Faith film festival opens at Walmer Park

STARTING this weekend, the Nu Metro cinema at Walmer Park offers fans of movies with inspirational messages the chance to watch a faith film festival.

The festival will comprise six films which will be rotated throughout the week.

I Heart Revolution: With Hearts As One is a concert movie showing the popular Hillsong United worship group in action.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a satirical documentary, arguing against scientific theories like Darwinism, the big bang theory and Einstein‘s theory of relativity.

Not Easily Broken is a drama about a couple who reach breaking point in their marriage when the wife is injured in a car accident.

The fourth film in the festival is No Greater Love about a divorced couple contemplating giving their relationship another chance.

Intonga is a local production, filmed in Mdantsane about a young stick fighter who is forced to take up boxing when bullied by the local champion.

The last of the films is Fireproof, starring former Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron as a firefighter whose marriage is falling apart. The festival runs until May 14.

Source

Hillsong on a mission to spread the word north

The languid Queensland capital has become the latest stop in Brian and Bobbie Houston's odyssey to franchise their pentecostal Hillsong Church around the world.

Mr Houston has resigned as president of the Australian Christian Churches, a position he held for 12 years, to focus on the "multisite" expansion of Hillsong. And that, coupled with the controversial move interstate, has prompted speculation that Hillsong is ramping up its domestic network of churches, ready to pounce on churches struggling amid the global financial crisis.

Garden City Christian Church on Brisbane's southside will be renamed Hillsong Brisbane Campus and the Houstons installed as senior pastors there on May 24, after 79 per cent of Garden City members voted in favour of the takeover.

An information document circulated before the vote said the Houstons had chosen to move into Brisbane because "it is a fast growing area with great potential for the Gospel".

The Garden City Christian Church's 3000-strong congregation will significantly bolster Hillsong's numbers, which stand at 21,000 across Sydney.

Hillsong told the Herald there are "currently no plans" for other churches in Australia. "However, our heart is to bless and build churches through example, encouragement, and strategic partnerships and we believe it is right for churches to endeavour to reach and help people wherever there is need," it said in a statement.

The Sydney-based Houstons, who already spend much of their time travelling to the branches they have set up overseas, intend to be in Brisbane "as much as possible" to lead services and meetings.

Garden City's senior pastor for eight years, Bruce Hills, was forced out before the arrival of the Houstons. Garden City Christian Church announced Mr Hills's resignation in December, amid criticism that the church was not growing enough. Yet in an address to a Christian conference at Easter, Mr Hills revealed he had a nervous breakdown last September. "Emotionally I just imploded," he said.

When he returned from eight weeks' leave, Garden City Christian Church elders told him: "We'd rather have more of a CEO leader than you. We'd like you to resign."

Describing it as "the deepest, darkest experience I've ever been through", Mr Hills said he was "really angry about what these people had done".

Steve Dixon, who has been acting pastor at Garden City since Mr Hills's resignation, will now be "campus pastor" of Hillsong Brisbane.

A former Hillsong staff member for seven years, who now blogs as The Thinking Theologian, argues the worldwide economic downturn has crimped the Houstons' global expansion ambitions, forcing them to look closer to home for new Hillsong branches.

"An established, sizeable congregation, with a catchment of wealthy city-slickers, is far too lucrative an opportunity to turn down," the blogger posted. "But it won't stop at Brisbane. I suspect as increasing numbers of churches feel the pinch of the global recession, they'll be more than willing for Brian Houston and co. to step in and give them a makeover, repackage them, and then market them under the Hillsong brand."

Since starting their church with 45 people meeting in the Baulkham Hills Public School hall in 1983, the Houstons have been trying to emulate the model of established churches, where there is one leader for the faith, and "operational" pastors appointed to run individual churches in locations around the world.

The takeover of Garden City Christian Church coincided with Mr Houston's resignation from the Australian Christian Churches presidency at its conference conference on the Gold Coast.

"Its [sic] a happy, sad time for me as my time as leader of ACC comes to an end tonight. My heart is full of vision for the future though," Mr Houston said on Twitter.

Source

Hillsong Power In Latin America

Latin Americans are flocking in their millions to energetic Evangelical churches - and now they're starting to flex their political muscle.

The Catholic Church is in trouble in Latin America. There is a major trend underway in the region, threatening to end Catholic supremacy. Protestant churches — especially the Pentecostal ones — are growing quickly and becoming politically influential, from Mexico down to Chile.

Nothing reflects this trend better than the Chilean Government's proclamation of 31 October as a Protestant and Pentecostal church public holiday. Announced at the end of 2008, the decision was described by The Economist as a "cultural milestone".

And while socio-theological prophecy is not its specialty, the magazine was onto something when it speculated that "Protestantism by Latin America's socially aspirational poor looks like an inexorable trend". What The Economist didn't mention is that Latin American Protestants — especially Pentecostals — are seeking and exercising increasing political influence all over the region.

The fact that around 14 to 15 per cent of Chile's population of 20 million are Protestants is not lost on Chile's President Michelle Bachelet, an agnostic and socialist who was briefly exiled in Sydney in the 1970s. Her declaring the public holiday "was a decision taken in the context of the next December 11 election, and the Government is courting the growing Protestant vote, especially the Pentecostal," Rubén Orellana, a leading Methodist pastor, told newmatilda.com.

The growing political power of Pentecostals — the fastest growing branch of Protestantism in the world — marks a shift for the movement, previously regarded as "apolitical", and more concerned with individual conversions.

There are around 30 political parties in Latin America that could be branded as Pentecostal (or Evangelical). A few of them are already well established. One example is the right-wing Nicaraguan party "Camino Cristiano Nicaraguense" (Nicaraguan Christian Path). At the 1996 elections the party became the third-largest political force in Nicaragua.

In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez — whose relationship with the Catholic Church has soured since he came to power in 1998 — has attracted the support of Pentecostals for his programs of social assistance for the poor. Bolivian president Evo Morales has developed a similar proximity towards these churches. His friendly relationship with Protestants has been in sharp contrast to his confrontations with the hierarchy of the Bolivian Catholic Church. In 2006 Morales rewarded Protestant Churches' support for his government by appointing Casimira Rodríguez, an indigenous Methodist, as Justice Minister.

Brazil has the largest community of Pentecostals in the world. Since 2002 the left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been actively courting them. In 2006 President Lula's Workers Party forged a powerful political coalition with the Brazilian Republican Party (BRP), established by the large Pentecostal group the Church of the Kingdom of God. The Brazilian Vice-President José Alencar and 62 members of the Brazilian Congress are Pentecostals. While there is no evidence of a "bloc vote", the political slogan "A brother votes for a brother" voiced in the latest Brazilian elections speaks of a trend of Pentecostal faithfuls voting for Pentecostal candidates.

In Mexico — a historical stronghold of Latin American Catholicism — Pentecostals have become a powerful presence in grassroots movements. In Chiapas — the birthplace of the radical indigenous Zapatista movement — over 30 per cent of the community is Protestant. A former local governor, Pablo Salazar Mendiguchia, is a member of the Evangelical Church of the Nazarene.

The impact of the Latin American Protestant movement is not only political. It is also changing the religious landscape of the region dominated for centuries by the Catholic Church. Fifty years ago 90 per cent of the 560 million Latin Americans were Catholics, today it's 70 per cent and still declining.

And this is happening while Protestant and Evangelical churches keep on growing. Today 20 per cent of the Latin American population is Protestant. With 75 million adherents, Pentecostals are the overwhelming majority among these, according to the 2005 figures from the World Christian Database.

Guatemala is the Latin American country with the largest percentage of Protestants, with Pentecostals making up the majority of these. The Protestantism movement in Guatemala emerged in the mid-1800s, and has enjoyed rapid growth since the 1960s. Today 30 per cent of its 13 million population belongs to a Protestant Church.

Some predict Brazil will follow Guatemala's path and in the next two decades Pentecostals will be a majority of Protestants. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, nearly 40 out of 188 million Brazilians today are Protestants. Three large Pentecostal churches are the dominant forces in this group: the fast-growing Pentecostal Universal Church, the Assembly of God (with 10 million followers), and the Kingdom of God Pentecostal Church. The latter has developed an unparalleled media apparatus, controlling newspapers, magazines, television networks and radio stations.

The rank and file of the Protestant movement come mainly from the poorer classes, many of whom live in Latin America's sprawling shanty towns. What's concerning the hierarchy in the Vatican is that they're not coming primarily from population growth, migration or indigenous religions — they're coming directly in disenchanted droves from the Catholic Church.

According to the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), 10,000 people a day leave the Catholic Church and around 8000 each day convert to Protestantism. "The largest number of converted evangelicals come from the Catholic Church", Bernardo Barranco, a sociologist and religious expert, said.

"Pentecostalism is an attractive option to the poor of the region", Dr Manuel Ossa, a theologian at the respected Diego de Medellín Ecumenical Centre in Chile, told newmatilda.com. "Pentecostalism relies on the so-called 'theology of prosperity' to attract followers", he said. "This claims that material wealth is a divine blessing achieved by an active and frequent participation in the religious services."

In marked contrast to the weekend's empty pews in Catholic masses, the Pentecostal churches popping up all over Latin America — typically no more than humble, undecorated wooden houses — are thriving, noisy and crowded places of worship.

Respected Belgian Catholic theologian and priest José Comblin told magazine Punto Final that Pentecostals were filling the vacuum left by the Catholic Church in the impoverished slums of Latin American. "The Catholic Church has abandoned the popular masses," he said. "In one of the Brazilian shanty towns where I live — with around 10,000 people — there are 84 Pentecostal chapels and three Catholic."

The loss of Catholic followers to the Protestant movement was one of the major points of discussion at the 2007 Latin American Episcopal Conference held in Brazil. The final document said the expansion of Protestantism "constitutes a serious concern due to the fact that the majority migrating into these groups are Catholics."

The late Pope John Paul II described the growth of Pentecostal Churches as an invasion of sects, and rapacious wolves who were robbing Latin America of its Catholic culture and destroying social cohesion. However, according to many observers, that Pope was himself one of the culprits behind the vacuum left by the Catholic Church among the poor.

The role claimed for itself by the Catholic Church as the "preferential option for the poor", was not part of John Paul's narrative. Closer to spiritual conservative centre and right-wing upper-class movements such as Opus Dei and Legionaries for Christ, Pope John Paul II destroyed Liberation Theology, a movement that was seen as a real option for the poor and a sort of antidote to the Pentecostal tide. Followers of Liberation Theology — Catholic priests and lay members working with the poor, marginalised and ethnic minorities — were unendorsed by the Vatican and persecuted by right-wing governments.

This is a big part of the hearts-and-minds battle for the region's poor that the Pentecostals are winning. Expect to see these groups wielding a lot more political power in the near future.

Source

Hillsong plans Brisbane housewarming before vote cast

Bobbie Houston, senior pastor and founder of the Hillsong Church.



The Hillsong juggernaut has planned a victory party on May 1 to celebrate its arrival in Brisbane despite its takeover of a Pentecostal church south of the city not yet receiving the green light from congregants.

Registered members of the Garden City Christian Church in Mount Gravatt will on Sunday vote on whether to officially appoint evangelists and Hillsong founders Brian and Bobbie Houston as senior pastors in a move that would see the church renamed the Hillsong Brisbane Campus.

Despite claiming their pending footprint into Queensland was merely a partnership with the existing church, an information document circulated at Garden City at a service on April 5 has left little doubt about the Houstons' intentions to change the face of the congregation.

"We intend, as indicated earlier, to operate as Hillsong Brisbane Campus," the document noted.

Anticipating the approval of the takeover by members will be a mere formality, Hillsong heavies have planned a large housewarming party at the church on May 1 - the day after the three-day Australian Christian Churches (ACC) national conference winds up at the Gold Coast Convention Centre.

ACC, of which Mr Houston is the head, is the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God denomination.

"They're going to have a gathering at the church to celebrate their win," said a Mt Gravatt church congregrant, who asked that her name not be published.

The congregant fears the nature of the Mt Gravatt church, which has more than 1000 members, will continue to go backwards under the stewardship of the Hillsong franchise.

"It used to be a really humble church and it's totally changed over the years," she said.

"They do really, really frivolous things. Once they did skydiving to raise money for missions.

"If people want to support the church they will - you don't have to have big names."

She said her family intended to end their long-time association with the church when Hillsong took over.

Hillsong has indicated it would allow the church's acting pastor Steve Dixon to remain for a transitional period and that members would not lose control over church assets under the so-called partnership.

But one former Hillsong congregant has warned that the "controlling cult" made fundraising and recruitment its highest priorities, with church members holding few rights.

"They're coming off all kind and pastoral when in fact it is simply a company takeover," said Tanya Levin, author of the 2007 book People in Glass Houses, about her experiences under Hillsong.

"It will be interesting to to see how much of their former church as they know it survives.

"Because the Assemblies of God have got a history of going in, taking over and pretty quickly throwing out everybody that the previous church actually thought were important."

Hillsong's headquarters, the "Hills" campus, is in the Sydney suburb of Baulkham Hills but it also has two other campuses in the city. It conducts services around Sydney and has established international extensions in the UK, the Ukraine, South Africa and Sweden.

Ms Levin said the move into Brisbane was the latest example of the Houstons' desire to spread their influence.

"They're really explicit about wanting other areas in the world," she said.

"They want Africa, particularly, as well as India."

The church has established a growing presence within political circles in recent years, with then-Prime Minister John Howard opening its Baulkham Hills complex in 2002 and the likes of Peter Costello, Alexander Downer, Helen Coonan and Bob Carr having attended Hillsong events and conventions.

Hillsong Church visits the Park School in Yeovil

PUPILS at The Park School in Yeovil were challenged by a visit from a dynamic group of musicians from the London church Hillsong.

Hillsong has its base in the Dominion Theatre where there are regular congregations of as many as 2,000 people attending each of the four Sunday services.

Hillsong’s vibrant mix of live music and testimony is already popular amongst young people in London schools, but this was the group’s first visit to a school outside the London area.

Source

Pupils from The Park had previously visited the Dominion Theatre whilst on a visit to the city and have been amazed to worship with so many young people. Hillsong Church aims to introduce people to a living faith, viewing themselves as a community of ordinary folk who seek to embrace our cities and the nation by showing care for all.

The mixture of live music, video and speech was invigorating, punchy and tuneful, but contained the message for their audience: “It’s not about where you are from, it’s about humanity being deprived of the very thing that it was created to do…love.”

Hillsong takeover bid for Garden City Christian Church

ONE of Brisbane's largest Pentecostal congregations has been stunned by news their pastor could be forced out when the church is taken over by Hillsong.

The Sydney-based mega church is set to take control of the 1000-member Garden City Christian Church in Mt Gravatt on Sunday if Hillsong evangelists Brian and Bobbie Houston are named senior pastors of GCCC.

In a statement, Hillsong said current GCCC pastor Steve Dixon would remain only for a 12-month "transitional period". That stunned longtime members who were told Pastor Dixon wanted to stay.

"Nobody has been told anything about that. That's the first I've heard of that," said one member.

Pastor Dixon is not commenting as the church waits on Sunday's vote to determine if the Houstons will control the church.

Source

Hail to the King by Hillsong London

Based on Hillsong London's new CD, ‘Hail to the King', it's easy to see why the group has become one of the more successful praise and worship bands in the country. Indeed, their Christian music, reminiscent of early U2, has found a welcome audience even across the ocean in places like the United States. ‘Hail to the King' offers the group's standard excellent vocals and strings, with occasional brilliant piano interludes, all wrapped in a British-pop package.

Having said that, it should be said that there is little new ground broken on ‘Hail to the King'. In fact, with one or two possible exceptions, you can divide the songs neatly into two categories: the slow songs and the fast songs. Most of the slow ones sound like all the other slow ones and most of the fast ones sound like all of the other fast ones.

This is not as severe of an attack as it might first seem. With the slow songs, Hillsong London actually managed to create a style that will probably be welcomed in evangelical worship services. Especially with songs like ‘You Brought Me Home' and ‘I Receive', there is an intensity that lends itself well to worship (‘You Brought Me Home,' especially, had me near tears).

Still, one would hope that on the group's fourth CD, there would be some stand-out songs that would be different, unique, and it's hard to find anything like that on ‘Hail to the King.' One notable exception is ‘The Call.' Even though it's an upbeat song, it relies less on the high-octane electric guitar than some of the other upbeat songs. And it does some interesting things with the vocals which I can't really explain, you'll just have to hear.

One final point: even though this review has focused on Hillsong London's success with praise music, from an artistic point of view, their ‘fast songs' are actually superior to the slow ones. They might find more success if they focused their time and talents more on the youth market and less on the worship songs. Not that they're not good at the latter. It's just that they're better at the former.