Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz Refuses to Say If Abortion is Sinful: “Live to Your Own Convictions”
LIFE NEWS ^ | Nov. 6, 2017 | Micaiah Bilger

Posted on 11/06/2017 4:48:55 PM PST by Morgana

Mega-church Pastor Carl Lentz is facing criticism this week for not defending unborn babies when he had the chance.

Lentz, the pastor of the influential Hillsong Church in New York City, appeared on “The View” last week to talk about his ministry. And the panel – a group of pro-abortion women who love to bash pro-life advocates – asked Lentz about his views on abortion.

Rather than speak boldly about loving both the mother and her unborn child, Lentz side-stepped the question, The Federalist reports.

“So, it’s not a sin in your church to have an abortion?” pro-abortion host Joy Behar asked.

Lentz responded: “That’s the kind of conversation we would have finding out your story, where you’re from, what you believe. … I mean, God’s the judge. People have to live to their own convictions. That’s such a broad question, to me, I’m going higher. I want to sit with somebody and say, ‘What do you believe?’”

“So it’s not an open and shut case to you?” Behar asked.

“Some people would say it is,” Lentz responded. “To me, I’m trying to teach people who Jesus is first, and find out their story. Before I start picking and choosing what I think is sin in your life, I’d like to know your name.”

At another point, co-host Sara Haines asked where Lentz stands on issues like abortion and homosexuality.

“Hillsong is seen as this hip, progressive church that’s drawn huge millennial crowds, but it’s still evangelical,” Haines said. “So, where do you stand on social issues that young people are particularly passionate about, like gay marriage [and] abortion? Like, how do you address those types of things?”

Lentz replied: “I think our job is still to help people—not necessarily change how they think—but try to point them to what God has said, what we believe the Bible [has] to say. We believe that God is good, that God loves everybody, that Jesus was here to set people free, and that’s still the good news of the gospel.”

His answer disappointed a lot of fellow Christians. Many want their clergy to speak boldly about the value of unborn babies, the atrocity of abortion and the love that should be shown to both mother and child.

James Silberman criticized Lentz’s response, writing at The Federalist:

This position might be received as a moderate stance on the issue or a lack of stance altogether. But in this case, to be on the fence is to be on the side of child sacrifice. “Live to your own convictions” is practically the slogan of the abortion lobby. Lentz might as well have said “My body, my choice,” or “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries.”

Lentz has received a lot of publicity and criticism for his remarks, but he is not atypical. Studies indicate many pastors are hesitant to speak about abortion. A 2016 Pew Research Center poll found that just 29 percent of respondents heard their clergy member speak about abortion during a religious service. Most who did said their clergy spoke out against abortion (22 percent), while a few (3 percent) said their clergy spoke in support of abortion.

Mega-church pastors, popular Christian authors and other ministry leaders can make a huge impact by speaking out against abortion, and some do. Author and Pastor Rick Warren at Saddleback Church, Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse, Todd Wagner at Watermark Church and popular author Ann Voskamp are just a few. They use their voices to speak a message of love and compassion for the hundreds of unborn babies who are being slaughtered daily in abortions and their mothers who are being deceived and broken by the abortion industry.


TOPICS: Evangelical Christian; General Discusssion; Moral Issues
KEYWORDS: abortion; babykillers; hillsong; lentz; prolife
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-51 next last
Never heard of this mega church
1 posted on 11/06/2017 4:48:55 PM PST by Morgana
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Gamecock; cpforlife.org

mega church ping

life ping


2 posted on 11/06/2017 4:49:30 PM PST by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

“Do anything you want, brother. Jesus is cool with it,” said the man on his way to Hell.


3 posted on 11/06/2017 4:52:06 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Benedict McCain is the worst traitor ever to wear the uniform of the US military.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Hillsong is huge - in Australia I believe.

They sometimes seem to not want to offend. I think they had two homosexual men on their worship team a few years back. Not sure what happened with that. Great music comes out of Hillsong.


4 posted on 11/06/2017 4:52:31 PM PST by JudyinCanada
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JudyinCanada

This article says they are in New York and were on “The View”.

I dunno.


5 posted on 11/06/2017 4:53:30 PM PST by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Did he get too close to a pussy?!!!


6 posted on 11/06/2017 4:53:33 PM PST by high info voter (Liberal leftists would have "un-friended" Paul Revere!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Oh! Maybe they’re planting.


7 posted on 11/06/2017 4:54:11 PM PST by JudyinCanada
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

8 posted on 11/06/2017 4:55:12 PM PST by DocRock (And now is the time to fight! Peter Muhlenberg)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Murder ... society says it’s okay so God should change His mind about it.

Here’s a hint: if the only god who is God wants a life to end it ends, when He wants it to start it should start ... He can decide, and indeed it is His decision for all consequences are ultimately His to arbitrate, who will tell Him that He has no right?

People made their decision when they engaged in an activity that might result in new life. No do-overs.


9 posted on 11/06/2017 4:58:12 PM PST by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Justin Bieber’s “pastor”. Meh, whaddya expect.


10 posted on 11/06/2017 4:59:29 PM PST by LouieFisk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rurudyne
"They sometimes seem to not want to offend"

And that is the definition of end days apostasy. Depart from me for I never knew you....

11 posted on 11/06/2017 5:01:07 PM PST by TheTimeOfMan (A time for peace and a time for war)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

They have several locations. Each with a head pastor. The senior pastor is from Australia.


12 posted on 11/06/2017 5:06:13 PM PST by janipa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: JudyinCanada

Planting or spreading like Ebola?


13 posted on 11/06/2017 5:07:56 PM PST by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

“Do anything you want, brother. Jesus is cool with it,” said the man on his way to Hell.”

If the Pope can get away with the “Who am I to say what’s right or wrong?” shtick, I expect some doofus megachurch pop-pastor figures he can cop the same excuse.


14 posted on 11/06/2017 5:11:48 PM PST by LouieFisk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: JudyinCanada

I view the music out of Hillsong as watered down. Maybe a little better than Marty Haugen’s work.


15 posted on 11/06/2017 5:16:18 PM PST by Fred Hayek (The Democratic Party is now the operational arm of the CPUSA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: LouieFisk

When did Benedict say that?


16 posted on 11/06/2017 5:17:53 PM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Hillsong is seen as this hip, progressive church that’s drawn huge millennial crowds....”

And there is your problem. Millenneals will only go to church if it’s a “cool” church that marries same sex couples, allows promiscuous sex and is fully liberal on the social issues.


17 posted on 11/06/2017 5:18:04 PM PST by Angels27
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Angels27

“Millenneals will only go to church if it’s a “cool” church that marries same sex couples, allows promiscuous sex and is fully liberal on the social issues.

I can assure you that isn’t true.


18 posted on 11/06/2017 5:22:08 PM PST by aMorePerfectUnion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

This is just like in the days of the Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. . .and we know what happened to the leaders and prophets who did not listen and led the people astray . . .God put ‘em down big time.


19 posted on 11/06/2017 5:22:30 PM PST by Maudeen (This world is not my home.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana
Never heard of this mega church

Never heared of it neither - sounds like he doesn't want the dollar pan to dry up - "hey, alright - do whatever you want, just keep putting in your money, folks!"

20 posted on 11/06/2017 5:25:02 PM PST by atc23 (The Confederacy was the single greatest conservative resistance to federal authority)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-51 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson