Hillsong Church: God Goes Viral (BBC 2020)

[Tommy Tainant]

BBC Four - Storyville, Hillsong Church: God Goes Viral

The story of celebrity favourite and globally trending megachurch Hillsong.

www.bbc.co.uk

I watched this last night after reading about that idiot Pastor who refused a shot.
It was a fascinating look at how the Church developed, the people involved and its followers.
I am pretty much 100% anti Megachurches and believe that they exploit people and are more concerned with money than God.

But this was the first one I have seen that explained the phenomenon clearly. Firstly they dont seem to claim that they can make the blind see. Secondly, they put on a slick show.
Finally, they appeal to a specific demographic that is ready to welcome some attention.

So they are based in the big cities. And their appeal is to young people with an issue who feel alienated or abandoned by modern city life. Much is made of the friendship and comradeship of the church.

So they interview members who are coming off drugs or have left home. A rape victim is also mentioned.

It is easy to see the appeal and there is a huge market in todays fractured world.

On the other side there is an issue with the founder allegedly covering up his fathers child abuse. A former accountant blows the lid on excessive spending by the Pastors. One of the main Pastors was caught shagging and it all started sounding a bit familiar.

It made me think quite a lot about this. I think I approve of the principle of it by offering kids support and friendship in a lonely world. But I was repelled by the materialistic undertones of their marketing operation.

Several former volunteers contrasted their own poverty with the wealthy lifestyle of the Pastors. That is a point. Most churches are serviced by volunteers but the local vicar lives modestly in a house near the church and is in essence part of that community. Not in Hillsong where Pastors where $900 dollar shoes in the poor parts of LA.

There is room in the world for a Hillsong, just not this one.

I dont know if you can get it over there BBC America maybe ?

 

[Blackrook]

Tommy starts another tiresome thread.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Tommy starts another tiresome thread.

Why is it tiresome ?

 

[JGalt]

BBC is fake news.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

BBC is fake news.

Go ahead and disprove any of the points I have raised in a film you havent watched.

 

[whitehall]

A plane load of idiot Texas democrats left the state to avoid doing their duty and came back with Covid and infected the Vice President of the United states but a Brit liberal spends time worrying about whether a Christian pastor is an idiot for refusing to be vaccinated.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Well since I wrote this the Church is in the news. The founder has been charged with aiding his paedo Dad and one of the pastors has died of covid whilst being anti vax. Sounds like the business is falling apart.

 

[DudleySmith]

lol another Jesus Hater thread by a deviant. They can never get enough of posting their neurotic bullshit.