Brian Houston: Last News

, a new four-part Hulu documentary series from FX and explores the rise and fall of a megachurch — and the charismatic pastor at the center of it all.Most of the public first heard of Carl Lentz over a decade ago. He made headlines as the «spiritual advisor» spotted hanging out with Justin Bieber, who was in the midst of a notorious spree of minor arrests and public altercations (remember the mop bucket?). Lentz co-founded and served as the head pastor at Hillsong NYC — an offshoot of the original Australian megachurch — eventually becoming something of a star in his own right as A-listers flocked to the casual and contemporary services.«People say we cater to celebrities,» Lentz told  back in 2015.

Fame and faith. Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Bieber are among the A-listers who have attended Hillsong Church.

The infamous now-disgraced ex-pastor at the head of uber-popular celeb church Hillsong is speaking out. And his wife is, too.

Fall from grace. Megachurch Hillsong has faced a series of controversies over the years and the new documentary series The Secrets of Hillsong is breaking it all down.

Chris Pratt has claimed that “no one” calls him Chris in a new interview.Speaking on SiriusXM’s Pop Culture Spotlight With Jessica Shaw, the Jurassic World star initially confused the host with the declaration. “What do they call you?” Shaw asked, “Pratt?”“Yep. Pratt.

Not holding back. While addressing his personal life, Chris Pratt called out the rumors that he was involved with the controversial Hillsong Church.

the Australian first reported. Crenshaw, who was 18 at the time, had moved from Pennsylvania to Sydney to study at Hillsong College less than two years prior when Jason Mays — a married Hillsong staffer whose father, John Mays, has been a key member of church management for close to 15 years — assaulted her one night while at a gathering.“Jason grabbed me, putting his hand between my legs and his head on my stomach and began kissing my stomach. I felt his arms and hands wrapped around my legs making contact with my inner thigh, butt and crotch,” she wrote as part of a statement she submitted to Hillsong in 2018 informing them of the incident, the Christian Post previously reported. In response to her coming forward, the church defended Mays and shamed Crenshaw, making her feel at fault for bringing up the issue, according to the Australian report.

James Gunn has defended Chris Pratt against calls to recast his character Star-Lord in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.The Guardians Of The Galaxy director responded to a side-by-side photo comparison of Pratt and Patrick Wilson posted by a fan, captioned: “Marvel. Hear me out.

and launched shortly after Lentz was fired for adultery in November 2020. In an email to congregants in February 2021, now-disgraced church founder Brian Houston announced the investigation was complete and had unearthed “significant ways” the NYC operations had “failed to reflect Hillsong global culture” but offered little further information, The Post reported at the time. Those details have now finally come to light: A version of the 51-page report was leaked to the Christian Post, which on Monday published many of its most shocking allegations, including that working with Lentz “caused” many churchgoers “to suffer from mental illness,” that his wife Laura reportedly once punched a former nanny and current Hillsong pastor in the face “with a closed fist” and that, in addition to his alleged affair with fashion designer Ranin Karim, he reportedly had at least one more with a woman he met at a Brooklyn deli and saved in his phone contacts as “Germany.” The investigation was conducted by the NYC law firm Zukerman Gore Brandeis & Crossman, LLP.

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

“Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed” is produced by Breaklight Pictures in association with New York Post Entertainment for Discovery+. Post reporter Hannah Frishberg is featured in the documentary.Under celebrity pastor Carl Lentz, international megachurch Hillsong became trendy and influential, garnering splashy profiles in outlets such as GQ, and attracting stars such as Chris Pratt, Kendall Jenner, Nick Jonas and Justin Bieber.But all was not holy.

announced this January that he had made the decision to “step aside completely” from leadership of the multinational church he and wife Bobbie founded in 1983.The move followed months of Houston incrementally resigning from his various Hillsong positions amid numerous scandals and an ongoing court case accusing Houston of hiding his late father’s child sexual abuse.Now, Houston has resigned following an internal misconduct investigation that found merit to two women’s years-old complaints he committed “indiscretions” with them while under the influence of pills and alcohol.“We would like to advise you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation,” the multinational church told members in a website post on Wednesday.“Hillsong Church was birthed out of Brian and Bobbie’s obedience and commitment to the call of God and we are extremely grateful for all that Brian and Bobbie have given to build His house. We ask that you continue to pray for them, and the entire Houston family, during this challenging time.”In addition to Houston’s formal resignation from the church, Hillsong has also purged his preaching from its website, the religion-focused news site Protestia reported.Hillsong did not respond to The Post’s request for further comment.In a statement released on March 18, the church said Houston had sent “inappropriate” text messages to a female staff member, leading to her resignation nearly a decade ago.

It’s more bad news for Hillsong Church.

Brian Houston, founder of the global megachurch, resigned following an internal investigation that found he had behaved inappropriately towards two women in the past decade. Trigger Warning: This story has details of child sexual abuse, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The NSW police had alleged that Brian had not reported the child sexual abuse by his father Frank Houston. The allegations against Frank, related to sexual abuse of young boys when he was a pastor in New Zealand and Australia in the 1960s and 1970s. One of the nine boys had come forward to lodge a complaint that Frank had sexually abused him between the ages of seven and 12.Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston and his father Frank Houston.In 1999, the victim’s mother reported Frank to the Assemblies of God denomination led by Brian, who was legally required to inform the police.

Kate Aurthur editorHillsong is best known as the international church that has attracted a flock of A-list attendees, including Justin and Hailey Bieber, Chris Pratt, Katherine Schwarzenegger, Kevin Durant, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner. When Dan Johnstone first approached making a documentary about the church — the three-part Discovery Plus docuseries “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed” — however, his interest was far more wide-ranging.“I was a child of the ‘80s and ‘90s,” Johnstone said in his first interview about the project, which he executive produced.

Carl Lentz and Hillsong Church are going under the microscope.

Kate Aurthur editorDiscovery Plus has unveiled the trailer for its three-part docuseries “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed,” an investigation into the church made famous by its celebrity congregation, such as Justin Bieber, various Kardashians and other stars. All three episodes will drop on the streamer on March 24.The series explores the rise of Hillsong, which was founded in Australia by Brian Houston as an offshoot of his father Frank’s Sydney-based Pentecostal church.

incrementally resigning from his various positions at Hillsong, the megachurch’s founder Brian Houston has finally resigned in full. The move comes amid numerous scandals and an ongoing court case accusing Houston of hiding his late father’s sexual abuse of children — all of which the church has denied.Houston’s lawyers have informed the court he will plead not guilty to the allegations.“In September last year, I learned it was necessary for me to step aside as a director of all Hillsong boards during this season, enabling me to give attention to these charges,” Houston, 67, wrote in an announcement posted to the Australia-based church’s website.

scandal–burdened founder of Australian megachurch Hillsong, was recently spotted staying at a $1,500-a-night hotel. The embattled 67-year-old, who previously stepped down from his role as board chairman of the once celebrity-beloved church, allegedly was at the Park Hyatt — reportedly one of Sydney’s most expensive — to secretly meet with church elders and board members, the Daily Mail reported. Over the course of two days, a casually dressed Houston allegedly was seen engaging with megachurch higher-ups at the luxury lodgings directly across from the Sydney Opera House.

scandal–plagued Australian megachurch Hillsong, will plead not guilty to charges of concealing child sexual abuse.Authorities in New South Wales, Australia, in August charged the 67-year-old pastor with concealing child sex offenses committed by his late father, the Pentecostal pastor and pedophile, Frank Houston. At a preliminary court hearing Tuesday, Houston’s lawyer said her client denied the allegations and will plead not guilty, the BBC reported.Houston, who was based in the US, has reportedly returned to Australia since being charged but did not attend the hearing.

scandal–plagued Hillsong Church, has stepped down from almost all of his positions at the Australia-based megachurch ahead of a looming court date next month.“I’ve made a decision to step aside from my role on the Hillsong Church boards that oversee the governance of our operations,” Houston, 67, wrote in an email sent to congregants Friday and seen by The Post. “I did this so that these boards can function to their fullest capacity during this season.”Hillsong did not return The Post’s request for comment.Houston’s announcement, and the corporate gut restructuring of Hillsong it implies, follows Australian authorities’ August subpoenaing of the pastor.