An Evening at Hillsong
I did something tonight I’ve never done before. It’s actually something I’d thought about doing before and had been especially curious about since coming to Australia. I went to church.
This wasn’t just any church, either. This was Hillsong, a Pentecostal megachurch whose flagship center in Sydney seats about 3,500 people. I had never heard of Hillsong before I came to Australia but it is extremely popular here, even on the Macquarie campus. I first learned about it from a group of my neighbors who attend services both on campus and at the church every week. I learned more from a unit in my Contemporary Australian Politics class on the influence of religion on Australian politics and I was intrigued. It seemed to me that if my convener thought enough of Hillsong to devote time to it in class, it had to be worth checking out. The organization only recently began expanding outside the country and it’s gaining momentum fast. If there’s a religious organization in Australia that knows a thing or two about influence, it’s Hillsong. According to Wikipedia, 30,000 people filled the Acer Arena for the church’s annual conference last year. Hillsong draws a record 19,000 people to its services every week, as well as an income of many millions of dollars a year.
The service tonight was massive. Imagine an IMAX theatre only with gospel. More rock concert than church service, this was church for the MTV generation. I wasn’t surprised to learn that some of Hillsong’s Christian music albums have even topped the mainstream Australian album charts. By the time I left on the bus for church tonight, I had heard so much about Hillsong that I didn’t expect to be as surprised as I was. The place was absolutely packed but not with the type of people I imagined. I believe in approaching things with an open mind. Especially when it comes to religion, this is not always easy and every time I opened my mouth to speak or ask a question, I turned on the filter in my head to strip away the slightest semblance of anything that could have been construed to sound remotely judgmental.
My preconceived notions (and I had many) of such large churches have come from pretty much where you would think they come from. Jerry Falwell, Dana Carvey’s Church Lady on SNL, and Arsenio Hall’s Reverend what’s-his-name from Coming to America all ran through my mind as the service began. None of them came even close to being accurate. The service began with a concert of a type of music I had never heard before. It was Christian and yet, if you ignored the words, it sounded like something you might hear on Z100. The band was young and the lead singer was attractive—I thought perhaps if she sang less about Jesus and salvation, she might have a shot at making it on Australian Idol.
The pastor was charismatic, funny, and smart. He spoke passionately without preaching and made it easy for someone with little knowledge of the New Testament to enjoy what he had to say. There was the prerequisite section about the importance of donating to church but also about Hillsong’s relief efforts in developing countries. I also thought tonight that Hillsong might not have been the best choice as far as churches go for someone who had never been before but I didn’t mind. I learned a lot just from speaking to my friends who go every week but I probably have more questions now than I did a couple of hours ago. I’m not thinking about converting or anything extreme like that because, despite the issues I have with my own religion, I’m very comfortable with it. I’m realizing now also how strong my interest in religion is in general and I’m thinking about taking a course called Religion and Politics when I get back to Rutgers.
I’m also confused about what I saw tonight. I saw a huge audience of mostly people who looked like me that didn’t fit the so-called church stereotype at all. Led by this pastor, I saw people entirely giving of themselves to their beliefs. Almost all could sing the songs and recite the verses with their eyes closed. Some even cried and nearly everyone prayed to Jesus with their arms extended outward. Don’t worry though—my cynical self didn’t take the entire night off! It might be a stretch, but this sea of Christians praying together with at least one arm raised in the air brought to my mind the controversy surrounding Mel Gibson since the release of Passion of the Christ. I also tried not to envision certain scenes of Triumph of the Will in my head but my mind just wouldn’t let me. I wish I didn’t think this way but it’s in my nature to question everything. When I remarked to one of my neighbors after we left that I was jealous of her, she asked what I meant. I told her I was jealous of how she and many others there tonight had something to be passionate about. Sure, there are plenty of things I enjoy doing but the people tonight believed wholeheartedly in what they were doing. They looked... what’s the word? Fulfilled. She said I could learn this passion but somehow I don’t think it’s that easy.
For example, the pastor (who also founded Hillsong) spoke tonight about the hollow pursuit of riches and the difference between absolute and relative poverty. He advocated the importance of sharing with the community and helping to make a difference in the lives of those who cannot help themselves. I simply don’t understand how so many people can take this man seriously when, according to Wikipedia (which I know is not a reliable source, by the way) he is “a silent partner in three major companies and resides in a waterfront home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.” Hillsong’s ties to the Australian government are questionable and undeniable, a point I’ve found numerous examples of online and in class. Scandals have also rocked Hillsong not unlike those at the Vatican and yet people flock to it every week. Am I missing something?
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