We’ve written about Carl Lentz many times. He is the pastor of Hillsong New York, large, seeker-friendly non-confrontational church that has compromised on many, many issues, from knowingly allowing an openly gay choir director, to allowing one of his associate pastors to pose as an obscene character, the Naked Cowboy, at a women’s conference , to when he told Oprah Winfrey “You Don’t Have to be a Christian to Have a Relationship with God” or when he went on the “The View” and compromised on Abortion and Homosexuality, Promotes Dominionist Social Gospel
Lentz revealed Monday night during an Instagram Live video that has he has the COVID-19 virus. In a back and forth with friend and Pastor Judah Smith, he explains:
“I’m fine…I’m good…Let me tell you something. It is definitely real…the symptoms are so real. It’s kind of like a flu times 50…still don’t feel like myself…I look forward to getting my energy back… My breath is a lot shorter. Fatigue is a lot quicker. My advice to people is try to take this as seriously as you can.”
It’s a bit of a strange position for the Hillsong pastor to be in, given Hillsong founder and empire-creator Brian Houston’s position on miracles and the supernatural. Over a long and storied career, he and Hillsong as a corporate/ religious entity has repeatedly asserted the availability of miracles to any believer, frequently in the context of the law of attraction and consistently collaborating with christian leaders and charismatic prophets who teach that all sickness is demonic and not from God.
But back to Brian Houston, here are just two choice quotes demonstrating the teaching and theology of Hillsong in a law of attraction/ word faith model, and we wonder how they explain this in light of their own wunderkinds illness.
Your words can frame your future. Speak your faith, start seeing miracles … Owner of your first home! Best selling author … Mother of handsome sons and beautiful daughters! Businessman who is prosperous and fruitful! Your brother’s salvation, your sister’s healing … Speak it into being! Speak it into being! Speak it into being! Amen!” (Source)
and
“Oftentimes we don’t see the miraculous in our lives because we haven’t got that desperation for God. Sometimes we wouldn’t even recognize a miracle if it stared us in the face. We don’t have that…that…thirst for God and third for the things of God. When you live your life hungry, it’s amazing how you’ll start attracting miracles and provisions and supernatural things in your life. You’ll start to see those things come to pass. ” (Source)
We’ve reached out To Hillsong NY for comment, and will update accordingly.
