An Ex-Hillsong Member's Commentary: "Why Your Church Shouldn't Play Bethel and Hillsong Music"

A pal from my Hillsong past messaged me on Instagram asking me about my thoughts on a video titled "Why Your Church Shouldn't Play Bethel and Hillsong Music." Which makes sense because ever since I moved out of New York to Washington D.C. I have been very vocal about my opinion on the two megachurches. I have never been to Bethel — and never will — but I have done severe research on the phenomenon that is called Bethel Church. However, I went to Hillsong NYC for almost four years. 

I volunteered all throughout my college career. I would be there from 11am to 11pm. I remember going for the first time in October 2015, already a Christian and not soul searching, but just looking for a church home. The lights, the smoke, the mosh pit of youth (yes), it made me feel like being a Christian was cool and not outdated. However, that was the problem. I thought my status was “cool Christian” for two years. I was brainwashed into thinking Christian culture is wearing black skinny jeans, chelsea boots and leather jackets, raising your hand when the beat drops, and trying to be carbon cutouts of church leadership. It was a toxic environment. I was pressured into believing everything that was said and done. However, while this was going on I studied world religions and philosophy during college. I thank my studies for opening up my mind. It made me question not only the poor theology Hillsong preaches, but the culture overall. 

By my third year, I was definite that I did not want to be there any longer; yet, all my friends were there and I didn’t want to leave them. It wasn’t until my fourth and final year of college and living in New York that I was the most vocal about not feeling right at Hillsong. Not only did I come to the conclusion that I believe all faiths are different expressions of the one God, but I felt like a hypocritical Christian while at this church. People would tell me I should be a pastor because of my religious studies and open mind, but I would just laugh at them and tell them absolutely not. I took my move to D.C. as a way out. I would never have to go back to Hillsong ever again, and my eyes opened and appreciated the freedom of no longer being stuck in “cool Christian” culture.

 I advise you to watch and listen to the video first for you to understand my commentary, which is written below:

“I have intensely studied Bethel, and everything he says about it is correct. Although these men seem severely conservative, and I am severely not, theology is important. We all have different interpretations – hence the prosperity gospel in which I do believe Hillsong, Bethel and even Elevation preach. I as well agree with the fact that Bethel is the extreme, and Hillsong is not so much. Yet, I was absolutely disappointed when I found out Bill Johnson preached at Hillsong NYC. I was so appalled because that church and its ‘leaders’ are the definition of disturbing. They preach about being ‘little gods.' My dislike for Bethel is so much stronger than Hillsong. However, because I was stuck at Hillsong for so long, I know it personally. I say stuck because I didn’t want people judging me for leaving.

Anyway, once I did my research on Bethel I immediately stopped listening to their music. When they talk about “emotionism” with these songs that is where it hit me. My brain was trained to ‘feel God’ with these songs, and now I have to train myself to stop because it is all a façade. They want you to feel this way, and it’s all for money. Keep streaming these songs if you want to feel God. It’s all a complex and it’s whack.

I don’t think Hillsong’s music isn’t theologically correct because music is symbolic. However, knowing my disdain for the church, I am hypocritical towards myself if I keep listening to them.”

Emotionism. It's how they get you. You feel like you are closer to God when you cry at the same time every time you sing or listen to a song, when in reality your brain is trained to feel a certain emotion when you hear that specific song. Then, you buy the songs or stream them constantly and the churches fulfill their own prosperity gospel. 

I do not respect the two megachurches, but for different reasons. For Hillsong, the culture is materialistic, egotistical and selfish. If you do not look, act and sound like the stereotypical pastor, worship leader or volunteer leader, you are a nobody no matter how many times they try to reassure you during services. I have seen pastors walk away and ignore congregants if they do not fit the stereotypical look of a "cool Christian."

During my time volunteering for the church it always disturbed me that we would have bigger crowds when the lead pastor, Carl Lentz, spoke. People treat him like a god. People want to look like him and act like him. I by no means dislike Lentz. In the beginning of my Hillsong journey, I quite respected and enjoyed his sermons. But the further I studied religion itself, I realized how watered down the theology was in sermons, and how Ted Talk like they were. At points I thought I was sitting through a Tony Robbins motivational speech. 

Suddenly, everything got way too Pentecostal, and I am by no means a Pentecostal. Every final service of the day, people would be roaring, the band would make speakers burst, and they would call this a revival. Again, I am not a Pentacostal. I am honestly nothing. Their theological interpretations of Acts 2 is absolutely overly spiritualized and mystical when the historical context and scriptural context speaks for itself. Speaking in tongues is not real. 

I digress. Hillsong is the mascot for Christian capitalism, while Bethel preaches prosperity and overall disturbing theology. I remember showing my youngest sister a video of Bethel "prophesying" over the Netherlands, and she told me she was crying because she was disturbed and scared. They believe that we are all little gods because God created us, therefore we are God's spawn. We have the power to heal, the actual supernatural power to heal. They believe in grave soaking, which is lying across a preacher or holy person's grave and sucking out the Holy Spirit. I have tried to understand where  and how these interpretations have evolved into these insane traditions, but I really cannot. With this knowledge, I could never listen to their music. 

Last week, I went to my family's church and the opening song was a Hillsong song. I cringed and was annoyed the entire time knowing what really goes on at that church. My sister reminded me how I would dance to this song and how she thought I was weird for doing so. Now I am on her side. 

I consider myself a Universalist. I express my love for God in a severely neutral Christian way. I agree with the philosophy of Sri Ramakrishna. I believe ego and the self is all poisonous to the soul.