A small brouhaha stirred as reports circulated (not from Pulpit & Pen, by the way) that a homosexual couple had been engaged in the music ministry at Hillsong, New York. Upon the broad and general claim that “Lentz dealt with this already” (“Like he dealt with Justin Bieber’s unrepentant sin?” I thought), some claimed that after having a personal conversation or direct messages with Lentz, they believe he would assert the sinfulness of homosexuality. Given the direct, public and on-record statements of Lentz and Hillsong leadership (here and here for an example) that couldn’t possibly be colored that way, consider me incredulous.
We’re left with a few real simple options…
1) Statements that have been directly attributed to Lentz about homosexuality by major media are out-of-context or outright fabricated
2) Lentz has changed his opinion on homosexuality in the last year or less
(3) Lentz has been telling people what they want to hear privately, while not saying those things publicly
I guess I’m at the point I’m going to believe the CNN and the Huffington Post over a Word-Faith false teacher. Typically when the press mischaracterizes an evangelical’s position it’s to make them look wildly and unreasonably conservative – not to manufacture a popular cultural opinion that sounds more reasonable to the masses.
But, hey. That’s just my discernment talking.
I’ll address this more in length and break down these three very simple options when I get back from my over-the-road vacation. In the mean time, the resident expert on Hillsong – Chris Rosebrough – breaks through the hot air on their views of homosexuality.
You can start listening at the 40.7 minute mark. Listen here.
But, hey. False teachers are known for being totally candid and honest when characterizing their views…right?
