Hillsong pastor calls out upcoming Discovery+ series as misleading

by mcardinal

Megan Udinski, FISM News

 

 

The upcoming Discovery+ docuseries Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed has drawn flak from the interim global senior pastor of Hillsong United, Phil Dooley. 

Hillsong Church has found itself in the public eye lately due to grave transgressions made by those in leadership, such as Brian Houston and Carl Lentz. The church is known for making Christianity “fun,” engaging in a celebrity culture, and having a worldwide presence.

Phil Dooley and his wife, Lucinda, have long been a part of the Hillsong culture, serving as youth pastors in Sydney before heading to Hillsong South Africa. Now Phil has taken over for Brian Houston, who founded the entire Hillsong movement in 1983 but recently resigned after experiencing legal trouble. 

Dooley has spoken out against the producers of the documentary, stating that it is “far removed from … the truth of who we are as a church” and assumes “their purpose is not the healing of people, but simply to hurt the church.”

He made similar statements in a February 19 sermon where he drew parallels between Nehemiah 4 and the struggles Hillsong has faced. Dooley’s greatest complaint is that the docuseries focuses entirely on the hurts associated with Hillsong, specifically by Carl Lentz and the consuming culture, and ignores the good deeds they have accomplished.

As a defense for the church, Dooley lists the church’s good deeds worldwide, such as educating children in a South African school called Tembaletu and another in Johannesburg. He also mentions the church’s role with Compassion International helping “thousands of young people get a better education and families out of poverty. And we have played our part time and time again, in serving and helping.”

The Discovery+ series, coming out March 24, will focus specifically on the controversy surrounding Carl Lentz. Dooley acknowledged the alleged victims and the pain they must be experiencing, but quickly defended that the church never claimed to be without its faults. 

The series explores the rapid expansion of the church as a global brand, while utilizing interviews from those who experienced firsthand trauma and exploitation to expose the darker underbelly of the megachurch.  

A BBC documentary called Hillsong Church: God Goes Viral came out in April 2021 and presented a similar perspective of the megachurch movement, which then-senior pastor Houston stated the film “grossly exaggerated” and “intentionally skewed” the way Hillsong came across. 

You can watch the preview of the Discovery+ series below.

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