Hillsong loses more funding and partners
Signposts readers have called our attention to a couple of news items about Hillsong. The Australian continues its investigations, reporting that Indigenous Business Australia has pulled out of a micro-funding arrangement with Hillsong:
A funding arrangement in which Indigenous Business Australia provided Hillsong Emerge with $610,968 to run “enterprise hubs” to encourage indigenous entrepreneurship - but which failed to enable a single Aborigine to become fully self-employed - has been halted. This follows a decision by IBA to dump a funding relationship with Hillsong worth $1.6 million for “micro-credit” loans, and a federal Justice Department decision to strip it of $414,479 for community crime prevention.
The National Indigenous Times reports that the IBA decided to halt the micro-credit arrangements, citing lack of demand and the expense in running the project:
“The outcomes of pilots funded to date, as well as overseas experience, shows that while there is a demand for such a product, it is often limited, which can make delivery overly expensive.”
The Australian article breaks down some of the details of the “Overly expensive” delivery:
In one case, Hillsong Emerge spent $315,000 employing seven of its own staff to administer a “micro-credit” project that made six loans to Aborigines worth an average of $2856 each.
At a Senate estimates committee hearing, IBA revealed that the $140,808 of “enterprise hub” money was spent on Hillsong’s “Shine” program. IBA said the Shine program had aimed to give young people business skills and opportunities, but conceded it had mainly targeted Year 7 and Year 8 schoolgirls with “Christian values” and “confidence building” programs.
Interestingly, all of this controversy is giving the government and the Christian right a bit of a publicity black eye. With the Australian pushing a particular agenda, each of the articles about funding issues inevitably mentions Howard’s and Costello’s close association with Hillsong in the past.
Thanks to Lance and Jane for the heads up.
May 18th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Big Kev,
I suspect this is all about not being ashamed of the gospel.
May 18th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
Homer - people love Jesus, they reall do. they just don’t like what he had to say.
May 18th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
big Kev,
do you have any explanation for few people being able to understand 1 Cor 5?
of not being able to understand the difference between a sinful person who repents and seeks forgiveness and an unrepentant sinner?
Paul clearly tells the church in Corinth to excommunicate the man but no-one here seems to want to back Paul at all
May 18th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Dear Homer,
Mmm, I was not asking you to leave the site, although as I re-read my posts it so looked like that. That was not my intention and I am truly sorry. I have simply exposed myself for being what I judge and that sickens me, although I sadly do not find it surprising. Yes, I judge you for being self righteous and then, golly gee, I gloat in my own abilities with th scriptures. I ask you not to quote Paul, and then, guess what? I quote Paul! Damn it, how silly I look and humiliated I feel. So, Homer, please forgive me. I am wrong. We see life differently, but I have just made myself the object of my own criticisms. It just goes to show how graceless the graced can become when they feel they are right, and, believe me I am applying those words to myself. So, let’s start again with the foundation of Christ. Love. I am so very sorry for my lack of it this morning.
May 18th, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Homer - I’ll go re read it. Just for the fun of it, I’ll get back to you tommorow. it’s late here in Indiana.
May 18th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Geoff,
I would be far more distressed if you thought I was saying that a church should turf out every sinful person.
That was NOT what I was saying.
I do believe you misunderstood what I was saying.
Read 1 Cor 5 with a commentary and see if you can see a difference.
May 18th, 2006 at 3:41 pm
big Kev,
do you have any explanation for few people being able to understand 1 Cor 5?
I have an explanation.
Homer’s got insight the rest of us don’t. Homer’s special. Homer doesn’t sin, and God’s given him a mandate to go around harassing gay people - I mean, ‘proclaiming the Gospel.’
May 18th, 2006 at 3:47 pm
Bec,
I have never said I do not sin which explains why you patently have no idea of what 1 cor 5 is about either.
I have only said and will only say homosexual relationships in ANY form are condemned in the bible.
If you think that is harassment then that is your problem not mine
May 18th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
So Homer, here’s your opportunity to be an example to us ’sinners’..and you can tell us what sins you’ve repented of in the past 2 years, and how you’ve become more Christ-like in that time.
May 18th, 2006 at 6:13 pm
Homer,
Where did get the impression that the gospel was something to be understood? Was this from a Church you attended, your own reading of scripture, Bible college?
I don’t understand why you would read the teachings, actions and life of Jesus and come to the conclusion that the gospel is something to be understood and to “know” the right things was the purpose of Jesus’ message?
Can you help me understand how you understand the message of the kingdom of God?
And please consider your response before responding.
I would perfer not to be treated as I have been in the past by you as a gay loving, heretic, person who can never understand, a person who is inferior to you.
But rather i would like you to answer me as someone who is a fellow follower of Jesus that is genuinely confused about the picture of Jesus that you paint. It is a Jesus that I dont recognise and one that I do not find in the scriptures nor present in the early church.
May 18th, 2006 at 7:02 pm
I notice that being a follower of Christ does not correlate very well to improved behaviour.
Now we have pastors participating in bashing the flock.
May 18th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
Phil, as a latecomer to this particular discussion (everyone say ‘Hi Toddy’) can I ask if your question is about the absoluteness/not of Truth? I personally believe in multiple realities on earth (we can all only view the world through our own eyes. Even our perceptions of what others see is only that - a ‘perception’) but I’m sure that the Truth of the gospel (we saw Truth in Jesus) is far more absolute.
Now - this isn’t to say that ‘my absolute’ is more or less right than ’someone else’s absolute’, but I’m sure it must be there.
I agree with you Phil in terms of the gospel not being very good at telling us how to behave (too many personality, contextual and cultural anomolies to overcome) but I suppose it might be relatively (sorry) useful for instructing us in which direction to point out boats.
When in doubt, I like to look at the principles that run through the NT- love God, love people wots and wots, the spiritual fruit will accompany a Godly lifestyle, people matter more than stuff, grace wins over works, God has already done enough, Christians are on their way elsewhere but need to get on with the mission until we die.
The biggest issue I probably struggle with is remembering that God isn’t a white male…
May 18th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
I notice that being a follower of Christ does not correlate very well to improved behaviour.
Now we have pastors participating in bashing the flock.
On the contrary.
I find it refreshing that a pastor is prepared to stand up to a dickhead in the church.
May 18th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
hi toddy
May 18th, 2006 at 11:14 pm
Hi Toddy and welcome,
My question is aimed at understanding Homer’s position and how he arrived at it. Why does Homer see Jesus’ message or the gospel as understanding the “right things”?
May 19th, 2006 at 8:45 am
I’m not sure whether anyone mentioned this and I’m not sure whether this is the right topic to post this but anyway
Hillsong found a piece of land at Rosebery to build the new city convention centre, just minutes from the old campus at Waterloo and they will need millions of dollars to renovate the whole place. BH also mentioned the need to raise up lots of money during the upcoming miracle offering to support the various ministries (Mercy, Emerge etc…) and also for HS conference.
Just some information for you guys.
May 19th, 2006 at 8:54 am
Riverview also brands its fund raising activities as a ‘miracle offering’.
May 19th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
http://www.melodicpia.com/admin/product/picture/melodic20031130200718_0.446748.jpg
heres my miracle offering for PHil and for Brian
May 19th, 2006 at 4:17 pm
A miracle is described in the dictionary as a remarkable event or marvellous event due to some supposed supernatural agency. Fleecing the lost with high powered expensive marketing campaigns designed to make you feel guilty does not fit into either of these categories.
If you hit someone who is already brainwashed hard enough for 2 months prior to the offering it is just not at all suprising nor remarkable.
Is this false advertising???
Is it legal????
It has been proven that the average child naggs an adult 6 times before the adult gives in and gives them what they want. As children we work this out at a very young age. No miracle there. Sorry mega churches.