Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

The Founder Of The Megachurch Hillsong Has Been Charged With Covering Up Child Sexual Abuse

The Founder Of The Megachurch Hillsong Has Been Charged With Covering Up Child Sexual Abuse

This comes months after the church, which has locations around the world and celebrity members, fired its star pastor Carl Lentz for cheating on his wife.
The founder of the megachurch Hillsong has been charged with covering up his late father's child sexual abuse offenses.

Police in New South Wales, Australia, served 67-year-old Brian Houston Thursday with a charge of concealing a serious indictable offense, and he is expected to appear in court in October. Their investigation into the matter began in 2019 after reports that Houston had concealed information relating to Frank Houston's alleged sexual abuse against children, police said.

"Police will allege in court the man knew information relating to the sexual abuse of a young male in the 1970s and failed to bring that information to the attention of police," a police statement reads.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, the pastor denied the charge.

"These charges have come as a shock to me given how transparent I’ve always been about this matter," Houston said. "I vehemently profess my innocence and will defend these charges, and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight."

How the Sydney-based pastor responded to accusations of abuse against his father has been reported in Australian media since 2014, when Houston spoke to the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, an Australian government investigation into institutions including churches.

In the past, Hillsong has responded to those media reports by defending its founder while distancing him and the church from the actions of his father, who was also a pastor. Frank Houston, who died in 2004, has been accused of abusing up to nine boys, the New Daily reported. One alleged victim said he was 7 years old when the abuse began.

"The abuse by Frank Houston occurred many years before Hillsong church existed," a prior Hillsong statement said. "It is an indisputable fact that Pastor Brian is not a perpetrator of abuse, has never been accused of abuse, and took immediate action to expose and stop a child abuser."

In 2014, Houston said in a statement that he found out about his father's abuse 22 years ago, confronted him, and "ensured he never preached or served in any ministry capacity again." Hillsong would go on to absorb Frank Houston's Sydney Christian Life Centre.

In a statement on its website a few weeks ago, Hillsong said that Houston reported his father's abuse "to the National Executive Assemblies of God in Australia, relayed the matter to the governing board of Sydney Christian Life Centre, and subsequently made a public announcement to the church."

Frank Houston was never on staff at Hillsong, according to a statement from the megachurch.

Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie, founded Hillsong in 1983 in Sydney. The church has expanded to 30 countries with 10 churches in the United States, boasting it reaches 150,000 people each week in its services. Those have included star-studded attendees, like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Kourtney Kardashian. However, in January, after reports that Bieber was studying to be a minister at Hillsong, Bieber wrote on his Instagram that he no longer attended the church.

Bieber's disassociation with Hillsong came as the church faced a separate scandal, firing the lead pastor of its New York City branch. Carl Lentz, whose hip take on Christianity earned him a major social media following, was fired with "ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures," according to a church statement. Lentz later admitted he had been unfaithful in his marriage.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
×