Some things that arrive in the Crikey bunker are just too good to keep to ourselves. So in the interests of sharing and for completeness of the historic record, we bring you the full-length video version of the all-in Zoom meeting earlier this year when shell-shocked Hillsong staff heard the grim details of global pastor Brian Houston’s career-ending “transgressions”.
Downfall: The Movie features stand-in global pastor Phil Dooley who delivers an emotion-charged address. The pastor just this month spoke of a new “no secrets” era as the giant church moves on from the Houston troubles, so we trust this is the kind of transparency he was hoping for.
But the cameo to look out for is that of Bobbie Houston, who sits through the roll call of her husband’s sins, starting with Brian’s flirty texts from a decade ago with a female Hillsong employee. Next came the revelation that her man had spent 40 minutes one night, drunk and apparently feeling the effects of anxiety tablets, in the hotel room of another woman at the 2019 Hillsong conference. Pastor Brian had allegedly lost his own hotel room key.
The most powerful woman in the Hillsong empire, co-global senior pastor Bobbie Houston had built her own massive female-focused brand as founder of the church’s Colour Sisterhood.
Now came the ignominy with Bobbie looking on, sullen and occasionally irritated, as long-held secrets came crashing out.
Keep this in your vault. Downfall: The Movie goes with our series of reports earlier this year in which we revealed the collapse of the Houston reign, along with a transcript of the all-staff meeting we published here.
The video was edited on Friday 24 June to cut out the full names of meeting attendees other than key people.
The first word that comes to my mind is “Maggot” he a supposed to be man of God, but was little more than a charlatan.
How in blazes could a religious mob form themselves up as a corporation?
And yes Morrison was right there blessing all that the Pastor did.
There is no equivocation, Scomo should be spending time in prison for all the lies he delivered to the Australian people.
Agreed Dcomo should be in prison. As for how religious people can do all this. Well its because they arent religious. They are just crooks. The whole purpose of organised religion is to groom the general public to accept exploitation by the status quo. That means government and business. It also means that the general public are open to exploitation by the churches themselves. Who would have thought?
I call the church one of the pillars of the patriarchy. Its deeply misogynistic, just as the law is. Its also living proof that there really is no god. IMHO.
Weird that people fall for this claptrap but what does it say for a party and electorate which gave an adherent 4 years control of this country?
Thank you David for your coverage of the Hillsong grifters. Brian wanted to pay out of “his own” money. Spare me *eyeroll*.