“Jesus replied, ‘Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures…'” – Matthew 22:29
Let me begin by telling you what this is not: this is not me bashing Hillsong Church, Brian Houston, or Carl Lentz. This is also not a knee-jerk reaction. I have spent much time in prayer and contemplation before writing this series of blog posts. The purpose of these entries is to make a public declaration that I will stand for truth–the whole truth–as presented by the Holy Spirit through Scriptures…even if it means no longer supporting a ministry that has been a blessing to me in the past (through their music). I am writing this to expose what I see as egregious errors presented by one of their pastors in a recent interview. I will accomplish this by providing a Biblical and loving response to each of the comments I have a problem with. What you do with this information is entirely between you and God.
The Same-Sex Controversy
If you’ve been paying attention to Christian news lately, you are already aware of the controversy surrounding Hillsong Pastor and founder Brian Houston. If you’ve not been following the news, Houston gave a non-committal answer to the media concerning same-sex marriage, and later released a statement clarifying his stand. Some have accepted his clarification; some have not. I have included the links to both statements in the text above. I will let you read them and draw your own conclusions. I will only say that what I personally find suspicious is that Houston blames the media for misrepresenting what he said. In the age in which we live, if he had taken a hard-line stand against same-sex marriage in the interview, you can be certain they would quoted him word for word! The Biblical stand on same-sex marriage is the world’s newest way to demonize Christians and the Church, so they would have been on it like sharks on chum (if you don’t believe me, check out the media’s treatment of Chick-fil-a owner S. Truett Cathy) and it would have been splashed over headlines around the world. But, as Houston did not take a hard-line stand from the start, it has led to much scrutiny and suspicion of the founder of the multi-site mega-church and doubts about the Biblical soundness of the teachings of Hillsong Church in general. Many remain skeptical. Myself included.
Enter Carl Letz
Before the Houston fervor could die down, Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz was on CNN making waves. I will share the video below. Please watch it for yourself and then join me after the break.
*[When I went to check the link to the original video I posted I received this message from Youtube: "This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated." Interesting timing--don't you think? It may be something, may not be. Just interesting.]
I don’t have a problem with the way Lentz looks or the music in the church. But I do have a problem with several of his statements, and I will post his quotes here along with my responses. What he said will not be “misconstrued” or “misrepresented.” In this series, we will quote his words verbatim.
I will also include the reporter’s editorial comments when necessary for the sake of context. As is true with Scripture, context is all-important.
Here we go.
Reporter: He [Lentz] says he’s been blocked from visiting inmates because prison staff thought he looked more like a criminal than a cleric.
Lentz: It’s so funny when people make comments about the way that we look, almost like it’s…uh…they don’t mean to be judgmental but it’s like I often say, ‘What should we look like? You’re implying that there’s an outfit I could wear that would bring peace to you.’ The whole point of our faith is to come exactly as you are.
First, I think it’s wonderful that Lentz desires to be involved in prison ministry. Having said that, I think it’s sad that he is letting a shirt, tie, and a pair of slacks stop him from pursuing it. If it’s not the price of the clothing (which I’m assuming it is not), then what is his true motivation for refusing to concede to the prison authorities for the sake of ministering to those in prison? Does he fear that he’ll lose “street cred?” Is it rebellion–pride? Something else? I don’t know. I find it interesting, however, that his answer sounds so rehearsed–as if he’s heard this from people time and time again. I also find it interesting that he refers to peace, because what is the purpose of a preacher of the Gospel if not to bring peace between man and God through faith in Jesus Christ? I would add that this is the “whole point of our faith”–not our appearance. The fact that he emphatically adds this blatant misrepresentation of the “point of our faith” leads me to believe he will not concede to the prison authorities because of pride. If that is the case, he needs to repent and humble himself, just as we all must do when pride rears its ugly head. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:19, “Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.” A slave has no personal rights. He does what his master tells him. I can’t see Paul letting anything so trivial stop him from preaching the Gospel. In fact, I can’t see anything preventing him from preaching the Gospel (“Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” 1 Cor. 9:16). He was humble, eager, ready to do whatever it took… even to be cursed and cut off from Jesus himself for the sake of winning Jews to Christ (Romans 9:3)! So, just as Paul, I believe we should be willing to do whatever it takes to share the Gospel. Yes, even putting on a dress shirt, tie, and slacks for a few hours.
While it is certainly true that Jesus beckons us to come “exactly as you [we] are,” it is emphatically not the whole point of our Christian faith. Besides, Jesus loves us far much to leave us the way we are. He wants to completely transform us into His very image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord–who is the Spirit–makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” Does this pertain to our outward appearance? If the way we look compromises our Christian witness, I believe we will want to change as we become more like Him.
[TO BE CONTINUED]
In Christ’s perfect love,
Dwight
The Parson
