Churches: Last News

ABC News. “One year later, after we had posted on our website and made a stance, [in] December of 2022 we raised $14,809.”As a result, UCA has announced it will close its doors in May, at the end of the current school year.The school shared several letters from churches and individual donors taking issue with the statement of support for the LGBTQ community with ABC News.In one, a church that withdrew its support of UCA called the LGBTQ community “a diverse collection of behaviors,” adding, “Our greatest concern about the Accepting and Affirming stance is that it denies the Biblical definitions of sin and identity and thereby renders the grace of God meaningless.”Other letters were harsher.“Do not call yourself a Christian school if you are affirming sin,” one donor wrote.

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.

leaked internal investigation alleged that Leona was once repeatedly punched in the face “with a closed fist” by scandalized ex-pastor Carl Lentz’s wife, Laura. The incident reportedly occurred one night in 2016, when Laura caught Carl and Leona canoodling on a couch in the home of former NBA player Tyson Chandler. “It was never in our plans to ever leave Hillsong Church,” Josh Kimes captioned a Monday Instagram post.

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.

most recently resigned this month from the church he and his wife Bobbie co-founded in 1983. Although the shockwaves of Houston’s alleged missteps are only beginning to be felt by the multinational church — which has seen multiple pastors resign following Houston — it would seem Houston has already forgiven himself. “Imperfect and flawed, but genuinely passionate about God, people, calling and life. I am determined that my mistakes will not define me,” the email continued, before referencing the ongoing court trial which he credited as the reason for his first resignation in January.

Instagram post announcing his departure. “My greatest reason for stepping down as Pastor of Hillsong Atlanta is probably not a secret to any of you.

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.

Robert Smith has given an update on The Cure‘s upcoming new album.Taking to Twitter, Smith said that the group will be performing songs from their new album the next time they play.He explained: “We will be performing songs from a new album when we next play…or we won’t be playing at all! And I really want to play…so that means…”He continued: “It means my desire to release a new album is overwhelming!”WE WILL BE PERFORMING SONGS FROM A NEW ALBUM WHEN WE NEXT PLAY… OR WE WON'T BE PLAYING AT ALL! AND I REALLY WANT TO PLAY… SO THAT MEANS… X— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) February 4, 2022…IT MEANS MY DESIRE TO RELEASE A NEW ALBUM IS OVERWHELMING! X— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) February 4, 2022In 2020, keyboardist Roger O’Donnell described the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’ as the band’s “most intense, saddest and most emotional record” yet.Speaking to NME the previous year, frontman Smith said The Cure were looking to finish their “merciless” new album that year. He said the project had the working title of ‘Live From The Moon’ and explained that it was one of three new Cure albums in the works.Robert Smith then revealed at the NME Awards 2020 that “there are only really two [new records]”, calling the reported third instalment “literally just an hour of noise”.“The first one will definitely be out,” he told NME.

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.

controversy-plagued church once again found itself in hot water for exploiting a COVID exemption for Aussie religious institutions. The church was reprimanded by the New South Wales Ministry of Health after footage of young parishioners singing and dancing to secular songs at an annual youth camp surfaced. Hillsong then issued a lengthy statement to The Post denying wrongdoing.In a more than 15-minute Instagram video Toggs posted Monday, deleted, then posted again, she said she blamed the media for the controversy surrounding the incident.“I have watched the media willingly disregard any fairness for the sake of click-bait and to suit whatever profit they make off their agendas,” Toggs said in the post, Australian news site News.com.au first reported.

the pair was fired from the megachurch due to his infidelity. “I have looked at these palm trees everyday for the past few months & there are many symbolic meanings to these amazing trees,” Laura Lentz, 40, begins the meandering Instagram caption on a shot of palm trees and a sunny sky, posted on May 5 — the couple’s 18th wedding anniversary.