Secular Reporter Explains Hillsong's Popularity

Justin Bieber with Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz

Hillsong is one of the world’s most influential groups of megachurches and produces some of the most influential contemporary worship music. Hillsong is a multimillion dollar brand, and its leaders know exactly what they are doing by conforming Christianity to the Western pop culture. A reporter for the ultra-hip, “metro-sexuality” GQ magazine defined Hillsong’s popularity in a recent report on Hillsong New York City. After identifying Hillsong as the church of choice for the likes of Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez, and Bono, and after interviewing Hillsong attendees, she says: “And all around the church, that is the story the congregation tells from beneath their hats: that finally there are clergymen who look familiar, who offer messages that relate to their actual lives, who accept that they’ve lived in New York long enough to know it won’t fly to smear gay people, or tell women to go home and have kids, or expect young, bright, beautiful, maybe-cool people to dress humbly and plainly and ignore the thrills of modern life in a mega-city. This church is the one, finally, that really is different” (Taffy Brodesser-Akner, “What Would Cool Jesus Do?” GQ, Dec. 17, 2015). Taffy’s report makes it clear that she doesn’t understand the gospel, thinking that baptism is regeneration, but then again, a visit to Hillsong probably didn’t help her much in the theology department, that not being their strong suit. She definitely understands worldly cool, though, and she recognizes that Hillsong’s draw is its compromise with the pop culture and its refusal to preach against the elements of worldly cool that people love the most. If Hillsong suddenly started preaching repentance and the whole counsel of God and proclaiming the command of God’s Word to separate from “the thrills of modern life in a megacity,” they would just as suddenly be mega nothing. I suggest that they start with this one: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).

(Friday Church News Notes, January 8, 2016, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

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