I was raised in a high demand Christian church. Seeing all the reviews of those offended by the portrayal of Hillsong and its leaders is all too familiar. Christians are notorious for gaslighting victims who speak out and doing all they can to both discredit the victims while protecting the abusers. This podcast was well researched and reported. Hillsong had numerous opportunities to respond to the allegations and declined. Their own behavior is what makes this church look bad and not the actual reporting of that behavior. Keep shining a spotlight on bad behavior! It’s the only way to force these institutions to change.

I went in with high hopes! As a Christian who wants to learn more about the cautionary tales of church leadership so we can do better going forward, I was underwhelmed. I do not condone the lack of transparent leadership nor do I want to invalidate the experience of the poor people who were taken advantage of. But the journalism was poor- it’s so much more about a skeptical jab at church culture/Christianity in general, not so much about the real events of Hillsong church.

I had to write a review because I think some other reviews seem a bit unfair and one was unacceptably cruel to victims mentioned here. If you keep in mind from the start that this podcast does NOT come from a Christian perspective, it could ease some frustration. Some topics the hosts express shock at are actually pretty standard doctrines in the Bible-believing Church as a whole, such as tithing 10% (although it does seem Hillsong has had some issues with transparency in this area, and not all churches prioritize this in their preaching, and Hillsong may not have been wise with their use of funds). I did learn some new things and was able to take it all in with a grain of salt, as someone who knows of Hillsong Church mostly because I’ve been a fan of their music over the years. I am a bit uncomfortable with Brian’s early prosperity gospel and grieved over the church leaders’ treatment of victims of sexual misconduct, and see a great need for change in this area. I still have more positive than negative views of the church because of the impact they’ve had and my own growth as a result of their music and resources, but hope that it is being purified as some of these things come into the light. Power and influence can easily corrupt, no matter who you are. Keep in mind that there were far more people interviewed here who had a NEGATIVE experience at Hillsong, and very few interviewed who stayed and still love it. The latter will be a much bigger number in actuality, although it does NOT negate the experiences of the others. When your church is that large, you tend to have a wide range of experiences as people come in with their own baggage and triggers and tend to hurt each other. That does not excuse some of the behavior mentioned here but it is an unfortunate reality that megachurches can struggle with oversight of these things. My knowledge of the church is still relatively minimal but it does seem there is a need for a robust, fair and accountable system for reporting misconduct in leadership. I do wish Hillsong had responded to the host or that there was more perspective from the other side of the coin, as people are likely to make a lot of assumptions after listening to this podcast.

I don’t agree with much of what Hill song did, and Brian Houston should be removed as pastor but I also understand the journalist, not being a Christian cannot understand the importance of scripture, especially when he said it’s s 2000 year old book that’s not relevant (something like that) Gods word is TIMELESS. I Corinthians 2:14 states; The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

The podcast is an attempt to use Hillsong’s notoriety to portray the Bible and Christians in a bad light. The podcast host is not a Christian, doesn’t understand the Bible and his ignorance and bias is plainly evident in the way he has structured the series. This is an Anti-Christian, agenda driven podcast. 👎👎👎👎👎

The church calls people who are hurting, searching, and troubled to find Hope - to find Jesus. Jesus is the only standard to measure ourselves by. People are messy and evil exists for now. This is a skewed perspective using dramatic music and voice tone to make unresolved problems, which every organization has, seem sinister. We need to hear both sides of the story.

Having personally been there in 2001 gives me a perspective that not many of the reviewers here have. This podcast is extremely validating, helping me see that what I experienced there was REAL and not just in my head. I attended music courses with many of those named in this podcast, saw forced resignations of leadership members, was worked to the point of collapse (we called it the “Conference flu”) and became the sickest I’ve ever been in my life, I could barely pay rent because I could work my PAID job of waiting tables on limited time, and after it was all said and done I’m quite traumatized. 9/11 occurred while I was there and I was absolutely devastated while the college did nothing to support American students through that. And the comments from interviewers regarding being pushed aside, cast out, rejected if you couldn’t give everything, or if you were an outcast - it’s true. I experienced that as well. My story goes much deeper than what I’m willing to type out in a review, but this podcast is sharing the truth in regards to the culture, requirements, and manipulation of its students.

So personally, I was miraculously healed of my anxiety through a vision of Jesus one night in my bedroom during COVID. I had really bad anxiety, thoughts wouldn’t stop, and then I cried out to the Lord that night and said “if you’re real and really died on a cross and rose three days later I need you to show up I can’t do this anymore” and then after my mental breakdown as I closed my eyes to go to sleep I couldn’t feel my entire body not even my ears and I saw Jesus, the next day my mind was completely blank not a thought in sight. And has never been bombarded with thoughts like that since. I say this all to say is I didn’t know hillsong existed at this time when this happened, shoot I wasn’t even going to church, but Jesus met me and I am healed. I think interviews with people with stories like this are important to include as well because many people have been encountered by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit I know reveals trauma from my past and shows me, exactly, specifically where he was when it happened and shares in my weeping and despair and brings me solution and perspective of true lasting healing. hillsong is the problem, not Jesus. And I think that could’ve been made clear. In regards to 1 Corinthians 7:5, in the same book in chapter 13 of the Bible it says that love is patient, and love is kind, and a man is called to love his wife like Christ loves the church, God gives us a choice. So a husband should be patient with his wife in when she wants to have sex and not force her for the Lord doesn’t do that with us. The word does not make consent seem weird so let’s not push that incorrect narrative. These people had an expectation and placed a weight on hillsong to do things the Holy Spirit was meant to do with them alone in their private time with him, not blaming them but hillsong tried to take on the role of the Holy Spirit instead of letting him be who he is, the helper. And when you do that bad things are gonna happen because we aren’t meant to take on such a role. That’s all thank you.

This podcast ain’t it, my guy. You have completely got in the way of the true issues at hand here. Someone hurt you and you should resolve that before you do journalism. I am not a Hillsong follower or member. I am also not a Hillsong hater. The assumptions and hearsay-isms are wild in this podcast. You’ve gathered disgruntled, former people (and ALL churches have them), used their perspectives as facts, and created a podcast about it. You have no idea what is kept confidential that could easily justify financial, volunteer, and leadership actions. I don’t even attend church anymore for my own reasons related to corporate church behavior — this opportunity to be on a platform missed the mark and really misrepresented the work of so many GOOD Christ followers. I will never be on board with trashing the name of Hillsong, no matter what individual members do. God really used Hillsong in the lives of so many, myself included (intimate moments of worship during Hillsong music). Don’t discount that for the sake of hurt feelings. At the end of the day, these people made choices without setting boundaries. That’s a lesson I learned myself. I grew up in a completely different non-mega church and it’s the same concept of how things function. It just sounds typical of this generation of projecting and blaming others for poor life choices. Get off it. Be better.

Maybe there was some good things that came from Hillsong Church. But, I think it more likely that Shakespeare said it best: The evil that men do lives after them. The good is often interred with their bones. Religious leaders who deliberately distort the teachings of Christ to enrich themselves deserve only sustain, disgust, and public shame and shunning. It’s sad that they will, however, retain a certain number of foolish followers who chose to reject truth in order to maintain their relationship and belief in a fraudulent and avaricious group of conmen.

Do yourself a favor and don’t listen.

It’s pretty amusing to listen to people who are not Christians try to decipher what Christians do. It’s like somebody from another planet trying to explain what alien life is like. It’s so different than the way the world operates that they don’t quite have the pulse of what’s truly outrageous. Pretty disappointing podcast but I totally get it. I can promise you that the main influences on Hillsong‘s music we’re not Pearl Jam and Nirvana 😂

I find these “deep dive” podcasts about church to be frustrating. They are usually either still in church and don’t hit hard enough or are outside of church and not familiar with the basics so they waste time being outraged about small things that are not really the major issues that hurt people the most. Over all this was a weak podcast particularly the ending. Out of context Bible references don’t equal a strong finish especially not to an already week analysis.

I have only listened to a few episodes but I’m laughing so much. The shock, dismay, and horror of giving the church 10%. Look Hillsong did many unforgivable acts. Many churches, non profits, and other charities have, but has this reporter ever attended a Christian church? Has he read a bible? It’s like hey I’m going to make a podcast about the Ukraine and Russian war without any knowledge of the history of Ukraine or Russia. So bad I have to laugh at this “reporter”.

Listen, I’m not a Hillsong stan. They’ve made their bed. Their lack of accountability, culture of cover up, and other major issues. But the final few episodes showed a MASSIVE problem in the reporting: the podcast didn’t care at all to see what Christians believe about money, sex, and accountability. No, most Christians don’t prescribe to the “prosperity gospel”, but most believe in tithing regardless. There was a sense of shock in the podcaster that “omg they give 10%???!” Yeah, we actually do. Tithing is a normal part of the Christian experience, not something that Hillsong patented. Also, the whole “oh no, you can’t sleep with your significant other and be on the platform?! OUTRAGEOUS!!” Yeah…also a pretty normal Christian thing, because we don’t believe that anyone should be having sex outside of a biblical marriage. Obvs, the point about hypocrisy was well taken, but that wasn’t the overarching issue. The young woman’s issue in the second to last podcast was “why should I have to be restricted at all? Better just lie instead”. The host seemed to think that it was outlandish that someone would ask at all about sex. Again, it shows that they didn’t even bother to understand any of Hillsong’s actions against the Bible, which is what the super majority of Christian churches develop their practices based on. Take the L

Keep it up

Just a pointless podcast, no investigation and the host tried to be “outraged”, don’t bother

Thanks for your work on this important topic!

I’m not a fan of hillsong and they definitely have some major problems. What hurts this podcast is he makes entire episodes about non issues. “They asked me to volunteer and I agreed! I’m so angry! Wahwahwah!!!” Every big organization has disgruntled employees. Most of these people came off as whiners.

Y’all did a great job! The narration, music and sound quality are all excellent. This story was informative and too common. The whole dynamic of money, power, religion and sex, is so strange. I see that some of the faithful have written poor reviews. It’s sometimes hard to see the corruption when you’re still in it.

You’re a great podcaster and reporter. I can’t believe people like their music. It gave me the creeps when played during your transitions. Sounds like Coldplay? No. I also find their “we won’t take it” attitude toward tradition while adhering to a lot of the bigotry tradition demands. Trying to look untraditional doesn’t make them untraditional anymore than trying to sound like Coldplay makes them sound like Coldplay. Guilting volunteers to be exploited is thievery. Robbing volunteers of their time is ugly exploitation. If Jesus lived, he would not be at Hillsong. He’d be with lovable sinners. No way he’d hang with people who rig the scales

The journalist seems to have an overall issue or lack of understanding of Christianity. Tithing is biblical and a common practice in churches. That’s just one example of what I felt was criticism of Christianity as a whole which made the entire podcast seem very biased.

Clearly the host is not a Christian and has never opened a Bible. Wants to put Christians in the worst light versus reporting an unbiased view on what happened. You can report on the wrong doings of the church (which is made up of imperfect people) without trying to slander Christianity. Don’t waste your time listening.

It’s very clear that the 1 star reviews are Hillsong sympathizers/members—don’t let them sway you. The podcast is definitely worth a listen and gives a voice to an important set of topics.

“A bible verse? Hearing this makes me realize how little the Bible can do.”

I remember the day I turned off Hillsong. It was a broadcast called a sermon. This broadcast was all about “sex.” It was very explicit and I thought “they stepped over the line.” Though the journalists is not an acting born-again believer, his reporting and interviews with those who attended Hillsong cannot be denied. I do not think he has an agenda against Christianity as much as his agenda is to call out Christians to be accountable. This podcast reveals the dangers of making ministry an idol. It reveals how money and fame can corrupt the most pure of intentions. It also reveals the dangers of a mega-church and the leaving of a spiritual authority. One thing for sure…your sin will find you out. There is so much that can be commented. There is so many opinions that can be voiced. The bottom line is God’s ministries are to be above approach. Yes there is forgiveness and restoration, but that comes when one confesses on their own, not because they were caught. Not just Hillsong is the sad thing. The Southern Baptist are under fire as well.

This podcast addresses a lot of issues with mega churches like this. Almost all of the issues brought up mirror things that happened at the churches I was raised in. Tithing and prosperity gospel were huge. Illness was met with “if you serve more you won’t be sick” It was very courageous for the people who were interviewed to speak up. I suspect a lot of these bad reviews are from people who go to hillsong and are bent out of shape that their church is being called out.

Very good podcast with ethical interviewing. Bad reviews are probably coming from Hillsong members or etc. No establishment should be above investigation, especially not a church. Thank you for the information and sensitivity.

Shoutout to all the 1 star reviews, I would not have smashed play so fast without them. As the co-host of a podcast about life after church, this podcast is so deeply validating. The churches I attended in the Pacific Northwest (US) aspired to be the next Hillsong, Hillsong pastors would speak at these churches, and the same model of functional labor exploitation under the guise of “serving the lord” was rampant. I saw this happen, I participated in it by “serving” in those churches, and now I’m trying to undo the harm I surely contributed to.

Great investigative work by a great storyteller. I was hooked from the first episode!

Poorly done. Bad journalism. The bulk of what is shared are highly subjective opinions and very few facts. And most of the people interviewed are disgruntled former members and the journalist doing the investigation and it seems like he has an ax to grind with Christianity in general.

This podcast shines light on what happened at Hillsong but as I listened I couldn’t help but notice the similarities with my own experience being raised in an evangelical church / school. Worst of all the purity culture, rape culture, and abuse that was rampant in that environment. This isn’t only happening at Hillsong. It’s happening everywhere in churches and church schools all across the country and the globe. Sadly these stories are not unique. The brainwashing and damage these churches and that faith have done to people is inexcusable and in many cases irrevocable. I’m happy to see that someone is shedding light on it on such a large platform and I hope this doesn’t end with Hillsong.

I won’t speak for Hillsong. But to stretch a single side of a handful of questionable stories into 8 episodes of a Hillsong hit piece is clickbait for subscriptions, pure and simple. It’s clear the narrator is pushing his own narrative, stretching these stories to try to justify its existence on a “True Crime” podcast. non-journalism.

“partitioners put money in the poor box believing it was going to the poor, but instead it was going to shopping that even the Kardashians would be embarrassed of” This podcast is a tough (heartbreaking) listen - some will even dispute the commentary based their own beliefs. Regardless, there are so many important issues brought to light that would benefit anyone who is involved with, come out of, or knows someone in a culture like this. The format depicted at Hillsong is modeled in many non-denominational churches. Thank you to those who were willing to be interviewed. Your courage is deeply appreciated.

While the actions of Hillsong are inexcusable, this seems like an opportunity to attack Christianity.

I was disappointed to see so little nuance and the over arching theme seemed to be cynicism from the host. Like many Christians, I have been a fan of their music for years, and I was hoping to hear the full picture of the scandal. The host tears apart every aspect of Hillsong leaving little room for how complicated faith, institutions, emotions, and consumerism can be when intertwined.

Fish are friends, Not Food 😬

I really appreciate the documentation of the covert (and sometimes overt) abusive behaviors of churches like this, and hearing the stories of people so similar to my own. As a survivor of this kind of abuse, I could have done without the worship music sprinkled throughout, but I understand using it as a storytelling tool.

Have to agree with the comments about the narrator getting in the way of the story. He steps all over the women’s stories in multiple episodes with his own thoughts about what happened. Great storytellers don’t insert themselves into the narrative. While it seems clear Hillsong is wildly dysfunctional and deserves all the scrutiny it is getting, some of the reactions here are overly dramatic (I mean what college dorm anywhere doesn’t have people sharing rooms and using bunk beds??). Including horrified reactions to things like this take away from the really serious issues that seem to be happening there.

In essence, this podcast is filled with information from one side of the coin. The narrator says multiple times regarding some of the practices of Hillsong “aren’t very Christian.” While I agree that Hillsong has a host of issues, mainly failing to care for the spiritual health and well-being of people through the grace of Jesus, he clearly has a bad taste in his mouth about Christianity. As a Christian I am saddened by the issues of Hillsong and am saddened for the people hurt by them/their practices. Even more so, I am saddened by the damage to the witness of Christ they have caused. The journalist does not seem to make any distinction between Hillsong’s missteps and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The narrator even says (and I’m paraphrasing) “I’m not against anyone’s religion” and “this is further proof to me that the Bible is of no use at all” when he very clearly has a singular story to tell about the Christian faith here. He touts his journalistic background throughout, but for me it seems to be more opinionated that neutral reporting. When “Faith” is on trial, you get both sides of the story. With this podcast, you get documented negative experiences of former church members from someone who is salivating to rip down the Faith while simultaneously showing no interest to see or hear from the other side (for example, a representative from true Christian organizations such as Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, or Crossway). For anyone interested, Acts 20:28 calls pastors to care for their congregation. They are spiritually accountable in ways other Christians aren’t for the care for other Christians. The prosperity gospel is not Christianity, and anyone who spends a few minutes talking to a faithful Christian (who is still an imperfect sinner) will realize that. It is unfortunate this journalist was unable/unwilling to do just that.

Feels like this could have fit into one or two episodes. Lots of repetition and I kept waiting for the big revelation, only to have the last episode behind a paywall. Frustrating experience.

Many churches interpret scripture to support tithing. No one is forced to give. The episode around tithing is misleading

This is a hit piece in the worst form. As someone is part of a local church (and I wouldn’t go to Hillsong) you can tell some of this is being shared with ZERO fact checking or explanation on how things work when it comes to volunteering. You take the story of one self entitled guy and make it seem like that’s how all volunteers feel. Volunteering at a church is just that, volunteering. That means that those people are choosing to be there, their choosing to support the church they attend and there is nothing wrong with that. If you feel that you should get paid for volunteering your time for a couple hours a week then that’s a heart problem not a church problem. If you are going to try and ride the coattails of Christianity today and the rise and fall of mars hill podcast, then you need to do your research so you don’t sound idiotic to those that know what you’re trying to make a podcast about. The reason the rise and fall of mars hill podcast worked so well is because you have people that are producing it and narrating it have a background in what they’re talking about.

This series had me captivated all day, I binged all the episodes. I went to a very small Pentecostal church in Georgia and s*xual abuse of teenage girls was rampant. I sincerely hope every young woman preyed upon by religious cult leaders found some healing in hearing the women in this story finally have a voice. I’m also very happy Brian finally saw Justice!!

The secrets are all wrapped up in court cases and death threats. Everyone is still scared to talk since radical Christians will kill for their blind belief.

Made it through and the very last episode makes you sign up for ‘free’ trial. Frustrating, and I’ll skip skip that

Narrator speaks in a heavy Australian accent & speaks too fast. As an American I found his narration very irritating & difficult to follow. Detracted from the broadcast

Buddy doesn’t even visit the church until episode 4!!!! So here he is going on & on about the church, THEN says, I’m going to the church first time. In addition, he appears to struggle with what Hillsong leadership does vs. what the Bible says…. Implying they one in the same. Disovery+ documentary was much better!

I am pretty neutral when it comes to Christians criticizing or debunking other Christian platforms. Especially when these Christian platforms have manipulated their authority to hurt and abuse the church. We know it’s not right! However, when the Christian church is being criticized by outsiders (unbelievers) just because they hold to a certain conviction, it’s really throwing everyone who believes in Jesus under the bus. Now, I don’t agree with a lot of things Hillsong stands for! In fact, I’m really opposed to their method in trying to handle this enterprise like a business, or even negotiating it like an empire. It seems while they generate the popularity and fame while enforcing their convictions will definitely not hold to everyone (especially non-Christian’s) parameters. Of course you’re going to get a bad rep for not holding to modernistic cultural values when our values as Christians stands upon the word of God! I could only take one episode. The host was more concerned about progressiveness than idealistically holding to the standards of scripture. I feel the host tries to set this up like the Mars Hill podcasts but fails only because his standards are holding to what culture deems appropriate rather than relying on the truth of God to make his point.

Based on the reviews, it seems like a lot of evangelical listeners or bother by the point of view of a lot of the coverage. Which is fair. Depending on what they specifically were bothered by… I have another thought on this but I’ll leave it to the end. The main thing I want to say though is that I think any secular listener would enjoy this podcast, and I think that was mainly the intended audience. It’s not biased against religious people in any way, but it does seem to be focused on concerns that someone outside this context might have. And from that perspective, I think it does a great job. It’s a very well produce podcast. They have definitely done a lot of coverage. It’s not boring, or repetitive. And it gives a great insight into the issues with Hillsong. It definitely would be a 4.5 star podcast without the (some fair, many defensive), religious reviewers. Back to them: I did see that a couple reviews mentioned that they didn’t like the focus and criticism on tithing, and I think that’s fair with two caveats. Firstly, I think the point was to focus on how Hillsong was pressuring people to stretch themselves thin. Which a church shouldn’t do. But as to the fairness of the practice itself: they should’ve mentioned how the money was spent. Definitely, it seemed like some of the clergy were getting paid a lot, but it’s not clear whether that’s a large portion of the budget or not, and it also doesn’t seem unfair to me that a really talented pastor should be compensated well. Just like I think people working at non-profits shouldn’t automatically expect to be paid much less, and that expectation pushes a lot of talented people away. So, if the church was using the tithes in large part for charitable purposes that actually helped people, I think it’s fair to say that that’s a laudable thing to create a culture where people feel encouraged to donate what they can. If they weren’t using the money responsibly, then of course that’s wrong and predatory.