What happened when a New York pastor met a girl, ruining his own life and rocking the faith of his followers. Listen to Faith on Trial early and ad free by subscribing to Crime X+ on Apple Podcasts. New episode released every Wednesday. Go to faithontrial.com.au for more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A 51-page Hillsong report about sexual assault allegations against a former New York pastor, Karl Lentz, has been leaked to the media and is discussed in this episode. The internal investigation was conducted by lawyers hired by Hillsong and sheds light on the church's handling of sexual misconduct claims.
The Australian mothership of Hillsong church is being investigated for sexual misconduct due to the lack of effective oversight and accountability of its New York leader Karl Lentz, whose recent downfall has triggered a wave of scandals for the church.
The nanny of a Hollywood agent, Carl, and his wife, Leona, has accused him of sexual assault, stating that he touched her inappropriately 20-100 times without her consent. The nanny also claims that Carl threatened her with unemployment if she tried to leave.
Hillsong NYC has created a culture of hierarchy where pastoral leaders are treated as superior and volunteers are more highly valued than parishioners, making it difficult for victims of sexual misconduct to come forward and seek justice. This has resulted in cases of sexual misconduct being handled internally and not being reported to the proper authorities.
Despite the need for positive changes, it is not necessary to expose all of the church's dirty laundry to protect its reputation. The high-profile case of Carl Lentz, Hillsong's former celebrity pastor who was fired for 'moral failures' highlights the challenges of managing a religious institution's public image.