Hillsong megachurch founder charged with allegedly covering up child sex abuse



Authorities have arrested Brian Houston, founder of Hillsong Church, on charges of covering up child sex abuse, BuzzFeed News reported.

What's a brief history here?

Houston has for years denied that he withheld information regarding child sex abuse allegations against his father, late former pastor Frank Houston, which stemmed from purported assaults that were said to have taken place in the 1970s.

Houston's father reportedly confessed to the abuse before his death in 2004 and was accused of abusing up to nine underage boys.

What are the details?

New South Wales, Australia, police arrested 67-year-old Brian Houston on Thursday and charged him with concealing a serious indictable offense.

According to Fox News, a government inquiry into "institutional responses to allegations of child sex abuse" in 2015 found that Houston did not tell authorities that his father was a child sex abuser.

The inquiry, the outlet noted, found that Houston "became aware of allegations against his father in 1999" and simply "allowed him to retire quietly than report him to police."

Houston told BuzzFeed News that he is innocent.

"These charges have come as a shock to me given how transparent I've always been about this matter," he told the outlet. "I vehemently profess my innocence and will defend these charges, and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight."

The outlet reported that Hillsong Church has responded to past related media reports by "defending its founder while distancing him and the church from the actions of his father, who was also a pastor."

A previous Hillsong statement obtained by BuzzFeed News said, "The abuse by Frank Houston occurred many years before Hillsong church existed. It is an indisputable fact that Pastor Brian is not a perpetrator of abuse, has never been accused of abuse, and took immediate action to expose and stop a child abuser."

Back in 2014, Houston said that he confronted his father over the abuse allegations in 1992 and "ensured he never preached or served in any ministry capacity again."

The Daily Beast reported that if convicted on the charge, Houston face a maximum charge of five years in prison.

Fox News reported that a spokesperson for Hillsong Church said that it was "disappointed" about the charge.

"We ask that he be afforded the presumption of innocence and due process as is his right," the statement read. "He has advised us that he will defend this and looks forward to clearing his name. We thank all who are a part of our church for their support and prayers at this time."

The Sydney-based megachurch founder is due in court in October.

Disgraced ex-pastor Carl Lentz's former nanny says he violated her with unwanted sexual touching, drove her to 'intense therapy'



Leona Kimes, one of disgraced ex-pastor Carl Lentz's former nannies, says she was the victim of disturbing repeated sexual touching

Lentz was fired from his position as lead pastor at New York City's Hillsong Church after it was revealed he reportedly had been cheating on his wife.

What are the details?

In a lengthy reveal on Medium, Kimes — now a co-pastor at Hillsong Boston with her husband Josh Kimes — said that Lentz was guilty of "repeated sexual touching" during her tenure with the family.

Kimes worked with Lentz and his family for seven years before moving to Boston, and revealed that her traumatic experience led her to seek "intense therapy" after she left.

"While there were joyful moments during that time, no one knew that I also experienced a great deal of pain," Kimes wrote in the Medium article. "During the years I spent serving them, I was subjected to manipulation, control, bullying, abuse of power, and sexual abuse. Having told almost no one before this, I am just now able to share what I experienced in their home as the result of intense therapy."

Kimes continued, "The abuse of power started small. Hours would increase beyond belief. Often I would work from 7 am to 11 pm. Schedules were switched last minute without even attempting to confirm my availability. Tasks kept getting added and added to my load. They made fun of me constantly, even calling me Cinderella, which they said was their way of loving me."

Kimes said that the experience started out as "classic bullying."

The bullying, she explained, soon turned sexual.

"My pastor would look at me and say, 'Gurl, you're looking good. You've been in the gym?' There was a lot of flirty teasing like this. I had been around long enough to know that's just how he was with women. But after a while, the comments started to escalate."

At one point, she recalled Lentz telling her "[A]fter you have kids, we'll buy you a boob job."

"Looking back, I know I felt embarrassed, but I didn't know it was wrong then," she insisted. "It hadn't occurred to me that I had a right to not be spoken to like that, by my pastor or anyone else."

It got even worse after that, she said, and Lentz reportedly began touching her in intimate areas.

"While he never had intercourse with me and never kissed me, I was physically violated by his unwanted and repeated sexual touching of my intimate areas," she said. "I froze. Every time, I froze."

Kimes said that she complained about the behavior in 2016, but the family "blamed and silenced" her for the reported behavior.

"I was the problem," she said. "But they kept me in my role, and I worked harder than ever after that."

Kimes said still couldn't get out from underneath the ex-pastor's thumb.

"I tried to escape by telling him I would find a new job outside of church," Kimes recalled. "Even though my husband was on staff, too, I thought it would be the best solution. I will never forget my pastor standing over me with a stern look, asking me who would possibly hire me. Without a college degree, he asked, what kind of job did I think I could get in New York City? I won't forget how that made me feel, so alone, so worth absolutely nothing[.]"

A spokesperson for Lentz denied all allegations and said that the Lentz family has "irrefutable proof the events did not happen as they are being described."

What else?

In a Sunday statement, Brian and Bobbie Houston, founders of Hillsong Church, said that Kimes' experience was nothing short of disturbing.

“After the termination of the former Lead Pastor of Hillsong East Coast, it was clear the issues were significant and because of our concerns, we initiated an independent and lengthy investigation into the culture of all four Hillsong East Coast locations," a portion of their statement read.

“In the process of seeking clarity, hearing Leona Kimes' experience was very disturbing," the statement continued. "We have respected Leona's privacy and her deeply personal story. She has now decided to share her experience so that she and her husband can continue moving forward as a family."

The family continued, "We know that Leona may face criticism for her story and her choice to share it. In that light, we commend her for her courage and have assured her of our utmost compassion in their journey forward. Abuse of any kind, in any circumstance, is always deplorable. As a church, we are committed to learning more about how to identify such trauma and bring meaningful support to anyone who has experienced it."

Leaked audio reportedly shows Hillsong Church founder accusing disgraced ex-pastor of serial infidelity



Disgraced former pastor Carl Lentz — who was fired from Hillsong Church in November after reportedly engaging in immoral behaviors — is reportedly a serial cheater as well as a lying manipulator and abuser.

Following the firing, Lentz admitted that he'd cheated on his wife and asked for forgiveness and understanding as the story unfolded.

What are the details?

According to a Friday report in the Daily Mail, Lentz was reportedly guilty of having more than just one extramarital affair.

The outlet cited audio purporting to feature Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston who can be heard saying that Lentz was also guilty of exhibiting "general narcissistic behavior, manipulating, and mistreating people."

According to the audio, Lentz was also "constantly lying."

On the audio, Houston says that Lentz was found out after staff discovered "compromising" messages on the ex-pastor's computer.

"It was more than one affair," Houston says. "They were significant. And at least some bad moral behavior had gone back historically."

"I can honestly say before God the first time I heard any moral complaint against Carl was when [Hillsong East Coast Chief Operating Officer Tolu Badders] contacted me," Houston said. "'Tolu had a conversation with one of the staff members, and that staff member had found a very compromising chain of text messages on Carl's laptop or computer. And so that person went straight to Tolu. And Tolu, to her credit, the first thing she did was call me."

In the audio, Houston also says that Lentz was also a "difficult man to have any kind of direct conversation with, because it was always defensive. It would always be put back on the other person, as though they're the ones with the problem."

Lentz's alleged behaviors were reportedly fairly well known.

"Other [anonymous] Hillsong members," the Daily Mail reports, said that "Lentz used women he met backstage at church for affairs." Other members reported that Lentz had been sleeping with other women "for at least seven years."

What else?

The outlet also reported that the church may give Lentz a "golden parachute" despite his alleged behaviors.

"'We're working on a severance package which we're negotiating with them on," George Aghajanian, general manager and a director of Hillsong Church Australia said in the meeting," the outlet reported. "'We are trying to care for them as far as they are letting us care for them. And certainly our heart is to look after the children, to look after [Lentz's wife] Laura, and even Carl who needs a lot of help.'"

Alleged mistress issues apology to disgraced Hillsong ex-pastor’s wife as church ramps up investigation into church, behaviors



A woman purporting to be the mistress of Hillsong ex-pastor Carl Lentz is speaking out about her affair with the married former megachurch pastor and has issued a public apology to Lentz's wife, Laura.

The alleged mistress' admission of the affair comes as Hillsong Church announces an investigation into Lentz's behaviors as well as those at the church at large.

Hillsong Church fired Lentz following what it referred to as moral failures on his part.

What are the details?

According to the Daily Mail, 34-year-old Ranin Karim — a Muslim fashion designer who lives in New York City — said that she began the purported affair with Lentz earlier this year.

Karim — who said the alleged entanglement took place over a period of five months — said if she could talk to Lentz's wife today, she would say, "I'm sorry, life is complicated, and s*** happened, but I never intended to hurt you."

Karim told the outlet that Lentz would visit her apartment at least three times weekly "with tequila in his backpack so people wouldn't see him with it in the street."

"He said the sex we had was the best he's ever had in his life, and he couldn't stop being with me," she recalled.

Karim, who is of Egyptian and Palestinian descent, said that she didn't know "anything about the Christian world" or that he was a pastor at Hillsong Church. She also claimed not to know that he was married with a family.

During their conversations, Lentz, according to Karim, would "brag about his BMW" and flaunt his friendship with superstar musician Justin Bieber and others.

"When I found out he was married, I told him repeatedly, 'Go back to your wife, go back to your family,'" she recalled, "but he kept turning up in the lobby of my apartment block with bottles of Clase Azul tequila for us to drink. ... He said he felt bad for what he was doing to his wife, that she was an amazing, good woman, that he had never done it before, but his marriage wasn't perfect."

What else?

Following the announcement, the church revealed an investigation into "its own culture," the outlet added.

"Hillsong has appointed a New York City legal firm to conduct an 'in-depth review' into its culture after a 'number of people came forward' with concerns, following the revelation of Lentz's infidelities," the outlet reported.

A spokesperson for the church told the Daily Mail, "Since last week's announcement of a leadership change at Hillsong East Coast, we have heard from a number of people about their experiences and concerns."

"It is important that we establish the truth and then do everything we can to ensure our church is both a safe place and one that seeks to glorify God in all that we say and do," the spokesperson added. "For this reason we have decided to appoint a New York based legal firm that is not associated or affiliated with Hillsong to conduct an in-depth review and investigation into all concerns and any wider cultural issues."

The church's statement concluded, "We are taking this extremely seriously and on the basis of this report, we will be better positioned to take whatever actions are deemed necessary to right the wrongs and see Hillsong East Coast move forward in a way that enables many more people to find hope in Jesus."

Disgraced Hillsong ex-pastor Carl Lentz posts picture of his wife and kids, admits he cheated on her



Carl Lentz, former Hillsong pastor, revealed that he was unfaithful to his wife and children in a lengthy Instagram post.

The admission comes just a day after Hillsong announced Lentz's ouster from the church, which pointed to the ex-pastor's "moral failures."

What are the details?

In an Instagram post, Lentz wrote, "Our time at HillsongNYC has come to an end. This is a hard ending to what has been the most amazing, impacting and special chapter of our lives."

He said that leading the church was an "honor in every sense of the word."

"When you accept the calling of being a pastor, you must live in such a way that it honors the mandate," Lentz said. "That it honors the church, and that it honors God. When that does not happen, a change needs to be made and has been made in this case to ensure that standard is upheld."

Lentz admitted that over the years at the church, he did "not do an adequate job of protecting my own spirit, refilling my own soul, and reaching out for the readily available help that is available."

"When you lead out of an empty place, you make choices that have real and painful consequences," he continued. "I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that. This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions."

Lentz said that he is beginning a journey of attempting to build trust with his wife, Laura, as well as his three children. The couple married in 2003.

"We, the Lentz family, don't know what this next chapter will look like, but we will walk into it together very hopeful and grateful for the grace of God," he concluded.

What else?

In a statement on the church's website, Hillsong founder Brian Houston announced that the church opted to terminate Lentz's employment for the "best interests of everyone" involved.

"The action has been taken following ongoing discussions in relationship to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures," the statement added. "It would not be appropriate to go into detail about the events that led to this decision."

The church pointed out that it will not publicly comment further following the statement.

Hillsong Church fires celebrity Pastor Carl Lentz for 'leadership issues,' 'breaches of trust,' and 'moral failures'



Hillsong Church East Coast announced Wednesday that it has fired Pastor Carl Lentz — famous for palling around with celebrities like Justin Bieber and the Jenner sisters, Kendall and Kylie — for "leadership issues," "breaches of trust," and "moral failures."

In an email sent to church staff and later published on the megachurch's website, Hillsong's founding Senior Pastor Brian Houston said that Lentz, 41, will no longer serve as lead pastor for the New York City location.

What are the details?

In a statement on the church's website, Houston announced that the church opted to terminate Lentz's employment for the "best interests of everyone" involved.

"The action has been taken following ongoing discussions in relationship to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures," the statement added. "It would not be appropriate to go into detail about the events that led to this decision."

The church pointed out that it will not publicly comment further following the statement.

The full statement said:

Today Hillsong Church East Coast advised our congregation that we have terminated the employment of Pastor Carl Lentz. This action was not taken lightly and was done in the best interests of everyone, including Pastor Carl.

We thank Pastors Carl and Laura for the way they have served faithfully and sacrificially since the start of Hillsong NYC and for contributing so significantly to the countless lives that have been transformed for Jesus Christ through this ministry. They have a heart for people and we are confident that after a time of rest and restoration, God will use Carl in another way outside of Hillsong church. In terminating his tenure, we in no way want to diminish the good work he did here.

This action has been taken following ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.

It would not be appropriate for us to go into detail about the events that led to this decision. Our focus at this time is to honor God and pastorally care for our East Coast church community as well as the Lentz family.

While I have no doubt that this is the right course of action, I must mention Bobbie's and my personal sadness, as we have known Laura her entire life and Carl for well over 20 years.

Hillsong East Coast services and all of our ministries will proceed as usual, and we will continue to be a place of hope, love and faith through the powerful and transforming message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a message our nation and the world need to hear more than ever during a time of such instability and uncertainty.

I appreciate the great team of people who serve here, and as we embark on the process of selecting new leadership, we are praying that God would bring about an exciting new season for our church and this region.

Hillsong Church will not be making further public comments on this matter.

Lentz — who has been fairly active on Instagram — has not issued and remarks about the firing, and has not updated his page since Sept. 19.

In 2017, the former megachurch pastor took heavy fire after refusing to call abortion a "sin" during an appearance on "The View."

(H/T: Religion News Service)