Tag Archives: Hillsong NYC

Carl Lentz Scrutinized

24 Saturday Aug 2013

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Christianity is founded on objective factual claims. Christianity is anchored on the historical person of Jesus Christ and what he accomplished on earth through his lifetime. God’s Word also records amazing factual accounts of God’s dealing with mankind from the very beginning of creation.

Today’s culture generally operates from a postmodern world view. That is, truth is subjective not objective. Your feelings and experiences are more founded on the truth then objective statements or facts. Critical thinking is overshadowed by what you feel is true. You could say that postmodernity weaves mysticism and gnosticism within it’s worldview. At it’s core, postmodernity is irrational, reactionary and inconsistent. On this basis, we have been observing how this pagan philosophy is leaving it’s mark on big churches like the Hillsong and C3 ‘Church’ movements.

It has been observed that, “Lentz has been criticized for sometimes going too far in toeing his line between secular and spiritual.”

Who Is Pastor Carl Lentz?

Furthermore, “Lentz, the newest pastor of Hillsong Church, merges the secular with the spiritual, incorporating references to pop culture and quips and slang. Considering his tactics, it’s no wonder the house of worship is reaching major success.”

 Pastor Carlmeleon Lentz Popularising The Hillsong Label

While young, upcoming pastors are highly susceptable to this, it is highly noticable in Carl Lentz’s double-mindedness.Evidence of his false worldview is revealed in his double-speak and double-mindedness in the recent articles we’ve been reading. For example, the Christian Post not long ago had an interview with ‘Pastor’ Carl Lentz about his involvement in Hillsong New York. Rather then produce the Christian Post interview with Carl Lentz, we thought CoercionCode did a decent job pointing out Carl Lentz’s hypocrisy. (Also observe how ambiguous and sujective some of Carl Lentz replies are to the Christian Post interviewer; e.g. “You know, the gospel is relevant and makes sense to people in different ways”.)

CoercionCode writes,

Hillsong in New York — Church on the Broadway

Carl Lentz is not your typical pastor.

Along with his half shaved head and slicked back Mohawk, he’s dressed in his usual Sunday attire: black jeans and an unbuttoned denim shirt with a tank top underneath. His tattooed arms, including one with two guns crossed, peek out from under his rolled-up sleeves.

His Hillsong Church NYC holds at least six sermons every Sunday in a ballroom-style concert venue that has hosted such bands as U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. People squeeze into whatever space they can find and take notes on iPhones as Lentz marches across the stage, peppering his sermon with Bible verses, jokes, pop music lines and street slang.

“If you’re new to our church, we love you,” says the 34-year-old Lentz. “Don’t be alarmed by the craziness you see. One time somebody said, ‘Y’all are crazy in your church,’ and I said, ‘You ever seen you dance drunk? Don’t be judging us up in church.’”

New York has become a magnet for startup evangelical churches in recent years. There are currently more than 200 in Manhattan alone, according to Tony Carnes of the research project, A Journey Through NYC Religions, and Hillsong is one of the fastest-growing.

After a little more than two years, Hillsong estimates it draws 5,500 people to Sunday services each week. Crowds lining up are a regular weekly scene at Irving Plaza near Manhattan’s Union Square. Hillsong often has to add additional evening sessions, which could last well into the night.

“I’ve gotten used to seeing bar stools and club stuff in the place that we have church,” Lentz said, adding “that’s church to me now.”

Steve Dagrossa, a 31-year-old who says he is a recovering heroin addict, attended all six sermons on a recent Sunday, for a total of 12 hours. He has even styled his hair his hair like Lentz.

“It’s unconventional but we’re not a conventional city,” Dagrossa said. “This isn’t the Bible Belt. This is New York.”

Meredith Anderson, a 27-year-old church member who also works as an assistant to Lentz, said she “went from being a drug addict party animal to becoming a Christian living a full, healthy life.”

“If it was a church that was all buttoned up, you know, what everybody thinks about when they think about church … that’s not necessarily something that would speak to me,” she said. “But because it’s young people, because there are young people there, I feel more comfortable.”

The church is a branch of the popular Australian-based Hillsong Church, the Pentecostal church which draws more than 21,000 weekly to its services. Hillsong is best known for its concert-type settings where they play Christian rock and praise music, which often appeals to a younger demographic of churchgoers.

Much of Hillsong NYC’s success can be attributed to its unorthodox leader. Lentz is a hyperactive, self-proclaimed insomniac who would rather stand than sit. His gift for gab lends itself to creating hype for the church. He loves hip hop music and often calls getting the word of God out “a hustle.”

At one service, he broke out Coolio lyrics. At another he called the biblical Saul the “LeBron James of Judaism.” He is an avid basketball fan and player, and is a fixture at New York Knicks games.

Lentz has established himself as his own brand. He has more than 67,000 followers on Twitter and 59,000 on Instagram, where you can find pictures of him standing next to Jay-Z and NBA star Kevin Durant. Justin Bieber posted a picture of himself eating lunch with Lentz, “talking ’bout our savior Jesus Christ.”

Hillsong is far from the first church to attempt to win over a young demographic, but few have been able to pull it off as successfully as Hillsong, according to Carnes.

Hillsong Church NYC Pastor Carl Lentz has said that critics of his unconventional style give him “fuel for the fire,” as his ministry continues growing.

He acknowledged that some find his methods unconventional and even crazy, but the success of his evangelical church, which is a branch of the Pentecostal church in Australia with a 21,000-attendance, is showing that his style is connecting with young people in one of the world’s largest cities.

See his unconventional ways here

Also the type of worship found at his old stomping ground at WAVE church.

Others have noted that one danger with leading a modern church that appeals to young people is that Christ’s message could be overshadowed – though Lentz has made it his mission not to let that happen.

“This church is always only about Jesus. … It’s always, it’s only about Jesus,” the pastor said in a previous sermon.

Blog Editors Note: It might be about Jesus, but what is it about Jesus?? Jesus always asks the question, who do you say that I am? Hillsong’s Jesus is nothing more than a religious billboard, Jesus is the product as Joel Osteen, and T D Jakes would say.

In an interview with The Christian Post back in February 2011, shortly after the NYC branch of Hillsong was started up, Lentz shared some of his vision and hopes for the young church as it looked for ways to grow in the most populous city in America

Carl Lentz, senior pastor of Hillsong New York City, never imagined that a deal he had roughly 10 years ago with Joel Houston, son of Hillsong Church’s founder Brian Houston, would actually pan out one day.

Today, the long-time friends from Bible college lead Hillsong NYC, the first U.S. location of the Australian-based Pentecostal megachurch.

In the next couple of months the Manhattan-based church, which meets at Irving Plaza near Union Square, will have made it’s presence felt for 3,years, since it’s official launch on Oct. 17, 2010.

The Christian Post has spoken previously to Lentz, about how he got involved in Hillsong NYC, his response to critics who ask why New York City needs “another church,” and what the vision of the church is all about. Joel Houston has been the Creative Director of Hillsong since 2008. Joel is currently co-Pastor of Hillsong NYC with Carl.

The following are some excerpts from the interview:

Lentz: I think Brian and Bobbie has always had it in their heart to do something in America but the when and the where has been in development for the a long time.

Joel and I, I think we were 20 (years old), were talking at Bible college one day and I said: “I’m going back to America and you’re going to stay here. I wonder if we will ever work together again.”

Joel said that, “If my dad ever did something outside of Australia, that would be kind of cool.”

I said: “Yea, it would have to be somewhere like New York.”

CP: There are a lot of churches in New York City, thousands in fact. Can you explain what is the need for Hillsong New York and what is the demographic that it wishes to serve that might not be served by other churches?

Lentz: You are asking in really cool way but often times people ask me that in a really critical way, something like: “Why does New York City need another church?”

It is really sad to me. There are 20 million people in this city. There are a lot of people who don’t know the Lord. It’s like asking: Why does the city need another restaurant. It’s like one person going to McDonalds unless I have any other food.

You know, the gospel is relevant and makes sense to people in different ways. Sometimes, different churches have different feels. Maybe someone will not connect with Hillsong New York City but they go down to your church and connect with that. So if it saves one person then that church is worthwhile.

So for us, we really believe in building the local church in general and we feel like we have a lane. We often use the analogy of a running lane. We are all running the same race with the same destination. We’re not running your lane. It’s not better or worse, just different.

But I think the way that Hillsong does worship is appealing to people. And the way we teach the practicality of this Gospel is helpful to people.

Brian Houston is known for really practical teaching that takes something really complex make a whole lot of sense. That to me is… when I fell in love with Jesus it was through Hillsong Church. It was through this message of church. So there are a lot of people like us and it just makes sense.

Blog Editor: Really, practical teaching? It just makes sense? Brian Houston uses all sorts of antecdotes, and scripture verses to present his humanistic panderings, and prosperity propaganda , but that doesn’t make them biblical. These new congregates are being fed error as bold and as brazen, as the Roman Catholic’s ‘Transubstantiation’ teaching. They are so lacking in actual understanding, “they are ever learning, yet never coming to the knowledge of the truth”.

CP interviewer: Redeemer (church) tries to reach out to city professionals. I attended a Hillsong NYC service back in November and I noticed that there were a lot of young people, and dare I say a hip, young crowd. Is this a group or generation not being reached in New York?

Lentz: I think there are some churches reaching people like that. It is what it is. We are never going to say we are about this or about that. Because I just don’t feel God is that narrow.

Last night there were some CEOs of companies and people who New York City would consider some very big players who are calling Hillsong New York City their home. So, we absolutely believe that the grace of God will be appealing to everybody.

Yea, I think there is a hip, young factor that is wide open in this city, and we are part of a number of churches who are going after that group. But at the same time, it’s not intentional. We don’t sit there and go, okay, how can we appeal to the hip, young people. We just sit there and go how can we lift up the name of Jesus with how we see fit and let the chips fall where they may.

If it was as easy as picking a demographic, we would be doing a lot better as churches. So I don’t even believe that works.

CP: You told the audience during a church service back in November that this is “not a concert” but “a church service.”

Blog Editor’s note : [He shouldn’t even need to. The problem is the Hillsong’s ‘church’ music is nothing more than a rock concert, it’s not a worship service, plain and simple, and if we have to explain to people that it’s worship, then there is something wrong! Maybe the thinking is if we tell people long enough maybe they will be convinced.]

Do you think there are a lot of people who attend Hillsong New York because of the popularity of the worship music? How do you build the core membership and not only attract people who just want to listen to worship music from Hillsong?

Lentz: Yea, I don’t think it’s a problem – people who want to come to church because they love to worship. I think we’re going to keep showing up week in and week out. We have 20 minutes of worship normally. So if you’re coming because you think it’s a concert then you going to figure out within two services that this is a church. So we never once thought what we are going to do if people come because they love the music. That’s just a huge bonus.

Every bit of music that comes out of the church is because it’s a church. It’s not the opposite. It’s not a band that has a church attached to it. It’s the music that comes out of the church. It takes 10 minutes to explain that. I say that not for Hillsong music but we have visitors who don’t know what church is like.

Blog Editor: [Come on Lentz, it’s a religious rock concert! To use Lentz’ own anology of another restaurant in the area. If the smell of Fried Chicken covered in some herbs and spices starts wafting down the street, how can you pretend your restaurant is really flipping burgers with an all beef pattie, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo. The thing is absurd! Why would you need to explain to the customers that your cooking chicken , they know what it is!]

So when I’m talking to people and say, ‘Hey this is not a concert, this is not a spectator sport,’ I’m not talking about people thinking it’s a concert. But because they just don’t know what it is. We’re not just here listening to a band and just singing, but we’re singing to God. That’s why I do that.

Blog Editor: [Not a concert? Their not fooling anyone, but themselves]

CP: You blogged on Sunday that over 200 people have given their lives to Christ and 400 people have signed up to be volunteers for the church. How does Hillsong follow up for people who have made decisions for Christ and what kinds of activities volunteers are involved in these days?

Lentz: There are dozens of areas to volunteer as any other church.

For us, we’re building the church based on the Acts model where the Bible said they devoted themselves.

A shorter answer is that we’re going to give people classes, mentorship, and immediate connect group activity which is like you get enrolled in a small group, so with the hope of saying that you have the option of walking into a family.

CP: What kind of activities are the volunteers doing?

Lentz: We are brand new church. We are not trying to build Rome in one day.

We have music, ushering, hospitality team, a greetings team, a new Christians team, a welcome team, a children’s program, and a community team which will probably be developed over the next year as we know the city better and the organizations that we’re going to partner with. We have a couple of homeless organizations that are kind of on the radar right now. We are meeting with them to decide which one we can fill our lives into. We are not going to start our own homeless ministry. We’re going to find one that is working and put our weight behind it.

CP: Is the church active in any homeless ministry currently?

Lentz: We don’t have a specific one endeavor.

Right now, what we have planned is that we are going to meet with one organization. There is a woman in our church who runs a pretty fantastic operation, feeding people in different programs. So right now our plan is to mobilize our church to do it all together.

Our plan is not to have an outreach ministry. I think that’s a pretty much a tragic term because if it’s not outreach in general it should not be a department. We don’t like to say that we’re going to do outreach. Everybody is an outreach every day of the week they walk out the door.

CP: What are the roles for Joel and you at the church?

Lentz: Well, my wife and I would be the pastors on the ground here. When it comes to the leading, the teaching, the preaching and the motivational aspect, that’s us. When it comes to the music and some of the things we do around the country, whether it be some of the worship tours we’re involved with, Joel has handled every decision we make.

Every key decision, Laura, myself and Joel make it together in agreement. It’s pretty much a joint effort in everything we do.

He’s such a good musician. I’m not a good musician. So that’s a no-brainer. He can handle that by himself.

For us, it would be to never narrow our little human minds and try to get our heads around this because if we can stay with the big picture, God will stay bigger.

So everyday we are going to wake up and say: “Okay, Lord, we’re going to dream huge. No matter what someone tells us, you can’t use this venue– nope, we can. You can’t reach those people–we’re going to believe we can reach them.”

CP: What are your hopes and prayers for Hillsong New York this year?

Lentz:We’re just believing that we are going to help more people than we’ve dreamed. I think our church is in a really strong place to begin with. I think it’s a pretty successful place to be. Rather than start from scratch, we have a foothold like we do already.

CP: What are some of the main challenges you see in planting Hillsong NYC?

Lentz: Main challenge is for us to keep our vision big enough. When it comes to challenges, there is no mountain here that God can’t move in a day.

For us, we really believe in building the local church in general and we feel like we have a lane. We often use the analogy of a running lane. We are all running the same race with the same destination. We’re not running your lane. It’s not better or worse, just different.”

comment (from recent article)
jezziebezzie
11:22 AM on August 17, 2013
I like his concept of ‘running lanes’. I feel similarly about different religions & prophets. I believe that ultimately the “Message” we’re all receiving is the same, but the way the message is delivered & the person delivering the message might be different. So some of our rules & customs might be strange to each other, but at the heart – live a good life, be charitable & kind and you will move from this plane to better things … is what all of us believe.

Blog Editor:
Talk about leaving it to the interpretation of the listener! You can drive a bus through Lentz’ statements. It’s seems Hillsong are happy running on the Broad way that leads to destruction. How are we all running the same race? Is he talking specifically about Christianity, or religious persuasion generally? Who would really know? The girl who left her comment in reference to Lentz’s statement obviously thinks he means any kind of religious icon. This is from a supposed Christian pastor. It’s woeful! He is representing Christ, not as a spokesman for a religious organisation, but that’s what Hillsong has become, a sophiscated form of Scientology, that gives lipservice to the Lord Jesus, “having a form of godliness (a resemblance of the original, or a superficial veneer), but denying the power thereof”

Jesus said, “The fields are white unto harvest,…”, but Hillsong are seeking success in fields of Gold!

Sources: Article by Stoyan Zaimov,
Christian Post Reporter
July 18, 2013

http://global.christianpost.com/news/hillsong-church-nyc-pastor-carl-lentz-critics-give-fuel-for-the-fire-100412/

Article by Katherine T. Phan,
Christian Post Reporter
February 17, 2011|6:47 am

http://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-pastor-carl-lentz-on-hillsong-new-york-city-49021/

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765634211/Unconventional-pastor-leads-booming-NYC-megachurch.html?pg=1

Source: CoercionCode, Hillsong in New York – Church on the Broadway, http://coercioncode.com/2013/08/23/hillsong-in-new-york-church-on-the-broadway/, Updated on 23/08/2013, (Accessed 24/08/2013.)

We may offer our own critique of the Christian Post review in another article.

Who Is Pastor Carl Lentz?

15 Thursday Aug 2013

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We have managed to find a miniature biography of new Hillsong Pastor, Carl Lentz.

Biocarl lentz hillsong
Carl recently wrapped up 7 years of ministry at Wave Church. Before that, he had moved to Australia to pursue biblical training at Hillsong College, which quickly turned into the pursuit of his now wife, Laura, an Australian. Carl claims that Laura is the second greatest Aussie import of all time, only topped by Tim-Tam cookies. Both Carl and Laura embrace a simple, dedicated faith in Jesus and are passionate about delivering the gospel in a method that makes sense to a generation that is desperately seeking a cause that is greater than themselves. He counts it as an honor to lead the first ever Hillsong Church in the United States of America and plans on spending the rest of his life loving life, loving Jesus, loving people and building Hillsong New York City. Carl and Laura have three children under the age of 7, all of which feel a call to play professional basketball and make millions for their father, although it is not clear as to whether the children are aware of this yet. Be sure to follow him on Twitter via (@carllentzNYC).

Source: Events, Premiere Productions, http://www.premierproductions.com/artists/carl-lentz,

We thought it was worth to inform our readers about Carl Lentz’s ministry work at Wave Church. The Hampton Roads reports the following in their ‘Community News’ section,

Local Pastor saves souls to a hip-hop soundtrack.

Wave Church parishioners in Virginia Beach raise their hands in worship as Carl Lentz preaches his Wednesday night sermon during a service geared for younger church-goers. (Stephen M. Katz | The Virginian-Pilot)

So it’s Thursday night, and a pastor walks into a bar.

No, really. It’s Thursday night, and a pastor, Carl Lentz, walks into a bar. Specifically the bar wxyz, inside the hip new hotel aloft in Chesapeake during the invite-only party for its opening. The lobby has been transformed into a nightclub. A sea of alcohol flows, and a DJ blasts house music and hip-hop to a mix of corporate types and young socialites.

Olympic runner LaShawn Merritt is here. Todd Askins, who created the clothing line Shmack. Rapper Fam-Lay. Radio jocks Nick Taylor from Z104 and Pavar Snipe from 103 Jamz. Lentz, his dark hair in its trademark state – like he’s just sprinted from the shower – wears an intentionally distressed tweed blazer festooned with patches. He sees friends and joins little clusters of conversation.

“Is that Shay?” he asks about Shay Haley, one of the members of the rock group N.E.R.D. “He has a kid, doesn’t he? I’ve been trying to get him to come out to the church.”

Over the din of the music, Haley is briefed on the guy asking about him, the guy who looks as though he’s just sprung from a fashion magazine’s centerfold.

“Really?” Haley asks, his face twisted in disbelief. “He’s a reverend? What’s the church like?”

And there’s the punch line. A reverend walks into a bar; when he leaves, somebody else knows about his church.

Except it’s not a joke, it’s Lentz’s mission: He’s a man of the cloth and a man about town.

Lentz, a 30-year-old pastor at Wave Church in Virginia Beach, is likely one of very few reverends who’ll go to see rappers Redman and Method Man at The NorVa one week – he’s an ardent rap fan – and deliver a sermon to an audience of 1,000 the next.

He’s an evangelist in skinny jeans, driving a black Cadillac Escalade and saving souls to a hip-hop soundtrack.

“There’s a stereotype,” Lentz says. “A lot of people think of Christians as out of touch. But I say the gospel shouldn’t make you weird. We’re not like those people standing outside the clubs with the posters and the bullhorns. God is bigger than that.

“Jesus was doing the same thing, he was among the prostitutes…. I’m not crazy. I’m not weird. I don’t want to hide my identity as a pastor. I pray those days are over.”

Carl Lentz began making a name for himself when he was a basketball player for Cox High School in Virginia Beach. He was, by his own admission, slightly temperamental, at least on the court, something he attributes to being the sole white guy on a team full of standout black athletes.

He was good enough, however, to draw significant attention to himself, even if it wasn’t all positive. His coach, interviewed for a Virginian-Pilot article on Lentz in 1999, called him “cocky”; he was once accused of using a racial slur on the court, a charge he denies. Nonetheless, Lentz’s talent for playing basketball, talking a good game or a combination of both landed him a spot as a walk-on at North Carolina State University – and all the perks of being a popular athlete.

“It was like in the movies times ninety,” he says one day over coffee at Starbucks on Shore Drive.

He looks like a rock star as he pulls up in his Escalade with its shiny rims. He’s wearing a houndstooth trench coat over a tank top, and a Yankees cap turned sideways. His grandfather’s ring dangles from a chain around his neck.

He’s reluctant to paint a vivid portrait of a college debauchery, but suffice it to say he had fun.

“I was living the life,” he says, uncharacteristically turning his eyes away from the conversation. “Not hardcore drugs. Obviously the opposite sex.”

He looks down.

“That whole world.”

He looks up again.

“The big advantage now is that I know there’s nothing there. You can’t tell me I don’t know what it’s like.”

Lentz grew up in a Baptist church but didn’t connect with the church experience. He didn’t see many people his age there.

One weekend home from school, his parents urged him to go to church. He had nothing against it per se, and he’d always obeyed his parents, so he went. What could be the harm? He chose a service led by Steve Kelly, an Australian minister who came from a church known for a unique music ministry – modern songs appealing to young people.

Kelly remembers that day.

“After the service, I ran up to him and said, ‘Hey, I know your parents.’ And he was expecting, ‘Oh boy, here we go. I’m playing basketball, not walking with God, and he’s going to judge me.’ And I said to him, ‘You play ball? That’s awesome. I’m proud of you. It’s a gift.’ And it blew him away. I just accepted him where he was, and I have no doubt that made him want to reconnect with God.”

At that service, Lentz accepted Christ as his savior.

He went back to college but felt something was missing. In his sophomore year, he transferred to Virginia Wesleyan.

Then he studied at the Hillsong International Leadership College in Australia, but, slightly overwhelmed by all the sudden life changes, he returned to the United States and joined a Bible college in California, “the porn capitol of the world,” he points out. He got his first tattoo, a sword on fire, on Sunset Boulevard. He worked at the Gucci store part time.

After about a year, he headed back to Australia. There he met Laura and married her in 2003.

Four years ago, Carl and Laura moved to Hampton Roads, expecting their first child.

Right away, Lentz went to work for Kelly, who is senior pastor of Wave Church on Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach, in the church’s burgeoning youth ministry.

“I saw the call of God in his life,” Kelly says. “Mind you, I don’t think that people should always give up their profession. Not everyone’s got to be a preacher. I do think there is a call of God to be an athlete. But I saw that in him.”

Lentz served as an intern for a year, reporting to the youth minister and assisting with a Wednesday night service geared toward college-aged adults. He then became, to employ the church parlance, “on fire for the Lord.”

Using his gift of gab and his personal connections, he gradually increased the attendance at the Wednesday night service, which he dubbed “Soul Central.” Fifty people turned into 80, 100 to 150, due almost entirely to what Kelly calls Lentz’s evangelical gift – his ability to be a one-man “buzz factory.”

“Within no time at all,” Kelly says, “I told Carl, ‘You run Wednesday night. I don’t want this to be another church service. We don’t have a lot of money and a lot of resources, but what I want you to do is make this a kicking service for college students. I want to walk in there and feel old.’ And Carl just blew it up. I said to my youth pastor, ‘You now work for him.’ “

At a “Soul Central” service last fall, pull-down projector screens played clips of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” and a band on a stage did a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” At one point Lentz, ever the showman, encouraged people to lift their Bibles in the air and use them to high-five one another. He told them to turn to the book of Zachariah.

“Don’t act like you know where that is,” he said. “There is no shame in using the table of contents.”

Roughly 500 people filled the room, a drafty annex of Wave Church’s old building at the same location.

Cut to this year.

Wave Church resides in a stunning Frank Gehry-esque monument of glass and steel; curved walls and high glass panels give the building the airy, cold and modern personality of an airport.

“Soul Central” takes place in a theater-style auditorium with stadium seating, carpeted floors and those tiny aisle lights. The pull-down screens have been replaced by enormous, state-of-the-art monitors.

On Wednesday nights at 8, just as hump-day happy hours across the region are winding down, the flock arrives to strobe lights and stage smoke in the church lobby. Girls appear right on trend in tights and heels; the guys, in their plaid shirts, shaggy hair and slim trousers, look like members of a band.

As the service opens, the rapper Mims’ song “Move if You Wanna” plays, followed by Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance.” It’s very pop-urban Z104 music, and so it’s little coincidence that most Wednesdays you’ll find that station’s music director, Shaggy Stokes, perched on the front row with his wife, Nikki. They are two of roughly 1,000 people who come every week, an audience that seems to grow with every service.

Stokes has known Lentz since ninth grade; Lentz played basketball with Shaggy’s older brother.

Like Lentz, who was torn between his lifestyle and a longing to openly serve God, Stokes felt as though his job would somehow make worshipping the Lord inauthentic. Until he really got to know Carl.

“When I went to lunch with him last October,” Stokes says, “he pulled up on a motorcycle with a Guns N’ Roses T-shirt on.

“I didn’t want to be fake. Like, go to church and then go on the radio and play top-40 music. I still wanted to listen to Young Jeezy and not wear a suit. But he showed me that when you become a Christian you don’t die. I can still be me. He knows about hip-hop, but he’s not afraid to stand there and say, ‘I love Jesus.’ It’s not like it’s a front either, like he comes to church one day and then goes and does another thing. He’s the same dude.”

Not everyone finds this approach completely appropriate. Lentz has been criticized for sometimes going too far in toeing his line between secular and spiritual. This is, after all, a guy with a growing collection of tattoos. Body art, many Christians say, is in direct defiance of Leviticus 19:28, which states: “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.”

“Somebody at Wave Church once said to me, ‘You need to look more like a pastor,’ ” Lentz says.

He’s been turned away from ministering men at prisons because officials didn’t believe he was a reverend.

“I was pretty taken aback by that. I talked to Steve about it, and he said, ‘Don’t change a thing.’ “

Lentz points out that Leviticus also contains verses prohibiting men from shaving their temples, but most Christians don’t regard haircuts as a sin.

“At the end of the day, it’s a nonissue,” he says. “The heart is what’s important.”

Lentz has limits. He’s not going to a strip club. He might have a glass of wine with dinner occasionally, but he doesn’t drink for sport the way some people his age do.

Sometimes the lines get blurred, and he has to retreat. Not long ago, he went to see the movie “Notorious” about the slain rapper who produced the first album Lentz ever bought. On the album, you can hear the rapper making noises that suggest he’s having sex, but Lentz couldn’t stand watching a scene depicting the Notorious B.I.G. and Lil’ Kim.

“It just went into straight porno,” Lentz says. “It was a good movie up until that point. They had to mess it up with that. I had to leave.”

He hopes the people in his flock would exhibit the same kind of discipline and self-control, but he avoids evoking fire and brimstone if they fall short; his style is to encourage people to do better.

“Everybody is on a journey and at a different spot,” he says. For example, he preaches against premarital sex but knows that some of the young people in the audience do it, or even live together.

“Those are the people you want in church. We want them to have a revelation so they can change. We don’t pull punches. We preach the truth in love. I’m preaching against a lot of what our generation stands for but letting people know that God loves them.”

At a Wednesday service for Wave Church officers preceding “Soul Central,” some people are texting with their Bibles open. Even Laura, Carl’s wife – who is also 30 and a minister at the church, and is expecting their third child – occasionally looks down to tinker with her iPhone during the sermon and take notes.

“Don’t text me saying you’re not coming to church,” Lentz says to the crowd. “That’s some bullshiznit.” And then, parenthetically, “I can get away with that. It’s legal.”

Back to the script.

“I don’t want to hear your excuses…. You should be taking notes. You know if you don’t have a certain amount of notes, you won’t get into heaven.”

The sermon he’s giving is about making it out of a valley, a theme he’s expounded on in various ways in recent weeks, given the state of the world today.

“Psalm 23. That’s a Coolio song, remember?”

Lentz repeats the words to the psalm with the same cadence of the Coolio song.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of death… ” On cue, nearly everyone in the room starts to sing along. After a few bars, they all crack up.

“That’s not Coolio,” Lentz says, “that’s a promise.”

Ten minutes later, he reinforces the idea that Christians need to stick together.

“Stick to the plan. And stick to your peoples. Yes, we’re using ghetto language. Peoples. Turn to your neighbor, say, ‘Lean on me.’ ” And then, somewhat predictably, the audience begins singing that song. They crack up again.

The mood is decidedly less silly a few Wednesdays later, when Lentz has just finished delivering another sermon to the “Soul Central” crowd about traversing a valley. At one point he limps around the stage with a crutch, a metaphor for trials like bankruptcy or abortion, and then tosses the crutch into the front row.

He has a friend dressed as The Fear Beast – a fuzzy, orange monster meant to personify the bad people you meet when you hit a life valley. Lentz asserts that you shouldn’t get involved romantically with people while you’re at an emotional low point, because when you wake up, you’re stuck with someone who is no good for you. This is a provocative enough idea on its own, but one made all the more entertaining by watching Lentz’s trippy demonstration. Lentz finally breaks free from the beast, and the audience applauds.

“Don’t forget to tell your valley stories,” Lentz says to the audience, roughly equal to three sold-out movie theaters. “It could save someone’s life. But be sure to highlight the part about after Jesus saved you.”

He concludes the service as many pastors do, calling for those who feel it’s time to come to God to make their way to the front as the band plays soft, moving music. A distinct vibe washes over the room, and though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly, it’s there – peace, clarity, renewed purpose, gratitude, something – living and breathing and charging the room.

Dozens of people go down to the stage. The band begins packing up. A large group waits to speak to Carl. He focuses only on the person talking to him, as if there’s no one else in the room.

Lentz talks with each until everyone is gone.

Then he, Laura and their two children decamp to Just George’s, the late-night sister restaurant of Captain George’s on Laskin Road.

When Lentz and his family settle into a booth in the sports bar, they are apparently the last of the Wave crowd to arrive. A table that looks as long as the disciples’ is in the middle of the restaurant, with a cluster of nearly 20 from Wave. A few others sit in a booth, and there’s another group of church people by the door.

Four-year-old Ava and 2-year-old Charlie are allowed to roam around; everybody in here knows the little girls. Nobody comes to Lentz’s table to chat. The family is left alone to eat.

“We’re pretty religious about the time we spend together,” Lentz says.

He and Laura have weekly date nights.

“We go to the movies. We go to random parties. We went to the Wu-Tang show.”

They have a stable of baby sitters from the church who’ll watch the girls until they get back home to their modest two-bedroom townhouse in Virginia Beach, decorated with chic Ikea and Target-styled modernism – and little juice stains and toys on the floor.

It’s pushing midnight; the girls’ crankiness and alligator tears indicate that it’s probably time for them to go to bed. Laura and Ava leave. Charlie has decided to ride with her dad. But before they can get out the door, a guy from the kitchen pops out. He and Lentz talk; they went to high school together.

“He’s a good guy,” Lentz says. “He comes out to the church sometimes.”

Finally, the pastor is off duty. He walks out of the restaurant, Charlie cradled in his arms. He moves the worship CDs scattered in the back seat of the Escalade, loads Charlie in and takes off for home.

Source: Malcolm Venable, Local Pastor saves souls to a hip-hop soundtrack, Hampton Roads, 23/03/2009. (Accessed 15/08/2013.)

Pastor Carlmeleon Lentz Popularising The Hillsong Label

09 Friday Aug 2013

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Scriptures say that in the end times that people will be lovers of self,

“… having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people… These men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” 2Timothy 3:5, 8-9

We now wish to introduce you to a new Hillsong ‘Pastor’, Carl Lentz. There’s no such thing as contradiction when pastors like Carl Lentz try to please everyone. So we will be covering some articles online that expose the chameleon-like nature of Pastor Carl Lentz of the New Hillsong NYC church plant.

‘The Blaze’ writes,

Tattooed and Scruffy-Bearded Preacher Shatters Traditional Pastoral Image — and His Church Is Exploding in Popularity

Jul. 19, 2013 11:27am

Carl Lentz is the prototypical Brooklyn hipster. With his scruffy beard, artsy tattoos and cuffed shirts, Lentz, 34, embodies the young, rebellious feel of New York City’s most populated borough. But the Virginia native has a message that supersedes his appearance — and he’s bringing it to Manhattan.

Lentz, the newest pastor of Hillsong Church, merges the secular with the spiritual, incorporating references to pop culture and quips and slang. Considering his tactics, it’s no wonder the house of worship is reaching major success.

Out of the 200-plus evangelical churches in Manhattan alone, Hillsong is the fastest growing, according to Tony Carnes, who headed the research project, “A Journey Through NYC Religions.”

Tattooed and Scruffy Bearded Preacher Carl Lentz Shatters Traditional Pastoral Image and His Church Is Exploding in Popularity

The house of worship, after about two years, reports an estimated 5,500 of church attendees who flock to Irving Plaza near Union Square weekly to receive Christian messages taught in an unconventional way. Each week, Lentz delivers his sermons on the stage of a concert venue that has hosted bands like U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The main benefit of offering a different flavor than traditional churches is that the paradigm occasionally affords the opportunity to connect with people like Steve Dagrossa, 31. Dagrossa is a recovering heroin addict who has found hope in a place that accepts individuals for their dressed-down, broken selves.

“It’s unconventional but we’re not a conventional city,” Dagrossa said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This isn’t the Bible Belt. This is New York.”

Tattooed and Scruffy Bearded Preacher Carl Lentz Shatters Traditional Pastoral Image and His Church Is Exploding in Popularity

Lentz embodies Hillsong’s unofficial mission to attract young, vibrant, broken people who share a common passion for God. The young pastor has already established an impressive presence on Twitter and Facebook, and is no stranger to celebrities like Jay-Z and Justin Bieber, whom he recently linked up with to grab lunch and talk about faith.

Critics of Lentz’s nontraditional approach to delivering the Christian message might consider the impact he is having on the wider community. Pop culture jokes, basketball allegories and references to rap lyrics aside, Lentz declares that above all, Hillsong operates on a single goal: “This church is always only about Jesus… It’s always, it’s only about Jesus.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.