Hillsong Church and other popular evangelical churches are attracting celebrities and large number of young Christians, but their stances on social issues are more conservative than many attendees may realize. KCRW’s Press Play with Madeleine Brand asked CRCC’s Senior Director of Research and Evaluation Richard Flory to explain what these relatively new churches believe.
Hillsong, Flory said, “comes out of a Pentecostal background, which is generally conservative, theologically conservative on cultural issues, but they’ve tapped this edgy cultural vibe where people want to go there.”
The churches take socially conservative positions on sex before marriage, gay marriage and abortion, he said. “In a lot of these churches, partly because they’re so big, partly because of the kinds of people that are attracted to them–I know they wouldn’t frame it this way–but essentially it’s a don’t ask, don’t tell environment, so people are able to go and get what they want and ignore the rest.”
The segment also includes a former member of Hillsong in New York. They go on to discuss how these churches operate financially, and whether or not the build community and serve others.
Click here to listen to the whole piece.
