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Brian Houston, cover up, coverup, Frank Houston, Hazel Houston, Hillsong, Hillsong Church, houston, Maureen Houston, Melbourne, My Salvation - My Freedom from Shame, Royal Commission
Jesus says,
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27
The purpose of this article is to examine a sermon excerpt from Brian Houston. This sermon was entitled, “My Salvation – My Freedom from Shame.” Brian preached this sermon after presenting his case around his father’s pedophilia to the Royal Commission.
His sermon was about not living in shame. In the below segment, he used his sister as an example what happens when you live in shame. To expose the lies in the below sermon segment, we will contrast his account with his own mother’s testimony (from her book, ‘Being Frank’), in order to understand what really happened within the Houston family regarding Brian’s sister.
To begin, we will first look at what Brian actually said in his sermon. Then, we will lookat what really happened according to Brian Houston’s own mother, Hazel Houston. We will then conclude our investigation by looking at the book excerpt written by Hazel Houston. It will not be until our next article that we will expose why the “biblical” foundation of Hillsong is so dangerous as well as the negative impact that that has made on the church today.
HOUSTON’S LIES POST THE ROYAL COMMISSION
The Sunday after the Royal Commission, Brian Houston preached a sermon entitled “My Salvation – My Freedom from Shame.” This sermon has just been recently published on their website. As you watch it, please note that you are seeing an edited version. In spite of some technical difficulties, we were able to record the original. The part of the sermon that we would like people to pay careful attention to is transcribed below.
Brian Houston said,
“When I was 13, I remember one time my mum talking to me and my siblings in our lounge room and telling us that we are going to be looking after a baby for awhile. I mean I was surprised I was told it was someone’s baby and we were going to look after it, and so sure enough that’s what happened for I don’t know how long, maybe a year we looked after this baby in our house.
At the time my older sister was in Melbourne, what I didn’t know was that she had been secretly sent off to Melbourne, because she was pregnant. And then without anyone knowing she was brought back to New Zealand, and then across the Mountain range, close to where we lived was a little town and quietly, on her own, she had a baby there. And ahh in that era, in that landscape, there was so much shame attached to it. So much shame was put on her, that it affected her for many, many years. And a lot of people, they allow things to become shame and then it rules you, it robs you. You see, one of my favorite verses is Proverbs 15:24, it says ‘the way of life winds upwards for the wise’.
Sadly instead of winding upwards, some people want a steep decline downwards, a spiral downwards. Because this is what happens, sin leads to guilt, then guilt leads to shame and ultimately, shame leads to condemnation and condemnation is death.
If a building is condemned, it means it’s unfit for use, it’s disqualified, it’s only good for being pulled down.”
Source: Brian Houston, My Salvation – My Freedom from Shame, Hillsong Church, 12/10/2014. (Accessed 12/10/2014.)
BRIAN HOUSTON’S VERSION OF THE STORY
When Brian told the story about his sister, he stated that his mother said to him one day that they were “going to be looking after a baby for awhile.” According to Brian they had the baby for an entire year, not knowing who the baby belonged to.
In his sermon, he deliberately avoided connecting the dots so that he could make whatever point he wanted to about shame. He said he “didn’t know” that his older sister “had been secretly sent off to Melbourne because she was pregnant.” Then he said that he somehow found out, (“without anyone knowing”), that his sister who, “was brought back to New Zealand,” was hiding “across the Mountain range.”
Brian’s conclusion, of course, was that his sister “had a baby” outside of wedlock and experienced ”so much shame” during that time. “So much shame was put on her, that it affected her for many, many years.” These comments, then, lead us to believe that his sister moved around a bit in order to deal with her sin, guilt and shame. What is very interesting about this story, however, is that Brian’s very own mother has a different account.
Hazel and Frank Houston
HAZEL HOUSTON’S VERSION OF THE STORY
In 1989 Hazel Houston wrote a book about her husband, Frank Houston, entitled “Being Frank: The Frank Houston Story”.
In her book Hazel writes,
“That God is more merciful than people was proved in the experience which almost shattered our world. We were sitting comfortably by the fire one night when our daughter and her boyfriend came in.
‘Do you want a cup of coffee?’ I asked.
‘Sit down Mum, I’ve got something to tell you.’ Her voice contained an unusual gravity. There was a long pause then she continued, ‘I’m pregnant.’
For a moment we had no reaction. Then deep unreasonable anger swept through me as I realized the implications. Fingers would be pointed at us and we would have to resign from ministry. Twenty years ago a pre-marital pregnancy in any circle was regarded as the ultimate disgrace. There would be some ready to accuse the pastor of this inability to control his children.
‘You better leave,’ I told the boy.
‘Don’t be so hasty,’ Frank reprimanded me.
‘I’ll have the baby adopted,’ our daughter volunteered.
‘I’ll pay for her to go to Australia,’ her boyfriend offered.
After they had left we discussed the situation. Should we tell the church and the other children or just Trevor Chandler. As our associate pastor he should know. We didn’t tell anyone but we should have done. Someone else eventually told the children.
‘We will have to resign from the church,’ Frank said.
A day later when the heat of the moment had passed I began to ask myself had God removed the call to the ministry at this time or was this an attack of the devil designed to smash our ministry. We fell on our knees before God. I voiced my thoughts to Frank.
‘I don’t think we should resign. God hasn’t lifted the call.’ Frank agreed.
Our daughter went to Australia but a noted trouble-maker in the church asked people at the next prayer meeting to pray for the Houston’s family situation.
Did she suspect something and was spreading gossip in a spiritual guise? We never found out.
Our hearts continued to ache and our daughter suffered extreme homesickness as she sheltered in a Salvation Army home from a hostile world. We decided she must come home.
We arranged for her to go as companion to an elderly lady over the mountains from our valley. Within us there was a monumental struggle between the desire to keep the baby and face the consequences or proceed with the adoption.
‘Frank, I think we should keep the baby. It might be another statistic to the Government but it is our grandchild and I want it. I can look after it.
‘I’ve been thinking the same thing,’ he said. We hurried over the mountains to tell our daughter what we had decided.
That day we saw a light in our daughter’s eyes which had been missing for a long time and God removed the ache in our hearts. But people are not so forgiving. Months after the baby was born, some by their attitude screamed condemnation at the young mother until an agonized cry fell from her lips.
‘Mum, when does God forgive?’
‘As soon as we confess our sins from a repentant heart.’
‘Then why don’t people also forgive us?’ Why indeed.
‘Unfortunately, people are not like God.’ Frank and I both would have carried her pain but she had to work through it herself.
‘Do you realize the times I longed to sit on your bed and talk after an evening out?’ she asked one day years after she was married. No I hadn’t realized.
Source: Hazel Houston, Being Frank: The Frank Houston Story, UK, London: Marshall Morgan and Scott Publications, Published 1989. pg. 165-167
Comparing Hazel’s account to Brian’s raises some questions.
1. Was Brian being honest?
2. Why did Brian put his sister’s journey back in public focus, using it as an example of his idea of shame? (He has mentioned his family feeling the pressure of recent public scrutiny.)
3. Brian’s account is very different to his mother’s and he leaves out significant information related to the point he is making. The practice of cover-up was plain in Hazel’s account. If this did not happen, would his sister’s journey have been different?
4. Is Brian ashamed to give an accurate/more complete account? What does he know? Did he ever discuss with his parents their decision to hide his sister’s pregnancy from the public, including their church and children, largely to avoid being stood down from ministry? What did Trevor Chandler do with this information? (You would assume Brian would have discussed it with Frank and Hazel at some stage as, either from a family point of view or from a ministerial responsibility perspective. After all, it is a significant family event.)
5. Brian made the point that his sister was “sent” to Melbourne. So who “sent” his sister?
6. The timing of him saying this was a few days after his public hearing at the Royal Commission (RC) into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. So why did he talk about this issue right after the RC?
Last year, the Royal Commission revealed a tendency for cover up within Brian Houston and Hillsong’s dealing with Frank Houston’s pedophilia and not being forth-coming with the “whole” truth. However, after Hazel Houston’s account, we are noticing that cover up appears to run in the Houston family. And the more we seem to uncover – the more we realise Hillsong is founded not on Christ the rock but on the sifting sands of man.
Hillsong Church Watch 
Hazel’s account is of it’s time. A story similar to those in the television series Love Child. The way Hazel had written it, it was not a cover up, it was the way a lot of families apparently dealt with single un-wed expectant mothers back then. And Hazel’s eventual telling her daughter that God does forgive, after the shame and condemnation that she and her family had put on her and themselves for many months, is very loving. I don’t think Hazel and her daughter have, or the daughter should have now, any blame or shame.
” Brian made the point that his sister was “sent” to Melbourne. So who “sent” his sister? ”
It can’t have been Brian as he says he was 13 years old. So it was obviously Frank and Hazel. What is your point in asking this?
I was blessed by Ps Brian’s message. Can’t believe you are attacking the whole family over this. Yuck.
That entire message was evil. Every scripture was perverted to point you away from Christ and his cross. When he mentioned “calvary covers it all” – it was not even explained what that meant.
That was a very duplicitous sermon. It is clear he preached that to encourage members to shun any criticism from those outside of Hillsong in relation to Houston being in the media over the Royal Commission.
When you hear sermons like that – it explains how people are prone to brainwashing and conscience searing. And when you pull it apart and compare what he does to the scriptures, you will start to see why people truly see Hillsong as a dangerous.
I don’t think Brian is getting attacked for what his father did, but Brain is getting corrected for distorting the truth and misusing scriptures to justify and dilute the gravity and consequence of sin.
As with any other effective cult leader, you can always count on Brian Houston to twist plenty of verses while getting his point across to his cult constituency.
The point is that is shows corruption, lies, secrecy, decite and is systemic within the Houston clan. Even today. When brian was in the witness box at the Royal commission into child sexual abuse he fumbled and tripped over his doctored evidence before the commissioners and Australian public not to mention the child rape victim AHA being verbally abused again by Houstons hired gun Mr Higgins. An utter disgrace and he stands up there on his stage after the week of exposure from the royal commission and pulls this sermon out with the pitty me card again and completely ignores and completely white washes the filthy disgusting vile truth that his father and he conspired to cover up another Houston mess. Later this year when he is brought back to court again with his evil executive from the AOG, ACC whatever they are called this week they will have to give evidence again on this conspiracy to cover what they should of done and what they didn’t do and still to this day not given the victims of his father’s rape an apology, admit that it did take place, offer of counseling and long, long overdue compensation.
Despite my contempt for christianity and its practitioners, the above excerpt from Mr. Houston’s discourse is quite correct. My former wife was born of a woman who was shipped off to another state when her belly began to swell, compelled to work in a hospital for her keep, drugged on the day of delivery and had her babe whisked away from her with nary a touch, all orchestrated by her christian family under the pretense of christian righteousness. The impact of this brutality done in false righteousness echoed through three generations, causing all kinds of psychological and emotional problems for innumerable people.
By tracing carefully the events and players in my personal history I have finally found the culprit: christianity. Everywhere christianity goes judgement and death follow. This point is supported by Revelation 6:1 to 6:6. The ‘restrainer’ the christians talk about is described in 6:6, the barley being a reference to Passover, in the season of barley harvest, and the wheat being a reference to Pentecost, in the season of wheat harvest, and we all know what the oil and wine represent.
Houston and his cohorts are certainly deceived, but they are mere humans, and I challenge any one on this planet to present to us a living human being who is not deceived to some degree. If perfection were possible for humans in their own strength then Christ’s sacrifice was in vain, the giving of His spirit pointless and the good news of no effect. Despite the gross errors of every branch of the christian religion, YahuShua, Jesus, watches over His own, even those within the churches of men.
Lambasting other christians from a christian perspective is pointless; a dog chasing its own tail. Step out of the christian religion, take on the lambskin of Messiah and look at your brothers and sisters through the eyes of the lamb. Remember, the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principles and authorites in high places. And who are these principals and authorities in high places? You can read all about them in the book of Apocalypse, or Revelation, as it is called; it is in these pages that one will find christianity, and its inevitable fate.
Mark, you believe in the Messiah called Jesus don’t you?
You just don’t buy Christianity.
Correct me if I’m wrong.
I believe the point Mark is trying to make is that the woman who rides the beast in Revelation is the Christian Church, Christendom, Churchianity.
“come out from among them” – is the gist I’m getting from Mark.
Follow Jesus.
I need to say here that RELIGION shames the gal who gets pregnant out of marriage NOT TRUE Christianity which says as Jesus did to the woman caught in adultery “do you see your accusers ? And she said No and Jesus said to her “Neither do I accuse you…go and sin no more”…..a close family member got pregnant out of marriage and being serious believers in the Bible which says we need to keep sex in marriage, we were upset of coarse, epsecially as the CHILD usually suffers from it. BUT let me tell you , that the church we had gone to for MANY years, welcomed her back with open arms and it all turned out beautiful. Jesus did not come to condemn us but to SAVE us . He loves us right where we are at with all our mess and He does not wag his finger at us but embraces us in our weaknesses and if we let Him into our lives, He will clean up our hearts and give us the power of overcome sin and live as He wills. You are so wrong about Christianity being the culprit…it is religion that puts shame on the one who has sinned, not Jesus nor those true believers who love Jesus. They help those who are downtrodden and have messed up lives, not shame them. You need to find Jesus in a real way then you will find true believers that live their lives through the power of God in them.
“You are so wrong about Christianity being the culprit…it is religion that puts shame on the one who has sinned, not Jesus nor those true believers who love Jesus.”
You have just confessed that Brian Houston’s parents operated in the spirit of religion and condemned their daughter to save their own reputation. Yes. You could say that they practiced a a two-faced, hypocritical religion that even Brian Houston now practices.
Futhermore, can you please stop pulling a Brian Houston? Your scripture twisting of John 8 is deplorable.
@Mark, Are you a follower of Jim Staley?
K.D. – Picking up the Hebrew Roots connection too?
To be fair – perhaps Mark could let us know exactly where he’s coming from?
No and no. Never heard of him, and I deconstruct the Hebrew roots movement for fun.
I am coming from the position that the ‘bible’, as we call it, is correct, although somewhat mistranslated and misinterpreted; Jesus, the Messiah, is, was, and always will be who he says He is; and religion, in general, is useless.
I entered the christian religion in 1986 and resigned from it in 1987. I made several more brief forays into the church over the following few years, partly in a genuine effort to seek connection with fellow believers and partly to spy on the leaders. I learnt their jargon and imitated it, avoided corporate prayer and generally pretended to fit in. If things got uncomfortable I would just disappear into the shadows, never to be seen again. I have witnessed, experienced and been made privy to some very disturbing events within the christian religion in my time.
I began reading an Authorised Version at the age of ten, in 1969, a copy I stole from my father’s bookshelf. The next book I stole was an Oxford Concise Dictionary, to look up the old English word meanings. I received no religious instruction during my childhood or youth, only went to churches for weddings and funerals and learned early not to discuss the bible, or the fact that I was reading it, with any one.
A few months after water baptism the ‘scales’ fell off my eyes and the scripture ‘opened up’, as they say. It hasn’t stopped since. I focus on the latter part of Apocalypse, the former part of Genesis, the Mishkan and the connections between them. In 1988 I found a book in my local library, privately published in 1983, that explained the correct calendar of Moses using information extracted from the Pentateuch. I corrected it, simplified it and used it as a tool to unravel the meaning of the Mishkan, or Tent of Meeting, and various parts of Apocalypse. The man who wrote it hand delivered 600 copies to every registered minister of the christian religion in my state; he received not one favourable response. Some I met personally told me that they threw it in the bin. A few christian leaders of national notoriety were certainly also in the right place at the right time to have received a copy of my old friend’s book. Soon they will see what they threw away:-)
“Come out from among them”, is the right saying for the days we are now in, although it is one thing to come out of christianity, but quite another to get christianity out of you. Through information I discovered on the churchwatch websites, and a few others, I have just discovered that the man who was in charge of the church in which I was baptised, who was touted as an ‘apostle’ by his followers, was at the helm when one of his ‘pastors’, who is now in prison, was plying his paedophilia, before my time there, amongst the small of the flock. I always sensed that the man in charge was not truly an apostle, now I know it for a fact.
I guess, in short, I am suggesting that the problems we see here with Hillsong, and elsewhere, are indicative of a much bigger problem, and that problem is christianity itself. I ask you, who said that Jesus came to found the christian religion? No one in the books! Who says that you should become a christian? No one in the books! Who told the disciples to do weddings and funerals? No one in the books! I could go on…
Anyway, I’ve made my point, now I’ll scurry off like a cockroach and hide in the dark for a while…
lol:-)
“I guess, in short, I am suggesting that the problems we see here with Hillsong, and elsewhere, are indicative of a much bigger problem, and that problem is christianity itself.”
I think you will find the issue is not Christianity but sin. When people are not held accountable of their sin and do not have it addressed with the gospel, the Apostles describe that the church will be spoilt like a small amount of leaven in unleavened bread.
It sounds like you have experienced not Christianity but apostate communities that once used to be Christian. You will find that the warning in Revelations is to Christians to flee from apostate institutions. It seems this is what you have grasped.
Apostate Christian places like Hillsong deceive Christians to believe they are the real deal but oppose Christianity for believing the Jesus and the Scriptures.
Yes, and the bloodhound in me couldn’t help but ask.
He doesn’t sound like he’s in Staley’s camp exactly though he’s in one of the camps of that disjoint movement. I just put that out their to find out what strain of that disease he’s fallen into.
“It sounds like you have experienced not Christianity but apostate communities that once used to be Christian.”
I would that it was as simple as that.
A short word study on the occurrences of the word ‘christian’ in the Bible reveals that the believers were first called that at Antioch, most likely by Romans as it is a Latin form of a Greek word; Paul did not reply in the affirmative when Agrippa suggested that Paul had almost convinced him to become a christian; and Peter tells his flock that they should suffer the title. Neither Jesus nor any of of the New Testament writers refer to any of those they wrote to as ‘christian’. It is most likely that the term was coined as a pejorative, hence Peter’s suggestion to suffer it.
I know that we should not get into futile disputes about words, but my point is that a little etymological blindness has allowed a title that Jesus did not even ascribe to us to become the default word for everything that is claimed to be of and about Him.
The christian religion is a Roman construct, designed specifically to obfuscate the good news of salvation for all humans through the crucified Jewish Messiah. The beasts of Apocalypse reveal the connection. The second beast makes an image ‘to’ the first beast, not ‘of’ it. This can be seen in the current papal crosier, a graven image of a dead man on a cross. It is tacitly assumed that this is an image of the crucified Messiah, but there are three glaring errors: no sign identifying who he is (the sign that Pilate placed on the cross); the nails would have been driven through the wrists, not through the hands (the suspended weight would cause the nail to tear through the flesh of the hands); and they have covered his private parts (by all accounts He was naked).
These omissions are no accident. They have removed His identity, misrepresented the method of crucifixion and hidden His distinctly Jewish circumcision. And who would have motive to do this? Perhaps the same spirit that possessed those who were responsible for handing Him over for crucifixion, perhaps those same ones who so enthusiastically acknowledged the Roman Caesar as their king.
When the frocked one with the pointy hat waves his crooked crook at the flock he is not saying, “Behold your wonderful saviour who gave His life as a ransom for you”, he is saying, “If we can do this to your king just imagine what we can do to you”.
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:”
Christianity is the strong delusion.
Come out of her!!
🙂
Hi Mark – would you like to talk to us more about this privately in email? Your ideas are worth discussing privately.
Since all scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17) – theopneustos, which means “God-breathed, inspired by God, due to the inspiration of God”, you reject Acts 11:25-26 as inspired?
“So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”
Even though it’s included in the Bible?
Cheers, Team ChurchWatch.
I have made my case for the form of the word in question, i.e., it is a Latin/Roman form. The reference provided in your comment gives no indication that the word in question was coined by Paul or Barnabas. The absence of the form in the texts in general implies that it was not employed by the believers. Your case is a bit slim!
beholdason: Yes indeed, I am firmly convinced, through a multitude of witnesses, that we have now entered into the last days of the current era, the next era being the seventh day, a thousand years of rest. I can’t wait:-)
Just trying figure out what your agenda is, Mark.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Your comments made me reflect on Thomas Jefferson’s version of the bible, “cutting and pasting with a razor and glue” taking out what he couldn’t accept as true.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-thomas-jefferson-created-his-own-bible-5659505/
The majority of those who comment here (and all the moderators) believe that the Bible does not originate with man, we believe that it’s the revealed revelation of God and carries the authority of God.
Cheers, Team ChurchWatch.
Jesus
I did not ‘cut out’ anything, I merely explained it!
The christian religion ‘cuts out’ bits of the scripture by ignoring the bits they don’t like, that convict them, or they don’t understand! Forget the ‘christian’ thing, seriously! I regret ever writing it. I throw my hands in the air and say, “Whatever…” lol
Be at peace, I won’t bother you again:-)
I read the book, the same book as everyone else, and Jesus teaches me, as He has done for most of my life. I offer to share that which He has shown me for assessment and consideration and I get accused of all sorts of things that I did not do!
That’s why I am not a christian!
I offer, you reject. All cool. I really don’t care, I just thought I’d test the water, so to speak. Anyway, this conversation has come to an end. I wish all of you all the best in your walk with our Lord and Saviour, YahuShua HaMashiach, Jesus the Christ.
ciao
So, Mark, it appears you have had a special revelation kept from the body of Christ for the last 2000 years?
You want people out of church, not to trust their bibles? Not to even read them, because by implication that’s what you’re suggesting.
“Didaskalos” – to instruct, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. A gift given to the body of Christ, found in His Word, (which apparently can’t be trusted). So how are they to be instructed, are they to meet in your home?
How do they fulfill Hebrews 10:24-25 “…and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
Seriously, Mark, because of your special revelation the majority of body of Christ aren’t even aware of, is it your intention to draw followers to yourself?
Cheers, Team ChurchWatch.
Mark, there was a man who also said “come out of her” (regarding the church)…..
…… His name was Harold Camping. http://www.apologeticsindex.org/2027-harold-camping-family-radio
No church is perfect because every church has sinful people in it. Walking the Christian walk alone should be the last option taken.
Proverbs 18:1 Through desire a man, having *separated himself* , groweth and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
Every person has their blind spot/s, including spiritual ones. Not all “wisdom” is God’s wisdom either.
Mark, I am glad to hear you’ve “Come out from among them”.
Unfortunately many Christians still believe that “the Church” is an institution where men carry on like little popes and twist the Scriptures to justify their titles and salaries.
No such nonsense went on in the NT assemblies. They only thing resembling it were the Pharisees and Scribes who “loved to sit in Moses’ seat”.
Nothing has changed since then.
As some people say, Christianity is the same harlot in a brand new dress.
Go read Revelation if you have no idea what I’m on about.
John marvels for a very good reason.
Indeed beholdason, that which you write is true. I think John was taken by the sheer beauty of the woman he saw. Jesus didn’t woo them with good looks, He won them with love and good teaching!
I have observed that many in christianity believe that they have a god given right to sit in Moses seat; if they took a look with their eyes open they might find that they are seated upon a ‘throne’ of a very different nature!
His return is imminent, His judgment perfect and His ways simple:-)
For sure Mark. How exciting that He is coming ‘soon’. In our lifetime or the next, it’s just around the corner. Matthew chapter 7:21-23 clearly describes these types of Christians who love the praises of men. Their many wonderful works, preaching and miracles in His name count for nothing, as they are not solely trusting in the One whose righteousness is imputed unto those who simply “Believe”.
“The Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands”. Acts 7:48
Enjoy worship in Spirit and in Truth. Christ is All. John 4:21-24
“Despite the gross errors of every branch of the christian religion,”
Hi Mark could you please explain some of these errors in more detail, with their branch, so I can follow what you’re talking about? Thanks in advance.
Hi Drew, I would love to expand and expound upon the statements I have made, but I am mindful of moving in on another’s foundation. I have been invited to establish a line of communication with the churchwatch team, which I have happily accepted, and until such time as I am given their approval to engage with the world at large through this website it is best that I wait until we see where the Lord leads us.
Please keep in mind that no matter how harsh my criticisms of religion may sound I tenaciously cling to the overwhelming reality of the love of Jesus. His love is the very substance of the good news, balanced against His expectation of us to strive to keep His Father’s commandments.
Stay tuned and we’ll see where He takes us!
“That’s why I am not a christian!”
Mark, ok let’s think about this, if not CHRISTIANS, then WHICH group of people do you think is out there spreading the Gospel?
Common sense alone should tell you. Name ONE other group spreading the Gospel besides CHRISTIANS. Who else do you suspect is carrying out The Great Commission?
It seems like you believe in something called The Great Omission.
Mark and as far as all those “false doctrines” being spread by “every branch” of the Christian faith, so far you have named for me ZERO of them.
AND, dont start pulling that Cesare Borgia nuttiness either.
Churchwatch,
Hebrews 10:24-25 has nothing to do with going to a building wrongly called a Church.
The Church is an assembly of believers. It is not a building on a street corner with a little cross glued on top.
The context of that passage is simply encouraging believers in Jesus to keep meeting with one another in their houses like they had been. Church is simply an assembly. It doesn’t require men with false titles who preach sermons and have been to bible college. None of that junk is in the Scriptures.
The institution called ‘Church’ is nowhere in Scripture.
Actually… I’m lying. Go read about the TEMPLE.
The Pharisees are no different than modern day capital P salaried to serve pastors.
Have a look how many times the word pastor is in the New Testament.
Jesus did away with temple worship, and if you read John 4 aloud ten times it might ring clear.
You guys need to put down Calvin’s Institutes and start studying the Word of God.
Ecclisia – the collective body of Christian believers regarded as constituting the universal church. Quite aware of exactly what Hebrews 10:24-25 means, Beholdason.