Days ago, a short video on Instagram has caused outrage on social media concerning the current scandal surrounding Brian Houston managing his father’s pedophile crimes. In the disturbing footage, Brian Houston is heard talking casually and dismissively about his father’s offenses in an attempt to talk about his childhood in his father’s ministry in a positive light.
Brian’s father, Frank Houston, a former apostle and senior pastor in the Australian church, was accused of sexually abusing a minor in the 1970s. As the scandal was handled by Brian Houston, CLC/Hillsong, and the AOG/ACC, more revelations emerged that Frank Houston sexually abused more than six children.
However, at the 2014 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse,’ new revelations emerged that not all Frank’s victims were in New Zealand. The first allegation to emerge in 1998-1999 was an Australian victim, Brett Sengstock.
The timing of the leaked Conference 2010 footage could not be worse. The controversial snippet was leaked by The Framework, a watchdog organization currently focusing on exposing the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) cult, describing Hillsong as part of this “globalist, dominionist” network.
The Bigger Picture
The Framework host, Jake Elliot, has repeatedly observed in other Instagram live streams and YouTube videos that it was C. Peter Wagner who articulated the distinguishing beliefs that set the NAR cult apart from Christianity. That is the belief in what Wagner coined the “New Apostolic Paradigm.” Elliot states: “This is what they say you must believe to be part of the New Apostolic Reformation. ‘Do you believe in something called the New Apostolic Paradigm?’
Let me explain. What’s the New Apostolic Paradigm? Well, do you believe in something called the five-fold ministry? Do you believe in the restoration of apostles and prophets existing in the church today alongside the offices of evangelists, shepherds, and teachers?
If you believe that apostles and prophets have returned today, if you accept the five-fold ministry and this New Apostolic Paradigm, then yes, you are part of the NAR.
In past resources, The Framework presented persuasive arguments and controversial pieces of evidence that demonstrate that Hillsong and the Australian AOG/ACC have been key players within the NAR scene in the southern hemisphere over the decades, capturing their involvement through pieces of literature (Churchquake!, 1999) (The Apostolic Revolution, 2000).
Elliot has quoted extensively from C. Peter’s Wagner’s ‘Churchquake!’ pointing out that even the late C. Peter Wagner (a leading apostle of the NAR) could not answer the question of how his NAR apostles could be or can be held accountable, Wagner concluding, “On this one, the jury is still out.”
The Investigative Report from the Royal Commission
Not only did the Royal Commission come to a similar summary on the issue of leadership accountability in their final report on the state of the Australian AOG’ leadership’, but Dr. Shane Clifton, (Dean of Theology at Alphacrucis College) also came to a troubling conclusion of the apostolic model within the Australian AOG:
“The problem for the [Australian AOG] is that its new structures contain neither “bottom-up” nor “top-down” accountability. The apostolic model leaves the senior pastor, especially the mega-church pastor, accountable to almost no one except “God.” [Pragmatic ecclesiology: The Apostolic Revolution and the Ecclesiology of the Assemblies of God in Australia]
On a more controversial note, The Framework further exposed in ‘The Apostolic Revolution’ that Apostle David Cartledge observed that many regarded Frank Houston as a ‘proven apostle.’ The book was published a few months after ‘apostle’ Cartledge knew of Frank’s crimes. Cartledge was in the AOG National Executive on December 22, 1999, meeting with other apostolic leaders to determine the outcome of Frank’s crimes and his victim.
Background
The disturbing saga began in late 1998 when allegations emerged that Frank Houston, a prominent pastor, and father of Brian Houston, had sexually abused a young boy named Brett Sengstock in New Zealand. Eventually, in 1999, Brian Houston (then head of the Australian Assemblies of God) was made aware of Frank Houston’s crimes. Despite being informed of the abuse, the leaders of the Sydney/Hillsong Christian Life Centre (later renamed Hillsong Church) and Assemblies of God in Australia and New Zealand chose to keep the matter hidden from the public.
Frank was aware of Sengstock’s allegation and successfully handed his Sydney CLC church in May 1999 to his son, Brian Houston, with the younger Houston insisting he was unaware of the full extent of his father’s crimes. However, in a recent report on NewsNations, former Hillsong founder Geoff Bullock revealed that Brian Houston knew of Frank Houston sexually abusing a young man in his 20s, claiming Brian Houston told him personally of Frank’s sexual abuse in 1995.
Frank was to step down from leading the church and take on an itinerant pastoral role, even preaching the circuit abroad. Surprised that his father gave him the reigns but grateful for the opportunity, Brian became SCLC’s new senior pastor, later named Hillsong.
In late 1999, Brian was told of his father’s sexual abuse. The recent trial revealed that on November 19, Frank Houston confessed to his son to a “one-off” offense. Although Brian ‘removed’ Frank’s ‘credentials,’ Frank Houston remained on CLC/Hillsong staff until late November 2000. When New Zealand allegations surfaced in late 2000, Australian AOG and CLC leaders investigated the claims, confronted Frank, and removed Frank permanently, providing him and his wife with a generous severance package.
Royal Commission evidence suggested that both CLC and Hillsong church leaders kept silent about Frank’s crimes until 2002. Anticipating that news that Frank’s credentials being pulled would eventually get out, AOGNZ prepared a statement in case anyone inquired amount, reiterating the language of ‘serious moral failure’ as the cause of his departure.
Brian Houston ‘drip-feeding’ the truth about Frank’s crimes
The host of The Framework also claimed to work with a man named Philip Powell of Christian Witness Ministries (CWM). Elliot claimed that Powell was the first one to force the hands of the Australian and New Zealand AOG to admit to Frank Houston’s “moral failure” in Dec 2001. Powell alerted readers to an upcoming article in the CWM ‘Contending Earnestly for the Faith’ publication regarding Frank Houston and other disgraced AOG ministers in Australia and New Zealand.
Just before publication, he managed to intercept one of the AOG emails regarding Frank Houston and published a ‘Stop Press’ segment in his 2001 article ‘Australian Christian Churches Head: guilty of immorality,’ alerting readers to Brian Houston suspending Frank Houston for a “serious moral failure” in 1999.
Mr. Elliot also claimed that Powell played a pivotal role in getting Hillsong involved in the Royal Commission. However, Powell only knew of the New Zealand victims, not Brett Sengstock. “He was the only one putting out information on the internet about the true nature of Frank’s crimes and was dialoguing with victims on his website in 2002,” Elliot insists.
In 2002, evidence from the Royal Commission and the current trial revealed that Houston was not forthcoming to the media and his church about the true nature of Frank’s crimes.
In March 2002, Brian Houston misled a reporter, Kelly Burke, into believing that Frank’s abuses were all in New Zealand and his abuses were similar to Jim Williams, another disgraced minister. Although a New Zealand victim contacted the media outlet, Burke’s correspondence with Brian led her to believe and erroneously publish in her article ‘Disgraced evangelist in hiding after being stripped of license’ that Frank’s crimes were female affairs.
Shortly thereafter, Houston announced in a sermon in 2002 that his father had a “moral failing” thirty years ago and would no longer be an AOG pastor. This sermon snippet was played at Brian Houston’s recent trial.
Leading up to the annual Hillsong Conference in 2002, Burke still could not extract any more information from Hillsong and published an article, ‘The Lord Will Provide’ on July 12, 2002, where she reported Frank’s sacking ‘was described by the church simply as a “moral failure.”’
Burke mentioned Powell’s CWM website. Powell reported that “a big debate has been raging among Christians in Sydney, with the secular media getting involved” and that “Ray Hadley Radio of radio 2GB radio ran a forum on Hillsong during the week of their big international Conference concentrating on the Pat Mesiti scandal.”
“One of CWM’s readers was the first on the line. During the program, someone quoted the CWM website for more information. Later, Brian Houston admitted on the show that his father had been stood down, as he was guilty of sexual abuse.”
At the trial, people heard footage from Brian Houston speak in more detail regarding Frank’s sins.
However, the first Australian news article that publicly explicitly stated the pedophile crimes of Frank Houston was on January 05, 2003, titled ‘The Lord’s Profits’ by Greg Bearup. The report in the national paper resulted in Brian Houston releasing a letter to Hillsong congregants insisting “that the issues relating to my father, Frank Houston, happened over thirty years ago while he was a pastor in New Zealand.”
In an older livestream, The Framework also publicized later pieces of literature of Brian Houston (You Can Change the Future, 2000) and Bobbie (Heaven Is In This Place, 2001, 2002), honoring Frank Houston.
The Framework also included alternative publications from other apostolic figures that Brian Houston knew personally, such as Phil Pringle of the C3 movement and Apostle David Cartledge. Both NAR apostles honored Frank Houston in their works (The Apostolic Revolution, 2000; You The Leader, 2003-2005).
Furthermore, they revealed how popular evangelical leaders, including then Australian Prime Minister John Howard, were part of a ‘foot-washing’ ceremony to honor the late Frank Houston and other apostles. The Houston family was invited to participate in the ceremony to honor Frank.
Through damning publications, photos, and audio in 2007, Mr Elliot allowed the materials to speak for themselves. Brian’s older brother, Graeme Houston, replaced Frank to have his feet washed. In the audio, Brian Houston acknowledged his father’s contribution.
2010 footage fuelling critics
Critics argue that Brian’s attempts to downplay his father’s actions to his congregation and the general public make him complicit in the cover-up. In the newly unearthed video by Framework, during a 2010 Hillsong conference, Brian Houston can be heard describing his father’s actions:
“My parents were church pastors, and you know, it’s well-known that my dad made some pretty serious mistakes.”
Brian’s casual commentary about Frank’s ‘pretty serious mistakes’ worked in his favor to then talk positively about how he grew up under his father’s ministry.
“A mistake is pressing ‘Send’ before finishing a text. That’s a mistake. A “pretty serious mistake” is emailing everyone across your business. Ongoing repeatedly (serially) raping kids is not a ‘mistake’ or a ‘pretty serious mistake.’ It’s a crime,” The Framework posted.
At Hillsong Conference 2010, all the public knew at this point was that all the sexual abuse happened in New Zealand. That was until the Royal Commission summoned Brian Houston, Hillsong leaders, and the Australian in October 2014.
Hillsong made global headlines due to new revelations: no one knew about the Australian victim, Brett Sengstock.
They do now, but it’s to no avail. On August 16, Brian Houston, was found not guilty of covering up sexual abuses committed by his late father over 30 years ago, with Magistrate Gareth Christofi handing down the decision in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court. Christofi said that Brian Houston had a “reasonable excuse” for not reporting the abuse to law enforcement and said he believed Houston’s silence was keeping in line with Sengstock’s wishes that it not be reported.
