It has been obvious for nearly a year that a choir director at Hillsong Church’s 7000 member New York campus is homosexual. Recently, Josh Canfield and his homosexual lover, Reed Kelly, announced their engagement to be married. According to Canfield, from the beginning of his employment, his church knew that he was a homosexual, had no problems with it.
”I became truthful with my church. I’m a part of Hillsong NYC. I’m one of their choir directors. I also sing on their Worship team. They’ve been amazing as well. Nothing has changed there now that I’m completely out and with Reed. He sings in the choir as well.” (Josh Canfield, Interview with Playbill.com, January 2015)
Hillsong’s senior pastor at the main church in Australia, Brian Houston, has made statements that he does not allow homosexuals in leadership, paid or unpaid. He also stated that he was surprised by Canfield’s announcement, and did not know there were homosexuals in leadership at the New York campus.
Huston further said, “”That said, we still love them and acknowledge that they—like all of us—are on a journey, and our role as a church is to assist them on this journey with grace and compassion.”
In other words, they are not sinful or reprobate, but simply on a journey. The word journey undefined here is duplicitous. Okay, what journey? A journey to heaven? To God? To hell? Or is Houston calling the Christian life “this journey,” effectively saying that these individuals are still Christians?
It is deceptive (and I believe that it is manipulation and witchcraft) to couch error in ambiguous terms so that it avoids disagreement with God’s word. Yes, love them, but also acknowledge that they are in open sin and rebellion against God. Otherwise, it is not love, it is not compassion, and they are cheated out of true grace that comes by repentance. They are indeed on a journey, but it is not the same journey a Christian is on. The two homosexuals in the Hillsong New York church are on a journey to eternal hell. If Houston believes that it is the same journey, then he does not understand true Christianity.
Most, if not most all homosexuals working in Christianity are reprobates and cannot feel guilt or conviction. They either believe that God has given them a special exemption, or that He no longer regards their behavior as wickedness. According to Jude, homosexuals in the assembly that are flaunting their rebellion are not to be tolerated.
“These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” Jude 1:12-13
A “spot” under the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 13) was a sign of uncleanness or sin leprosy. Make no mistake here: although any sin can send a soul to eternal darkness, homosexuality is an especially defiling sin. Like leprosy, it can infect the whole body.
Some of them are very difficult to detect by natural discernment. One cannot detect guilt in them that is normally resident in someone who is in rebellion against God. They can only be detected by listening to the Holy Spirit. Once their spiritual condition is known, they must be confronted.
To allow reprobate homosexuals to operate in the church meeting is indicates that God has departed from that group, having long ago departed from the leadership. Any professing Christian who does not feel convicted about committing homosexuality, or condoning it, is in danger of becoming reprobate.
Canfield and Kelly had the biblical prophecy of end times sodomy, and many warnings from godly people. They choose to ignore it all and flaunt their wickedness in the face of God. We knew it would happen–they don’t care that it happened. The consequences will be severe, according to God’s word.
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” – Romans 1:28-32
Exactly! It’s sin against God. It is van abomination. And God will judge.
This situation in the “church” just shows how it lets worldliness eat it up. They have no second thoughts bowing to what the world accepts but have triple or more thoughts putting God’s commandments into action.
Indeed, the word “journey” is too ambiguous. It is too safe a word, so Houston said it. As he supported the homose—, nobody questioned him about what journey that is. If anybody would be able to ask him on that, surely, he would say it’s a Christian journey to God plus some more “nice” lies.
This is alarming. Being a leader, he will show that being a homose– is just all right. What will happen to the younger ones attending their “church” then? Likely, several of them will adopt a homose– nature. If asked, they’d reply something along the line of “Because our pastor is a homose–, why can’t I be?”
This is a really big problem with lots of “Christians”. As they misinterpret the Bible, they think that we who damnify homose–lity are misunderstanding God’s concept of love! It is so saddening because when we explain, they’d not listen to our explanations. It’s a huge challenge to make them understand. I, at once, had explained what God’s view in homose–lity to someone and that person called me antiChrist.
Yes, God loves everyone BUT He says only those who do His Will will be saved. That is the truth those “Christians” are ignorant or choosing to be ignorant of. Yeps, homose–als are talented, can contribute to the betterment of society, are people, too … but their practices have lots of awful consequences. For example, more AIDS cases, test-tube babies, gender concept will disappear, list goes on…
God help us make those people listen to You. Amen.
I do agree with the statements made here concerning this issue. However, I am a little broken hearted when Christians jump on the one particular abomination, and basically forget all others. Case in point, a lying tongue is an abomination, yet I do not see anywhere near the volume of articles speaking out against politicians. As though one sin is worse than another. Paul lists many that will not inherit the kingdom of God, where are all the articles speaking out against drunkards, fornicators, idoloters, and the like? Really not going on a rant, just trying to stimulate some thought, and hopefully a more well rounded kind of equal opportunity dispizing of sin, rather than just picking one or two and running with it.