Hillsong scandal makes a mockery of Christianity in court
This article is covering two news stories reporting a Hillsong scandal last decade. This scandal is not a parody. This Hillsong scandal and the following court proceedings actually occurred.
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Brian Houston writes in his book “You Need More Money” how to become a “money magnet”:
GET COMFORTABLE AROUND MONEY
It is time to relax and become comfortable around money. You need to stretch yourself and position yourself right out of your comfort zone.
For example, it may involve a little exercise like putting on your best clothes and ordering coffee in a fancy restaurant or hotel lobby. Even though you could make the coffee for half the price at home, the total experience may enlarge your thinking. You may even feel better about yourself and life. [Source]
What do you call a “big-time property developer” who is not a big-time property developer? A fraud. So what do you call a “pastor/financial advisor” who is not a “pastor/financial advisor”?
What is ironic about the below scandal is that Brian Houston will not allow what he called a “predator” back into his “church”.
But who made this “predator”?
One might ask just why Mr Houston’s own “predatory” behaviour is still tolerated. After all, what is the difference between Mr Orehek and Brian Houston?
Brian Houston claims to be a “Pastor”. Yet Brian and Bobbie Houston have relentlessly been promising the “best life now” lies, along with their own Word of Faith outlook on tithing as a part of their “prosperity” doctrine. If you’re going to exercise their kind of ‘faith’ you might as well book it all up on Visa Card.
Didn’t executive pastor Joel A’bell get his fingers badly burnt over this scam, along with another “pastor’, to the tune of some $540,000? Where were the prophets, who could have pointed out the loss?
Where were the good shepherds of Hillsong, who should have warned against such an investment scheme wherein some people were expecting unrealistic returns? Did anyone check Mr Orehek’s credentials (degrees in business and investment management and his licenses with ASIC) first? Anyone?
Actually Brian Houston, your leadership, your members and Orehek fell for your lies and gimmicks. The joke is not only on you, it is you. Do you still believe that your book “You Need More Money” has even one scrap of credibility left in it now? And did Mr Orehek fall under the influence of that publication and become ensnared in the “gospel of greed”?
The most two-faced thing is this – you treated Orehek worse than your serial pedophile father. But it is you Brian Houston who produced Orehek to be the conman he was through your perverted beliefs and practices. If you treat him worse than a paedophile, how should you treat yourself?
The Sydney Morning Herald reports,
Jailed for ripping off Hillsong Church
A failed Sydney property developer who convinced the Hillsong Church and its parishioners to invest millions of dollars in a property scam has been jailed for 18 months.
Robert John Orehek, 45, was a successful businessman and member of the Pentecostal Hillsong Church when fellow parishioners began to approach him in 2002.
Sentencing him in the District Court in Sydney today, Judge Bennett said Orehek had been driven by greed and an inability to say no when he accepted offers of investment money which well exceeded his management ability.
“Orehek felt that he was invincible and other people in the church thought they were invincible,” Judge Bennett said.
“With the power of God they were able to trust each other implicitly.”
Orehek collected $4.6 million from investors, claiming it was for use on property projects in Sydney’s north.
Instead he lived a “lavish” lifestyle, owning a red Ferrari, a Porsche, and a Ducati motorcycle and used $150,000 as a deposit on a $3.5 million luxury beachside apartment.
Judge Bennett jailed Orehek for 18 months, allowing a 15 per cent discount for his guilty pleas to three fraud charges and one breach of corporate regulations.
When his 18-month non-parole period expires, Orehek will be released on a $5,000 bond to be of good behaviour for two years and four months.
Judge Bennett said Hillsong’s interest in Orehek’s business was the “beginning of the road to disaster”.
“He had greater ambition for wealth and the lifestyle it might provide,” the judge said.
“Unfortunately these ambitions substantially outweighed his ability to manage his finances.
“Instead of moderating his lifestyle (Orehek) continued a relatively extravagant lifestyle.
“He chose to forge ahead, enticing investors to part with their money, leaving them out of pocket.”
Orehek was expelled from the church and banned from setting foot on any Hillsong premises after his conduct became known.
Twenty-seven people, including a quadriplegic, lost money in his schemes.
The judge found there were special circumstances in the case, saying it was Orehek’s first criminal offence and it had caused him suffer severe anxiety and depression.
Dressed in a black suit, Orehek sat looking sombre as he was sentenced.
He will be eligible for release in May 2009.
Source: Jailed for ripping off Hillsong Church, Sydney Morning Herald, http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/jailed-for-ripping-off-hillsong-church/2007/11/21/1195321837164.html, Published 21/11/2007 – 1:44PM. (Accessed 26/11/2014.)
The Australian reports,
‘Fraudster’ blames Hillsong
ROBERT Orehek admits he did the wrong thing but claims it was the materialistic ethos of the pentecostal Hillsong Church that made him do it.
The 45-year-old former property developer is the man known for “fleecing” $25million from investors — predominantly members of the Hillsong congregation — to fund a property empire that failed spectacularly in 2003.
Mr Orehek faced the NSW District Court yesterday on four counts of fraud — to which he has pleaded guilty — but his trial has placed the spotlight on the “greed is good” mantra of the Hillsong empire, which preaches that material wealth is a badge of God’s favour.
Mr Orehek strenuously denies the portrayals of him as an evil property developer intent on embezzling investor funds.
And he has an unlikely ally. Consumer advocate and real estate novelist Neil Jenman — who has built a reputation for fighting unscrupulous property spruikers — yesterday took to the witness box in defence of Mr Orehek.
Mr Orehek, Mr Jenman said, was a “dreadfully inept businessman” and “not particularly intelligent” but not someone who had set out to deceive investors.
In 1998, Mr Orehek was a small-time property developer, building single houses and “dual-occupancy” apartments. He had been worshiping at Hillsong twice a week for five years but had made “very few friends”.
That changed in 1998 when parishioners discovered Mr Orehek was a “property developer”. Suddenly he was contacted by “more than 100” members of the congregation seeking to invest in his developments.
Among those church members to invest were Hillsong pastor David Crafts and executive pastor Joel A’Bell, who poured in a combined $540,000.
The churchgoers were chasing returns of 25 per cent on their investments that Mr Orehek said he could deliver because he intended making 100 per cent on all equity invested, and “didn’t want to be too greedy and keep all the profits myself”.
Mr Orehek’s workload of two small-scale developments suddenly grew to more than 10 major projects. The group unsurprisingly fell into liquidation in 2003.
But before the crash Mr Orehek, who believed he was “blessed to make money”, started spending big, moving into a multi-million-dollar apartment and buying a Porsche and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Following the collapse, a suicidal and “deeply remorseful” Mr Orehek was banned from worshipping at Hillsong.
On behalf of Hillsong management, elder Kevin Brett wrote to Mr Orehek in February 2004 threatening to call the police if hereturned.
“I was in shock. I thought it was a public place, I didn’t think they could stop you going to public places,” Mr Orehek said.
Hillsong refused repeated requests for an interview, but in a written statement the group’s founder Brian Houston — who had been a neighbour of Mr Orehek in the late 1990s — defended the move to ban the failed developer.
“We maintain our right to ask anyone displaying predatory behaviour to cease attending our church, and it was our leadership’s belief that there was a good reason to do so in this situation,” Mr Houston said.
In court yesterday judge James Bennett said Mr Orehek’s actions as his company crumbled reflected someone who believed “perhaps with a little of trust in God it will all work out at the end of the month”.
Mr Orehek has been charged with four counts of fraud over the use of investor funds for different property development projects to which they were prescribed. He is also accused of using $150,000 of investor funds to pay a deposit on an apartment in Sydney’s exclusive Balmoral.
He is expected to be sentenced on September 5.
Source: By Anthony Klan, The Australian, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/news/fraudster-blames-hillsong/story-e6frg6no-111111426458225/08/2007
Hillsong Church Watch 
Sin has consequences, and the consequence for this man was the loss of his freedom when he went to prison. One of the news reports states he was “deeply remorseful” for what he had done. He was sorry.
And now you drag up this story, call the guy a “fraud”. When he has long paid the cost for his sin and apologised. Is this what Jesus did after he forgave sinners during his ministry on earth? No.
The man has a job in the building industry.
” Robert Orehek
Robert has over 30 years experience in the building industry, predominantly in residential construction of new homes and additions, including ‘hands-on’ experience as a carpenter. ”
http://stylemasterpatios.com.au/sales-team/
Note to NewTaste:
May I ask why you reply in such a disrespectful way to what Newtaste said by putting up this song? I thought that he/she had a valid point to make. I came across this site several days ago and don’t know what to think with regards to what you are writing in all these posts and articles. The comments in many cases come across as boastful and judgmental rather than being done in a spirit of grace, love and humility where we want to help our brothers and sisters in Christ to be wise and discerning in these last days. Also, why are the churches that you recommend as ‘good’ churches all Reformed ones? Did you know that there are excellent churches besides Reformed churches that preach the Word of God and walk in the truth of His Word? I pray that you will be more open and loving in your comments…and quick to forgive because we all need to be united in Christ so we can shine a light in the darkness…and the world is a very dark place indeed and Jesus Christ is the only answer because He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We need to be preaching this at every opportunity…surely this is what the Lord requires of us as He is not willing that any perish but that all come to repentance. People are dying everyday and going to an eternity without knowing Jesus Christ and His salvation and forgiveness and that is the greatest tragedy of all. Wouldn’t it be more loving to meet Brian Houston in person and discuss these things rather than doing what you are doing in such a public arena?
PS. I don’t go to Hillsong just in case you were wondering.
TLC – there’s a cross section of people here who are Pentecostal, charismatic and Reformed. We all share the same concerns. There are good charismatic preachers, Sam Storms, Matt Chandler to name just two. As far as Newtaste is concerned, we have ‘history’ with his comments here. You will find him quite nasty when it comes to his opinions about Phil Pringle from C3 – yet Pringle and Houston are best friends and often share a platform.
If you would like to suggest some faithful churches that are preaching the whole counsel of God (and not themselves or your best life now) we are happy to vet your recommendations.
Cheers, Team ChurchWatch.
“Wouldn’t it be more loving to meet Brian Houston in person and discuss these things rather than doing what you are doing in such a public arena?”
No, it wouldn’t be “more loving”; it would be a complete waste of time. Brian is a wolf masquerading as a sheep, and he has no more interest in being corrected than he does in preaching the Gospel or bringing glory to God. Brian charted his course long ago, and since that that time he has unswervingly pursued his own ends – he remains as resolutely committed as ever to treading the broad path that leads to destruction, despite the fact that he has had many opportunities to repent.
False teachers who love the world rather than God are going to spend eternity in the lake of fire – and not one of them will be missed, and not one of them will be remembered.
Actually Newtaste, if you read the story correctly, it states quite clearly that members of Hillsong duped him into becoming a developer. He was only involved in small scale operations, but when opportunity knocked, he took up after it, so both Hillsong an he bare some responsibility in the matter. Robert Orehek went to jail for his poor decisions and latent greed, but no one else suffered a similar fate.
I believe that the man was in over his head (from some small scale operations to 10 large developments,) and realised that when it was too late., but what were the influences that caused him to go over the edge in the first place, and start spending up big?
Did he look at the Houstons and see that maybe, if he played his cards just right, he too might have a mansion to live in, a ‘motorbike’ and a jetset lifestyle – just like them. Was he influenced by Brian’s book “You Need More Money”? Did he actually believe in the prosperity doctrine, spouted by Brian from the pulpit regularly, in the five years of his attendance at Hillsong?
If he did all of the above, then we would have to conclude that, for some ‘strange’ reason, the wheels fell off his prosperity wagon down towards the bottom of the hill… and that poor old Mr Orehek crashed and burned, only to be abandoned by Brian and Bobbie (my, what good shepherds they were, when the chips were down…).
Those questions listed up above should have been asked back then, but here we are in 2014, asking them when it is all too late for Mr Orehek and his financially ruined ‘investors’ (including two of Hillsong’s senior pastors…)
Your just making lame excuses, as usual Newtaste – can’t you find another false prophet ministry to defend, just for a change…?
Hey thor , what’s wrong in owning a motorbike ?
Nothing – I owned one myself back in 1983! It’s the opulence and overkill and the pride of owning a Harley that is the point. Worldly success while the average Hillsonger struggles to pay the rent!
“the wheels fell off his prosperity wagon down towards the bottom of the hill…”
thor, i like that. thats a good way to put it..
nfg
Maybe the “wheels” will come off of Brian’s bike one day soon NFG?
“maybe the wheels will come off of Brian’s bike one day soon NFG?”
thor yes we all hope so. i keep thinking a scandal would wreck it by now. but ive noticed with false teachers, not only do they bluff their way thru their scandals but sometimes their ‘church’ may even get bigger afterwards. (probably typical of CULTS.)
in BH’s case, hopefully hillsong wont get bigger, but instead everyone will see past his facade, and the hillsong mirage will be seen for what it really is (a big fake)..
nfg
thor : u say ” the average hillsonger struggles to pay the rent ”
How do u support that statement ?
What is your source ?
Try talking to them. They are pretty open and honest.
Ask anyone who “tithes” as they are out of pocket most of the time. No need for any references zjggy, ask anyone who was bitten badly by the “mirage” of the prosperity gospel… a and finally woke up…
Here’s an interesting little video on ‘judging’ others… just before others come around to judge us…
@ madewithtlc: ‘Wouldn’t it be more loving to meet Brian Houston in person and discuss these things rather than doing what you are doing in such a public arena?”
Did you see how brian reacted to that woman outside the Royal Commission?
Did you read how he calls others ‘pharisees’ because they question his doubtful Biblical knowledge?
Did you read the Royal commission transcripts where he stated ON THE RECORD..HAND ON THE BIBLE….BEFORE GOD… that he had NO MORAL REPONSIBILITY to the many victims of his father?
THAT is disgusting.
@madewithtlc: “The comments in many cases come across as boastful and judgmental rather than being done in a spirit of grace, love and humility where we want to help our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
That profile EXACTLY describes brian houston. See above comments.
IF that isn’t enough, read his instagram masters/pastors/waterered-down theories.
The astonishing thing , brian actually is the epitome of the ‘masters’…he claims NOT to be like! Controlling, unable to endure truthful criticism, unable to help child abuse victims, and NO word of criticism from his people…the absolute hypocrisy of this person is appalling. Yet, he believes in his own personal alternate reality.
Very unstable and a perfect example of a double minded person.
James 1:8: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
I was in AOG/Hillsong for a long time , I have been in a number of churches.
I believe it necessary to provide evidence in this case as there is a danger with sweeping generalisations.
@ziggy – it’s not always possible to document everything. Last Sunday I took, some pictures outside of Hillsong in inner Brisbane – I know what the people were doing, but even with the pics and some short video footage in tow, some people may not believe my take on the events.
FWIW, I’ve been in some 25 churches over a period of 35 years – mostly because I’ve traveled, but sometimes it was necessary to move on too, so as to avoid potential crises, or to abstain from partaking in things that were not of God.
Thanks thor . I once worked in a ” low socio economic ” region in Brisbane with many social and educational problems.
A survey was completed and found there was ample money coming into homes.
However , the significant outcome was that people had varied priorities where they spent money on cars, entertainment , holidays, drugs , debt, alcohol etc
I do work in Fiji where too many children go to school without food for the day and without breakfast.Some stay home because they can’t pay school fees.
This country is blessed in that food is not terribly expensive and our welfare system is generous.Housing is provided if in need in general.
I have many men in my street who do not work and don’t feel the need to work !!
In Fiji , the government gives out very little if not nothing in monetary terms.
People with disabilities are even without support.
In Australia we are rich but spiritually poor.
In Fiji , I can find more Born Again Christians wherever I go !
Makes you think !
“A survey was completed and found there was ample money coming into homes.
However , the significant outcome was that people had varied priorities where they spent money on cars, entertainment , holidays, drugs , debt, alcohol etc.”
Except for drugs and alcohol, the rest of things on that list are quite normal. Cars? I had one for 10 years, but gave it up 2 years ago – too old and too many things wrong with it. Suffice it to say that public transport (GO CARD) is a lot cheaper. The car cost me $1500 a year back then, but would be closer to$1800 now.
As for holidays and entertainment, most families would have budgeted for those things in the past. Families are stressed out now by things like the electricity/water bills – unheard of 5 years ago. Debt might just be the mortgage on the family home and appliances/furniture for same.
Gone are the good old days when you could leave one job on a Friday and get another one on Monday – the ‘dole’ has become unlivable, assuming that you were genuinely looking for work, there just aren’t the jobs to go around. Secret government surveys have revealed the unemployment rate to be around 19% – not the glib 5% that you were all told on the evening news.
Some 50,000 single parents have been relegated back to the ‘dole’ for a living, this was done to them by Juliar Guilard’s government (what a shambles that was,) and left there by Tony Abbott. I’m not talking about teenage girls looking for a soft life – mature adults with 2 or 3 kiddies in tow have been left on an income of $500 a fortnight. Impossible to cover even the basics on an amount that small.
The politicians who put them there couldn’t pay the rent on their luxurious homes with $500 per fortnight, but whole families are expected to live on that pittance of an allowance. The labor mob who put them there left us with a deficit in the tens of Billions of dollars.
Important people were on talk-back radio here in Brisbane today, trying to hose down some of the panic expressed by the working class, that their living standards are falling, while state and federal governments say “all is well”. Even if you’ve got a job, there’s no more job security like there was years ago.
I’m not meaning to be ‘political’ here, as they are both as bad as each other. This is a time for the real church to rise up and offer the Gospel with a helping hand. I’m not talking about a ‘social gospel’ but just the “good works” that scripture enjoins us to perform.
“When I was naked, you clothed me, when I was hungry you fed me, when I was in prison you visited me…” that’s what Jesus said… that’s what Paul and Peter said too.
Remember the poor, visit them in their hour of need (James) and so on…
Admittedly, third world countries are worse off, but then again Ziggy, many of them get Australian aid $$$ every year – they also have a lot of NGO’s in residence (Red Cross, Oxfam, Salvo’s, UN etcetera)
thor:
Jesus said you will always have the poor.
In the bible days there was no welfare, today in Australia there is .
The tithe in the OT was to support the priests.
In the AOG pastors take up to 60 % of the church income.
At Garden City now Hillsong , the inner sanctum Pastors got a new , hotted up, holden 6 cylinder every year or two under lease.
John 6:26 Jesus wants us to know Him first .
My Father left school in grade four and was never without a job , but he was a labourer and worked hard. Some do not want to work hard.
Yes there are genuine people who struggle and we help where we can.
Jesus said to preach the Gospel .
Its the great commission.
“In the AOG pastors take up to 60 % of the church income.”
Really? That’s shocking, if true. And I have no reason to doubt what you say. Is there any publicly available information to support this?
GM : re: ” publicly available information ”
Try getting Pentecostal/ Charismatic churches to be transparent with their spending and outlays to Pastors.
Ask Hill$ong to be transparent ?
India is not the only place with a ” sacred cow ! “
@Ziggy – I’m afraid that you’ve got a few misconceptions about ‘welfare in the Bible’. For starters, the OT tithe wasn’t just for the priests – it was for the poor too, every so often. Tithes in the OT weren’t cash for the most part – they were paid in produce, but those who lived too far away from the temple to offer something fresh were allowed to pay their tithes in money. See: http://www.tithingtruth.com for a full explanation.
Secondly, the NT church in Jerusalem sold excess property and pooled their money. After some grumblings about the daily distribution, seven deacons were appointed by the apostles to make sure that the distribution of food, clothes (and maybe even some cash?) was done on a needs basis and in a fair manner than before.
Thirdly, Paul gave instructions to Timothy re the care of old age widows. These too, were to be supported if they had no family or means of generating an income. See 1 Timothy 5:9+
“9 A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man,
10 having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.…”
Even then, the older widows had to qualify, while the younger widows were exhorted to remarry, so as not to be a burden on the churches “welfare system”.
Paul did command the Thessalonians in regard to lazy people – “if a man will not work, then neither should he eat (at someone else’s expense) 2 Thess 3:10 – 12, so there are Biblical injunctions covering these rather common events (old age and unemployment).
Ziggy, when your father left school there were probably more jobs than there were people, and to be a labourer at that time (pre or post WW2?) was quite common and OK as an occupation. Since the boom years of the 1950’s and 60’s, we have lost our major manufacturing bases in steel, electronics and now we are about to lose two major car manufacturers (Ford and Holden).
Our farming community is shrinking by the day and many people (here in Queensland) recently lost state government jobs – some 20,000 people, and a lot of shops, cafes and other services that depended on those public service incomes, went down with them.
Desperation, often caused by hard times, is what sometimes makes people vulnerable. Vulnerable people may be a lot more susceptible in terms of joining cults, and other groups who often offer a false hope, while taking advantage of them and speedily emptying their pockets, in the process.
“Beware of False Profits…”
thor : Not sure what your point is ?
Again , Jesus said we will always have the poor.
Israel was an agricultural based society different to city living today.
In our society in Australia we have a welfare system, ideal for some, dismal for others.
My point was I know many men today who do not want to work because welfare meets the need.
My neighbour left her husband recently, got a house next door to him and gets the single mum pension.They have two houses. Many do the same.
We cannot solve every social problem, but essentially as Christians we are to preach the Gospel.God said He will meet all need.
A man must work.
Yes I feel for those who can’t get work.
My focus is on God.
My point is that there was ‘welfare’ help in the OT and NT – you said there was none .
thor :
” my point is that there was welfare help in the OT and NT- you said there was none.”
I stated clearly that there was a difference in the past biblically to what we know welfare as today in this country.
I work hard and pay tax so the poor can get assistance as do many other people.
Social reform is a road some church affiliated people go down like the Salvation Army.
William Booth had a vision of people perishing and being lost to hell.
I help , I pay , I work hard, I care , I give, but above all , I preach Christ and Him crucified.
Sin is a big problem worldwide.
@Ziggy – you’re not the only person who has ‘worked hard’ and paid taxes etcetera – my point is, that there aren’t the jobs here today that there were when we were young. Manufacturing and farming have suffered greatly from the 1970’s onwards.
Having worked for the former CES in the 1990’s, I can assure you that governments of all flavours hide true unemployment figures. One former CES employee who went on national TV years ago, placed that figure as high as 25%. People are often hidden behind TAFE courses, and useless government funded programs, designed to ‘skew’ the figures so that people won’t find out the truth.
There may well be a whole new generation of ‘layabouts’ but then again, some have been educated to expect this kind of existence, and others (the genuine ones) can find no permanent place in the workforce, so they become despondent and depressed, and laziness is the outcome for them.
I am all in favour of preaching the Gospel Ziggy, but let’s do that with some mercy and compassion. Imagine if one of your daughters was on ‘welfare’ with no apparent way out… would you be so hasty to call such people lazy then?
thor:
You have a ‘ bee in your bonnet ” about Governments and welfare.
There are plenty of worldly people in society addressing those needs and abuses.
The labourers r few to bring in the harvest as Jesus said.
Lets not rearrange the deck chairs as the Titanic is going down.
This site highlights the fact that so called christians at Hillsong don’t even know what the gospel is !
We had the chance of God being King but the people wanted a king like the other
nations , so Israel got King Saul.
We have all been paying for that mistake and get the Governments we deserve.
thor , time to move on !
“You have a ‘ bee in your bonnet ” about Governments and welfare.
There are plenty of worldly people in society addressing those needs and abuses…”
That’s the problem Ziggy – it was the role of the church to provide some relief for the poor (within limits) but we have abrogated that role to the state, and so the taxpayer (hard working people like you) end up with the welfare bill as more ‘lazy people’ are facilitated onto the dole – right?
I don’t have a ‘bee in my bonnet’ Ziggy – it’s just that, having worked at the CES, with 2 short stints at Centrelink as well, and some volunteer work at community centres, a youth centre and a Men’s Shed, not to mention two church based food programs in the last ten years, I might just have the facts on “welfare” from a firsthand point of view…
“Time to move on…” – then please feel free to do so – i won’t object…
GM : At AoG Bible College this was a standard instruction to students who aspired to be a local Pastor.
It is supported by the fact in those churches even as low as 100 members the Pastor could be employed full time.
Usually they had a manse or free accommodation, a car , salary package including super and medical benefits.
I was on a Board that granted the above and this took place way before I was selected.
Pastors majored on the tithe and giving, always saying how the revenue was going to good causes but they never discussed where the primary revenue went to..yes, themselves.
For many years I heard the tithe was a requirement , otherwise the devil would devour you.
This is called fraud in law. No one should be compelled to give with a threat .
Its my considered opinion that the AoG or ACC churches built there empires quickly with substantial revenue based on a threat which is against the law.
On the subject of getting duped, that sermon this morning was a load of gobbledygook. You can tell he is preaching to the lowest common denominator. It was about the difference between what is in your heart and what is in your hand. Very confusing stuff, tying your brain in knots, not simple at all, he’s losing it. When you stand back and look at it he could have said it all in one or two sentences. Sheesh this religious manipulation really grips people.
Brian is good honest and decent. It is a great pity the Government and Woolworths give so much money to the Salvation Army on the pretence they will help the Farmers and the homeless. It is about time Hillsong was granted the money and we would see a great turnaround with the inspiration to work and the money going where it was intended.
Suzanne, hillsong constantly applies for taxpayer-funded grants.
Do you see ‘a great turnaround’ or money ‘going where it was intended’ with this Newspaper article?
The Australian June 06, 2006:
“THE federal Government paid salaries and office subsidies to Hillsong Church’s benevolent arm for indigenous development programs that generated only a trickle of funds for Aborigines.
The Government has admitted that Hillsong Emerge chief Leigh Coleman received $80,000 of federal indigenous development funds to top up his salary, despite having only indirect involvement in the projects.
It also paid Hillsong Emerge $82,500 to fit out its office in the Sydney suburb of Redfern. Mr Coleman uses the office to run the Christian Business Directory, which touts for advertising worth up to $2000 an item. ”
“The vast majority of the funds went to employing Hillsong Emerge staff, including $315,000 to cover the salaries of seven workers in Redfern.”
“The discontinuation of the IBA funding programs came only weeks after Hillsong Emerge was stripped of a separate $415,000 federal grant for community crime prevention. “
And…just a bit more from the same article:
“Labor spokesman on indigenous affairs Chris Evans told The Australian: “Mr Coleman has paid himself a surprisingly large portion of the grant, for someone clearly occupied elsewhere with other responsibilities. This, and the other grants, raises the questions of whether taxpayers have been funding the activities of the church.”
“Mr Coleman would not take calls from The Australian and Hillsong spokeswoman Maria Ieroianni did not return calls or emails.”
“Brian is good honest and decent.”
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“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;” (isaiah 5:2)
nfg