www.ibtimes.com.au/hillsong-church-founder-brian-houston-multimillionaire-1819227

Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston speaks on stage during the Hillsong Atlanta grand opening at Hillsong Atlanta on June 06, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Brian Houston built a massive fortune as co-founder and global senior pastor at Australia-based megachurch Hillsong Church. Here's a look at the pastor's net worth and career.

Houston resigned as global senior pastor at Hillsong Church in March following complaints of inappropriate behavior against him. The 68-year-old evangelist, who is married to wife Bobbie, was accused of sending "inappropriate text messages" to a member of the church's staff and "spending time with the female occupant" of a "hotel room that was not his" at a Hillsong conference, CBS News reported.

Months before his resignation, he announced that he would be stepping aside from all ministry responsibilities after he was charged in Sydney, Australia, with concealing child sex offenses in August 2021.

Houston knew information related to his late preacher father's sexual abuse of a young boy in the 1970s but did not report the information to police, authorities alleged. His father confessed to the abuse before he died in 2004 at age 82, the Associated Press reported.

Today, Houston has an estimated net worth of $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
More.....
https://www.ibtimes.com.au/hillsong-church-founder-brian-houston-multimillionaire-1819227

 

[themickey]

Hillsong Hires Former Disgraced Television Star
May 13, 2022 by Matthew Distefano
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/allsetfree/2022/05/hillsong-hires-former-disgraced-television-star/

New York City, NY – Over the past few years, Hillsong Church has been in the news for a variety of reasons, many of which have to do with their culture of misconduct and abuses of power.

From celebrity pastor Carl Lentz to founder Brian Houston, it seems that controversy follows the megachurch wherever it goes.

The recent hiring of Matt Lauer, former disgraced host of “Today,” is the most recent action to raise more than a few eyebrows.

Lauer, best known for his sexual abuses, doesn’t seem like someone a church would turn to in order to head up public relations. But after “giving his heart to the Lord,” the megachurch is ready to give him a second chance.

“He’s proven to be a perfect fit for our church,” says staffer Carl Ferny. “He has a great rapport with women, he’s a trustworthy man, he’s got celebrity contacts, and he’s repented of his past improprieties. What more could you ask for? He’ll be heading up our public relations department, managing a team of about twelve interns, most of them younger women who are eager to learn from a titan of the media world, and will speak from the pulpit from time to time. I look forward to this partnership for years to come.”

Not everyone involved with Hillsong is as excited as Ferny.

“It’s just one bad decision after another,” said an anonymous intern. “Lentz. Houston. Bogard. And now Lauer? A bunch of power-hungry men with dubious pasts running the show! It’s sick, really.”

To date, we have not been able to catch up with Lauer, but he did post the following to his Twitter account, detailing a few things for us:

“I’m happy to announce that I’m back! All glory to God and to Hillsong Church. I can’t wait to get to work. Lauer and Hellsong [sic], a match made in heaven.”

The typo in “Hillsong” was not lost on us, and probably says more about this partnership than anything else.

 

[themickey]

Whistleblower lawsuit alleges financial misconduct and dubious expenditures inside Hillsong Church
ABC Investigations
Exclusive by Hagar Cohen and Kevin Nguyen Posted 12 hours ago
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08...egedly-mislead-charities-regulators/101324578

Federal Court documents reveal Hillsong Church is being investigated by the Australian charities regulator.(Supplied: Hillsong)

A whistleblower suing Hillsong in the Federal Court has alleged the megachurch moved millions of dollars in payments through overseas entities to avoid scrutiny by the Australian charities regulator.

Key points:

• • Former Hillsong employee Natalie Moses has filed a case against Hillsong, claiming it breached the Fair Work Act
  • She alleges her internal audits of Hillsong uncovered dubious bookkeeping unlikely to be compliant with legislation
  • Hillsong's lawyers told the ABC it will be defending the matter

ABC Investigations can reveal the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) launched an investigation into Hillsong in March, which is examining its compliance obligations as a registered charity.

The existence of the ACNC probe was revealed in Federal Court documents lodged by former Hillsong employee Natalie Moses on Wednesday as part of a Fair Work case against the church.

The documents allege dubious financial record-keeping, the misappropriation of church finances, and claim Hillsong leaders used tax-free money for "large cash gifts" to Hillsong founder Brian Houston and his family.

The 25-page statement of claim filed by Ms Moses's lawyers at Maurice Blackburn includes accusations Hillsong illegally hid its international transfers by making payments through its US-based entities.

Hillsong Church is yet to file a response in the Federal Court and Ms Moses is the sole source of the allegations in her statement of claim.

The church's lawyers told the ABC it will defend the matter.

"We are further instructed that Hillsong is continuing to work with the enquiries made by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission," they said.

"As the matter is now before the Federal Court of Australia, it is inappropriate to make any further comment."

Ms Moses, who worked within the church's financial department, claimed the Australian leadership team suspended her employment after she refused a directive to deceive regulators about its overseas activities.

Natalie Moses was employed by Hillsong for more than two years.(Supplied)

Her lawyers argue Hillsong contravened the Fair Work Act, claiming it breached its own whistleblower policy by preventing her from raising serious complaints about the church's financial operations.

"There are very serious allegations that our client makes about Hillsong effectively misleading an investigation [by] the ACNC," Josh Bornstein, who is representing Ms Moses in her employment law case, said.

"There are concerns that Australian taxpayers are being ripped off by Hillsong.

"On top of that, [the allegations] also raise moral and ethical issues about the conduct of a religious institution and what appears to be a cowboy culture operating within that empire."

Hillsong's global empire includes campuses, ministries, and musicians across six continents.(Facebook: Hillsong)

Court documents allege internal audits conducted by Ms Moses uncovered dubious bookkeeping unlikely to be compliant with legislation and which would bring the church into disrepute if those details were ever made public.

She claims this included leaders making "significant" gifts to church directors and their family and friends, as well as using credit cards to pay for international travel and designer products.

Hillsong was misleading donors, whistleblower alleges
Ms Moses was employed as the church's fundraising and governance coordinator on March 25, 2020.

Her responsibilities included ensuring the "Hillsong Global Corporate Group" — entities overseeing religious and business activities across Australia, the US and the UK — were compliant under the Australian Charities Not-for-Profit (ACNFP) Act.

She alleged in her statement of claim the church repeatedly breached charity rules, particularly in regard to transferring money to fund overseas projects.

Hillsong's chief financial officer Peter Ridley.(Linkedin: Supplied )

Many Australian Hillsong entities are prohibited from doing this because the money would no longer be subjected to local oversight designed to ensure the funds are appropriately spent on charitable services.

Ms Moses claimed she regularly raised concerns with chief financial officer Peter Ridley about how Hillsong should manage its financial operations.

The statement of claim suggested the two were often at loggerheads about the church's compliance obligations.

During a telephone call in early March 2022, Ms Moses alleges she raised the alarm about Australian Hillsong entities asking for donations to renovate Melbourne's iconic "Festival Hall", which was purchased by a Hillsong-related entity in 2020.

She allegedly warned Mr Ridley the church may be committing fraud and misleading its followers by spending money it was falsely claiming was tax deductible.

Hillsong Church was receiving donations to renovate the iconic Festival Hall in Melbourne.(Supplied: Ruel/Michelle Grace Hunder)

She also complained it was unethical and illegal for the church to use tax-deductible donations given to its charity arm, the Hillsong Foundation Trust, in 2022 to cover the church's $9 million deficit.

The Hillsong Foundation Trust's stated mission is "to bring care and justice to vulnerable groups in the name of Jesus".

Ms Moses alleges during the telephone call Mr Ridley "became angry and dismissive and said he just did not understand what Ms Moses' problem was".

'God protects the righteous'
Less than a month after the Festival Hall conversation, the ACNC commenced an investigation into four Australian Hillsong entities to determine if the church was complying with its legal obligations.

At about the same time, Ms Moses was tasked with preparing internal responses to the ACNC investigation.

It was during a March 29, 2022 meeting that Mr Ridley allegedly told key members of the financial department that the charity regulator was putting Hillsong under the microscope.

The statement of claim said the chief financial officer declared in this meeting that God would shield Hillsong during the probe because "God protects the righteous and Hillsong is the righteous".

Ms Moses said it was after this March 29 meeting that she approached the ACNC anonymously about making a whistleblower inquiry and was advised to obtain independent legal advice.

It is alleged that in this meeting Mr Ridley instructed Hillsong's financial controller to not proceed with a pending cash payment representing five per cent of the megachurch's income, but instead offset it against money owing.

"The consequence was that there was no record of any cash payment from Hillsong Church to the United States of America," the statement of claim reads.

Ms Moses also alleged Mr Ridley directed the finance department to reverse a payment owed to a pastor responsible for Hillsong Tokyo as a "transaction error" and instead make the same payment from the US-based Hillsong Global entity.

An ACNC spokesperson said it was "unable to comment or confirm on compliance activity unless it is already in the public domain, or if we take action against a charity".

"Such action includes issuing warnings and directions, suspending or removing responsible persons, and ultimately, revoking charity registration," the spokesperson told the ABC.

Ms Moses claimed she ultimately decided against lodging a whistleblower inquiry because she hoped the ACNC's investigation would force the church to rectify its compliance issues.

However, she continued to keep records and copies of her conversations with Mr Ridley. Her lawyers say she is prepared to produce them in court if necessary.

'Lying could bite him in the butt'
According to the statement of claim, Ms Moses's internal audit of the church's finances uncovered questionable expenditures as well as a need for church leaders to better declare conflicts of interest.

She also alleges artists who were classified as "pastors" were receiving half their salaries tax-free, while also earning millions of dollars in royalties from the sale of music.

On May 30, 2022, Mr Ridley allegedly told ACNC investigators that Hillsong did not send money overseas beyond small service purchases and that its US operations were disassociated from its Australian entities.

Ms Moses claimed she told the chief financial officer he had lied to the regulator and warned the ACNC could easily disprove him by obtaining board documents or making the connection that Australian staff were managing its US entities.

"Ridley's lying could bite him in the butt," the statement of claim reads.

That same month, it is alleged Mr Ridley asked Ms Moses ahead of a meeting with the ACNC to help come up with an acceptable story to give them that would explain transactions between Hillsong's global entities, which had previously concerned the regulator.

"Ms Moses said she was not comfortable coming up with lies to tell the ACNC," her claim reads.

Court documents state the relationship between Ms Moses and Hillsong collapsed about June 10, when she discovered she had lost access to her company emails and share files.

On June 14, she said Hillsong advised her that she was suspended.

The statement of claim said Hillsong expressed concern that Ms Moses had downloaded some 40,000 confidential work documents, something Ms Moses claims was necessary to her daily duties.

Court documents state the next day, on June 15, Hillsong staff were informed Ms Moses was taking personal leave.

Ms Moses alleges she was emailed about 24 hours later by a Hillsong human resources representative who threatened to contact the police if she did not return another laptop issued to her.

The case brought by Ms Moses is expected to be heard in the Federal Court later this year.

 

[TrailerParkTed]

Whistleblower lawsuit alleges financial misconduct and dubious expenditures inside Hillsong Church
ABC Investigations
Exclusive by Hagar Cohen and Kevin Nguyen Posted 12 hours ago
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08...egedly-mislead-charities-regulators/101324578

Federal Court documents reveal Hillsong Church is being investigated by the Australian charities regulator.(Supplied: Hillsong)

A whistleblower suing Hillsong in the Federal Court has alleged the megachurch moved millions of dollars in payments through overseas entities to avoid scrutiny by the Australian charities regulator.

Key points:

• • Former Hillsong employee Natalie Moses has filed a case against Hillsong, claiming it breached the Fair Work Act
  • She alleges her internal audits of Hillsong uncovered dubious bookkeeping unlikely to be compliant with legislation
  • Hillsong's lawyers told the ABC it will be defending the matter

ABC Investigations can reveal the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) launched an investigation into Hillsong in March, which is examining its compliance obligations as a registered charity.

The existence of the ACNC probe was revealed in Federal Court documents lodged by former Hillsong employee Natalie Moses on Wednesday as part of a Fair Work case against the church.

The documents allege dubious financial record-keeping, the misappropriation of church finances, and claim Hillsong leaders used tax-free money for "large cash gifts" to Hillsong founder Brian Houston and his family.

The 25-page statement of claim filed by Ms Moses's lawyers at Maurice Blackburn includes accusations Hillsong illegally hid its international transfers by making payments through its US-based entities.

Hillsong Church is yet to file a response in the Federal Court and Ms Moses is the sole source of the allegations in her statement of claim.

The church's lawyers told the ABC it will defend the matter.

"We are further instructed that Hillsong is continuing to work with the enquiries made by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission," they said.

"As the matter is now before the Federal Court of Australia, it is inappropriate to make any further comment."

Ms Moses, who worked within the church's financial department, claimed the Australian leadership team suspended her employment after she refused a directive to deceive regulators about its overseas activities.

Natalie Moses was employed by Hillsong for more than two years.(Supplied)

Her lawyers argue Hillsong contravened the Fair Work Act, claiming it breached its own whistleblower policy by preventing her from raising serious complaints about the church's financial operations.

"There are very serious allegations that our client makes about Hillsong effectively misleading an investigation [by] the ACNC," Josh Bornstein, who is representing Ms Moses in her employment law case, said.

"There are concerns that Australian taxpayers are being ripped off by Hillsong.

"On top of that, [the allegations] also raise moral and ethical issues about the conduct of a religious institution and what appears to be a cowboy culture operating within that empire."

Hillsong's global empire includes campuses, ministries, and musicians across six continents.(Facebook: Hillsong)

Court documents allege internal audits conducted by Ms Moses uncovered dubious bookkeeping unlikely to be compliant with legislation and which would bring the church into disrepute if those details were ever made public.

She claims this included leaders making "significant" gifts to church directors and their family and friends, as well as using credit cards to pay for international travel and designer products.

Hillsong was misleading donors, whistleblower alleges
Ms Moses was employed as the church's fundraising and governance coordinator on March 25, 2020.

Her responsibilities included ensuring the "Hillsong Global Corporate Group" — entities overseeing religious and business activities across Australia, the US and the UK — were compliant under the Australian Charities Not-for-Profit (ACNFP) Act.

She alleged in her statement of claim the church repeatedly breached charity rules, particularly in regard to transferring money to fund overseas projects.

Hillsong's chief financial officer Peter Ridley.(Linkedin: Supplied )

Many Australian Hillsong entities are prohibited from doing this because the money would no longer be subjected to local oversight designed to ensure the funds are appropriately spent on charitable services.

Ms Moses claimed she regularly raised concerns with chief financial officer Peter Ridley about how Hillsong should manage its financial operations.

The statement of claim suggested the two were often at loggerheads about the church's compliance obligations.

During a telephone call in early March 2022, Ms Moses alleges she raised the alarm about Australian Hillsong entities asking for donations to renovate Melbourne's iconic "Festival Hall", which was purchased by a Hillsong-related entity in 2020.

She allegedly warned Mr Ridley the church may be committing fraud and misleading its followers by spending money it was falsely claiming was tax deductible.

Hillsong Church was receiving donations to renovate the iconic Festival Hall in Melbourne.(Supplied: Ruel/Michelle Grace Hunder)

She also complained it was unethical and illegal for the church to use tax-deductible donations given to its charity arm, the Hillsong Foundation Trust, in 2022 to cover the church's $9 million deficit.

The Hillsong Foundation Trust's stated mission is "to bring care and justice to vulnerable groups in the name of Jesus".

Ms Moses alleges during the telephone call Mr Ridley "became angry and dismissive and said he just did not understand what Ms Moses' problem was".

'God protects the righteous'
Less than a month after the Festival Hall conversation, the ACNC commenced an investigation into four Australian Hillsong entities to determine if the church was complying with its legal obligations.

At about the same time, Ms Moses was tasked with preparing internal responses to the ACNC investigation.

It was during a March 29, 2022 meeting that Mr Ridley allegedly told key members of the financial department that the charity regulator was putting Hillsong under the microscope.

The statement of claim said the chief financial officer declared in this meeting that God would shield Hillsong during the probe because "God protects the righteous and Hillsong is the righteous".

Ms Moses said it was after this March 29 meeting that she approached the ACNC anonymously about making a whistleblower inquiry and was advised to obtain independent legal advice.

It is alleged that in this meeting Mr Ridley instructed Hillsong's financial controller to not proceed with a pending cash payment representing five per cent of the megachurch's income, but instead offset it against money owing.

"The consequence was that there was no record of any cash payment from Hillsong Church to the United States of America," the statement of claim reads.

Ms Moses also alleged Mr Ridley directed the finance department to reverse a payment owed to a pastor responsible for Hillsong Tokyo as a "transaction error" and instead make the same payment from the US-based Hillsong Global entity.

An ACNC spokesperson said it was "unable to comment or confirm on compliance activity unless it is already in the public domain, or if we take action against a charity".

"Such action includes issuing warnings and directions, suspending or removing responsible persons, and ultimately, revoking charity registration," the spokesperson told the ABC.

Ms Moses claimed she ultimately decided against lodging a whistleblower inquiry because she hoped the ACNC's investigation would force the church to rectify its compliance issues.

However, she continued to keep records and copies of her conversations with Mr Ridley. Her lawyers say she is prepared to produce them in court if necessary.

'Lying could bite him in the butt'
According to the statement of claim, Ms Moses's internal audit of the church's finances uncovered questionable expenditures as well as a need for church leaders to better declare conflicts of interest.

She also alleges artists who were classified as "pastors" were receiving half their salaries tax-free, while also earning millions of dollars in royalties from the sale of music.

On May 30, 2022, Mr Ridley allegedly told ACNC investigators that Hillsong did not send money overseas beyond small service purchases and that its US operations were disassociated from its Australian entities.

Ms Moses claimed she told the chief financial officer he had lied to the regulator and warned the ACNC could easily disprove him by obtaining board documents or making the connection that Australian staff were managing its US entities.

"Ridley's lying could bite him in the butt," the statement of claim reads.

That same month, it is alleged Mr Ridley asked Ms Moses ahead of a meeting with the ACNC to help come up with an acceptable story to give them that would explain transactions between Hillsong's global entities, which had previously concerned the regulator.

"Ms Moses said she was not comfortable coming up with lies to tell the ACNC," her claim reads.

Court documents state the relationship between Ms Moses and Hillsong collapsed about June 10, when she discovered she had lost access to her company emails and share files.

On June 14, she said Hillsong advised her that she was suspended.

The statement of claim said Hillsong expressed concern that Ms Moses had downloaded some 40,000 confidential work documents, something Ms Moses claims was necessary to her daily duties.

Court documents state the next day, on June 15, Hillsong staff were informed Ms Moses was taking personal leave.

Ms Moses alleges she was emailed about 24 hours later by a Hillsong human resources representative who threatened to contact the police if she did not return another laptop issued to her.

The case brought by Ms Moses is expected to be heard in the Federal Court later this year.

Some Evangelical leaders around the World would gladly kill Huss, Wycliff, Luther, Latimer and Ridley! Selling modern day indulgences while preaching lies. The Hophni and Phineas of Judaism.

 

[themickey]

Some Evangelical leaders around the World would gladly kill Huss, Wycliff, Luther, Latimer and Ridley! Selling modern day indulgences while preaching lies. The Hophni and Phineas of Judaism.

Religion, just another racket that humans love to perpetuate on one another.
But like Trump stooges, there are many suckers for bs.