In the last few decades, religious profiteering has become so pervasive that it has become a cliché that Steve Martin in 1992 Leap of Faith and Danny McBride still uses him as bait for HBOs Correct Gems. Therefore, it has not been revealed that the main directive of Hillsong, which was founded in Australia in the early 1980s and has recently become an American sensation, courtesy of its New York branch, is monetization. Christianity is cool for the younger generation. Carl was a superstar on the fast track until scandal derailed his career. As it turned out though, his missteps were the least of Hillsong’s problems, what with his own secret skeletons that included alleged financial misconduct and pedophilic sexual harassment.
He produced and directed FX’s four-part film Stacey Lee. Hillsong’s Secrets (May 19) tells a story filled with the obnoxious elements that have become routine in conversations about religious organizations, many of which center around, in this case, Hillsong tycoon Brian Houston. However, its main selling points are Brian’s carefully chosen guardian Carl and the first on-camera interviews with his wife, Laura, who Carl was revealed to have cheated on in 2020, thus exposing him as a hypocrite and ending his tenure at Hillsong. Seeing his public profile as a rising celebrity phenom who served as Justin Bieber’s spiritual counselor (he even christened him) and befriended Selena Gomez, Kevin Durant and Oprah Winfrey, Carl’s infidelity was headline news that undermined her reputation and ruined her marriage. . and convincing Brian to let him go.
Carl is now an advertising executive in Sarasota, Florida, and Hillsong’s SecretsThe final bombshell is still with Laura, who, despite her husband’s betrayal, chooses to take her back. This is definitely the biggest Carl-centric surprise to be found in Lee’s docu-series, considering that his otherwise downfall was made by a pretty standard mix of uncontrolled arrogance and ruthlessness. What made Carl truly unique and successful was that he didn’t look like a priest in the first place. With her NSYNC hair (as she described it), tattooed arms, ripped body, and a wardrobe of leather jackets and tight jeans, she looked more like a pop star or model or a particularly glamorous hipster from Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The location of the NYC headquarters – more than a stereotypical fabric man.
Carl’s use of Instagram as a marketing tool for Hillsong and leaning heavily on the church’s rich musical tradition (his albums and songs were chart-topping bestsellers and Grammy winners) have helped Hillsong look exciting for his congregation. grew rapidly. Many Hillsong devotees speak of the church’s approach to sermons and clean air to the community, even rebuking the old-fashioned power structure in which minorities are greeted at the front door and prevented from assuming leadership positions in some cases. on stage or behind the camera. Combine that with the comments about how Hillsong is using – and in many cases seemingly exploiting – free volunteers to sustain itself, and what emerges is a snapshot of a group that advertises itself as trendy and inclusive, but still far more conservative. allowed.
Enlivened by input from a group of reporters (including Show FairAlex French and Dan Adler, Mike Cosper, Katelyn Beaty and David Hardaker), Hillsong’s Secrets Praised for supporting Black Lives Matter and designating Hillsong as a “home” for all, Carl is a true Trojan Horse designed to persuade people to join a deadly, talkative Pentecostal church founded on extremist evangelical principles. claims. languages and magical healing shows. From this perspective, Carl was a fraud in many ways, and Lee’s extensive series doesn’t get him off the hook, even though it allows him to sincerely admit his mistakes, apologize, and discuss his attempts at redemption. Carl is dating badly Hillsong’s Secretsand the trademark tears she shed into the mega-church crowd and do it again for TV viewers, don’t soften her newfound image of fraud.
Hillsong’s SecretsBut his real enmity rests with Brian. Having learned from his father, Frank, a pastor who took the Assemblies of God in New Zealand to Australia, as well as from modern American evangelists who preach that financial success is the path to God (and proof of one’s holiness), Brian Frank’s church is highly lucrative Hillsong’. converted to . Along the way, he allegedly covered up his father’s fondness for abusing young men – an accusation that Brian is currently fighting in court after he was fired from Hillsong. With no decision being made until this July, FX’s lineup is a bit premature. However, with the help of numerous journalists and the heartbreaking testimonies of some of his victims, director Lee convincingly claims that Frank is a pedophile monster and that Brian knows all too well what his father is up to. Awareness of these crimes to the 2014 Royal Commission.
Hillsong’s SecretsThe final two episodes of Brian detail his sexually inappropriate behavior with two separate women and the payments and non-disclosure agreements used to silence them. The factor in Brian and other church elders treating Hillsong as their private piggy bank and what you have is a familiar tale of corporate greed and abuse of power. In light of this ugliness, it’s no surprise that Hillsong’s global reach is dwindling, and it will shrink even more thanks to the audio and video recordings provided by Lee, particularly a Zoom conference call where Hillsong tycoons talked about covering up Brian’s work. evils
According to the modern documentary series convention, Hillsong’s Secrets at least one episode is taking too long. Regardless, it is a comprehensive overview of a reprehensible situation that often arises in the religious world – a world where power, wealth and sex rather than biblical standards of benevolence, generosity and selflessness are the main motivations of those who claim to possess it. A direct line to God.