The Evangelical Chronicles: The Hillsong Scramble is Typical
Church Clarity called out Hillsong, the hippest of the hipster churches for hiding their policies of LGBTQ+ discrimination. In response, Hillsong released a mealy-mouthed denial (Hillsong Loves All People!). Call it the Hillsong Word Scramble, an exercise in deflection and obfuscation that now defines a new type of evangelical church. (At least the Southern Baptists, bless their hearts, make it clear where they stand.)
As Church Clarity clarifies, the question is not whether Hillsong turns LGBTQ+ people away at the door, or rails against them from the plexiglas pulpits on stages filled with rock-concert paraphernalia. The question is: Does Hillsong refuse to marry same-gender couples? That, they will not say publicly in response to Church Clarity’s inquiries. Instead we get a word scramble: detach answers from questions, make irrelevant assertions, and mix in lots of feel-good words like love, welcome, all people. Hillsong wants to be known by what they are for! God! People! The Bible! Jesus! The Gospel! Love! Welcome! And Hillsong does not want to be known for what they oppose: extending the privilege of marriage to LGBTQ+ people who want to (gasp!) marry someone they are attracted to. Don’t we all wish we could control our image so carefully? (Wait. It’s called Facebook.)
I’ve been writing about this for a while because it’s a secret hidden in plain site. Google “Gay-friendly Churches AnyTown USA” and churches will pop up on Page 1 of your search that refuse to marry same-gender couples because they believe such relationships are deeply offensive to a holy God. When the churches are named things like Journey or Mosaic, have rock-band worship, and a dynamic “KidZone,” you’re in the land of Word Scramble when it comes to LGBTQ+ policies. The fog machine used to enhance worship will also be employed to answer your question. You will have to hire a detective to unearth their LGBTQ+ policies. Instead, you will be subjected to Christianese pablum like “All Welcome!” What retail outlet even bothers to say that? Me thinks thou dost protest too much.
Why does it matter that Hillsong (and all the wannabe Hillsongs in your hometown) hide their LBTQ+ policies? Isn’t it better than all the gay-bashing heard from the old fashioned fundamentalist churches? No, it’s not better. It’s worse. The Bible-Thumping Gay-Bashing Churches sound a clear warning to LGBTQ people: stay away! The hipster churches are more harmful to LGBTQ+ people because they deceive them into lowering their guard. The welcome-washed homophobia insinuates itself deeper into the psyche. You can attend one of these churches for a year and never hear an anti-gay sermon. Trump’s scapegoating won’t be called out, the neither will the place be a red sea of MAGA hats. So you fall in love with the people, with the great music, with the dynamic children’s ministry. And then, only then, do you find out that your gay friends are getting married elsewhere. If you bother to scratch and sniff for the answer — “And why is that?” — you will discover these churches really believe that words like “abomination” and “unnatural” and “perverse” apply to those friends, or apply to your still-latent LGBTQ kids, or apply to you.
If you love, love, love your Hillsong-esque church for all it offers, and are unwilling to give it up in solidarity with your LGBTQ+ loved ones, please do one thing: go to the pastor, the lead pastor (that would be the husband of the co-pastor married couple) and demand that they stop the infernal mealy-mouthery, to make their policies clear. And if they are ashamed of their policies (as many of these pastors secretly are) suggest they get down with Jesus in prayer, grow some ovaries, and say so.
