[Canberra, Australia] The Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia is looking into Brian Houston’s cover-up of the sexual abuses of his father against church children. This has been widely reported, as covered by Pulpit & Pen and many other news sites. What’s not been widely reported yet is a startling accusation toward a sexual abuse victim by Hillsong founder, Brian Houston. The Royal Commission already censured Brian Houston for the sex-abuse cover-up back in 2015, but the latest revelations are truly tragic.
Brian Houston told a child sex abuse victim, “It’s your fault all this happened, you tempted my father.”
The commission received an account of Houston’s words under oath, and reportedly occurred as Houston was talking to his father’s victim, after his father had agreed to pay him 10 thousand dollars.
According to The Australian:
After the allegations became public within the church during 1999, Frank Houston met his victim offering him $10,000 and saying: “I want your forgiveness for this. I don’t want to die and have to face God with this on my head,” the commission heard.
Months later, when the money had not arrived, his victim called Frank Houston’s son Brian, who was then the national president of the Assemblies of God in Australia Pentecostal movement.
The victim said Brian told him: “You know, it’s your fault all this happened. You tempted my father.”
“Brian got very angry after that. He slammed the phone down after saying words to the effect of ‘You’ll be getting your money’,” the victim told the commission. He received a cheque for $10,000 about two weeks later.
Brian Houston has made a statement acknowledging the phone call with his father’s victim, but denies he said those words precisely.
