Brian and Bobbie - an Australian Story
Okay, this is a post marker for all those that watched ABC’s Australian Story on Brian and Bobbie Houston, the senior pastors of Hillsong. If you saw the show and want to comment, please do so in this thread.
A couple of our thoughts:
- One of the Houston boys is pretty cute
- Lots of really nice houses
- Bit disappointing that they really didn’t get into many of the critiques of the church, except to allow the Houston’s to say their side - not really ‘presenting the story and letting you decide’ as the introduction said
- Brave to show all that footage of bad moustaches and eighties clothing
- The story about where and how much money they earned was pretty convoluted - at first it is that they earn a salary the same as a private school teacher, then they are earning money through speaking and writing, then the statement at the end that they are only earning money through LMI
Will update with transcripts and links as they become available.
UPDATE transcript of the interview with Brian Houston can be found here in full, which includes more than the excerpts included in the show. The statement that some have referred to which was put up on the screen at the end of the show read:
Brian and Bobbie Houston’s earnings from all sources, including Hillsong Church, are paid into the not-for-profit Leadership Ministries Incorporated (LMI), which funds ministry and charitable work.
Brian Houston says LMI is his only source of income.
The NSW Office of Fair Trading said tonight it has never received an annual statement from LMI and “will be in contact with them to determine their status and request lodgement of the outstanding statements”.
.
The transcript of the interview with Bobbie Houston is here.
November 10th, 2005 at 11:34 pm
Dissapointingly, more of the same style of “spin and rhetoric”…
1. We are completely without fault
2. The media is against us and have an agenda
3. They “Err” - there are many inaccuracies within the article.
4. People have not made any attempt to communicatre with us (and when they do we don’t respond anyway).
Come on guys, be humble for once. Admit it when you stuff up.
November 11th, 2005 at 2:16 am
This is the original transcript of Ian West’s speech to the NSW Parliament on Hillsong.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20051108059
And this is The Australian’s article again.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17196599%255E2702,00.html
And again, Hillsong’s rebuttal.
http://www2.hillsong.com/media/default.asp?pid=500
The Australian reported Mr. West’s statement to the House, verbatim in many places, and actually left out some of the incendiary political claims, as well as the comparison of Hillsong’s efforts with the ‘mission manager approach’, and also included Hillsong’s response (maybe Hillsong is claiming its own response is part of the article’s inaccuracies).
Now it’s fairly obvious from Hansard that Mr. West went into the house with one side of the story and with all guns blazing, but I’m not sure how this is all The Australian’s fault for being there and reporting on it…when the report included the Hillsong Emerge version of events.
November 11th, 2005 at 10:35 am
As I’ve said before, it’s a cult, replete with all the vestiges of paranoia and persecution complexes. What’s next - editors burnt at the stake?
November 17th, 2005 at 7:39 pm
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God
(KJV)
1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
1Co 6:10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
(NIV)
1Co 6:9 Don’t you know that evil people will not receive God’s kingdom? Don’t be fooled. Those who commit sexual sins will not receive the kingdom. Neither will those who worship statues of gods or commit adultery. Neither will men who are prostitutes or who commit homosexual acts.
1Co 6:10 Neither will thieves or those who always want more and more. Neither will those who are often drunk or tell lies or cheat. People who live like that will not receive God’s kingdom.
(NRV)
1CO 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
1CO 6:10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
(NASV)
November 17th, 2005 at 7:47 pm
Emarc, WTF does that have to do with anything?
November 17th, 2005 at 9:48 pm
I think he’s saying that the thieves and the swindlers and those who tell lies and cheat at Hillsong..won’t inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
But he’s used bible references which incorrectly translate ‘malakoi’ and ‘arsenokoitai’..so again, for slow-learners like emarc…
http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/archives/greek-3/msg00171.html