You have the time to write such a lengthy post but not the time to read the responses?

I have an image in my head of someone with their fingers stuck in their ears, saying “nah nah nah nah nahhhh…I can’t hear you, I can’t heaaaaar you”.

But they can tell him that “they will have topped the ARIA’s!”

Thanks for your input, we need the other side of the debate too. It would just be more helpful if you stuck around to debate, that’s all.

First of all, in the bible, the church is not a building. It is God’s people, meaning all Christians. We are God’s people, are supposed to live in unity. If you love people, and love God, then why on earth would you take time to write an article that would downplay God’s work on earth? I wonder what the motivations would be for someone to be so bitter about a church at all, especially if they have never experienced it first hand. The writer has obviously put alot of thought and effort into writing this article. Why not use your talent and time to do something more productive? Do something that will build people up, instead of tearing people down. I have a message for the writer: I see in you someone that is of worth. I see in you someone that is blessed by God and talented with writing words. I see so much potential in you, and I don’t even know you! But understand this. God didn’t give us potential to hurt others. If you recall, He said the most important things to Him are that you love Him first, and then you love people. If the church is built up of people, then ask yourself this. Why would you write anything in attempt to destroy people? Did Hillsong do anything to you personally?

I just want to point out that the people who left the church did so out of choice. It was a decision they made, and a choice that they made. Nobody at Hillsong forces you out of the church. Trust me. It’s such a big church that it just can’t happen. You’ll get lost in the crowd. The “security guards” are often just college students. They don’t have a clue who you are unless you know them personally. How do I know this? Well, because I was at the college.

After working with some very prominent people at Hillsong, I want to let you know that they do not brainwash people as you suggest. They don’t force you to give them any money. It is a choice. Just like any church. I’ve been to a variety of different churches in my life time, and different denominations. Nobody has ever forced me to give anything I did not want to give. My conclusion is that a church is God’s people, and that it is good for people to fellowship with others.

There are so many good things happening at Hillsong church! Why don’t people write about that? It’s funny that when God decides to bless something, people will always try to tear it down. In all my days at Hillsong, I never saw anything weird or strange happening either financially or spiritually. It’s not even a “fanatical” church! haha. People there are really nice, and open and they really do nurture the church members. Just for reference, I wasn’t dressed in any ritzy nice clothes. I dressed like a skater girl. Yes that’s right. T-shirts that are cheap cheap cheap! Fun stuff. Nobody from church ever judged me for that. They still loved me as if they knew me for ages!

What I saw at Hillsong, was a church that was full of integrity. People there that loved God, loved people and loved life. I guess when people see that, they like to tear it down because they haven’t experienced it themselves.

I have some questions about the writer, and I don’t want you to answer it to anyone but yourself. These are rhetorical questions: Are you living out a life that is allowing you to be the best that you can be for God? Do you love the church (the people of God) with a passion? If someone wrote an article like this about your family, what would you think? … I’m saying this because Hillsong church is part of the family of God. Part of God’s family that consists of anyone in the world that believes in what Jesus has done for them and accepts them as saviour.

There is nothing added to that at Hillsong. You don’t need to do or say anything extra to earn salvation. Salvation is a gift that is given to us from God. You don’t need to speak in tongues to be saved, you don’t need to be rich to be saved, and you don’t need to go to Hillsong church to be saved. You just need Jesus Christ.

Now, I don’t want anyone to respond to this post…because I won’t be able to write back to them. I don’t go on this website much. I just happend to come across it. I hope this helped put things into perspective though.

Hillsong is not about riches or marketing. They are solidly based on building relationships. That’s why every ministry at Hillsong is so adament on building “connect groups” to help people feel welcome. Connect groups = small groups. I’m thinking many big churches do this too. Anyway, that’s all i have to say for now.

In the end, God knows best, and I know without a doubt that in heaven, it is relationships that matter. Especially your relationship with Jesus…and that is not to be judged by anyone because everyone’s relationship with Christ is different.

Cannot understand how a man with that intellect, who is that spritually articulate could ever have been involved with HS or BH. They are not even remotely in the same league.

I hope Goeff realises now that he never belonged there, it was always his destiny to separate from them.

Pearls before swine, it was.

I found a recent radio interview with Geoff Bullock…on of all places, my old stomping ground ..Sonshine FM (not that they’d probably wish there to be any association with me now..so just a disclaimer there..)

Here’s the link. http://media.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/SUN161106_1120.mp3

I’m guessing this reflects a hunger for truth, and a willingness to put aside truthiness in the face of reality.

I remember a friend (then working as a barrister) telling me about how through the cross examination process more often than not the truth would become obvious. Telling the truth is simple… it’s hard to lie consistently, and various liars would start contradicting each other and even their own accounts under cross examination. The juries could sniff out who was telling the truth and who was lying. A marvellous thing when it’s working well.

And as far as the gay thing goes…I think the gay community is often just as guilty as ‘truthiness’..as the church.

For example…there’s a lot of ‘truthiness’ in what AVB currently preaches (the ‘God made me gay’ stuff…the truth is..we just don’t know for sure yet why gay people are gay)… although it’s a different ‘truthiness’ to what he preached when he was on the circuit as a penty leader.

I think AVB would be much more effective if he started telling more of the truth.