Lentz was recently hired by Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but said he’s “no longer in ministry.” In a recent Instagram post, Lentz said he’s been “fighting for my wife and my kids,” and he and Laura just celebrated their 20th anniversary.
Lentz doesn’t shoulder all the blame for Hillsong’s troubles, however. In the docuseries, he describes an organizational culture that handles scandal by pushing it “as far under the rug as you can.” Lentz says of Hillsong, “We choose narrative over truth, and that leads to absolute disaster, because the truth doesn’t go anywhere just because you cover it up.”
Although Lentz was “flawed,” writes L.A. Times reporter Meredith Blake, he became “a convenient, high-profile scapegoat for an institution that went much deeper than a single wayward pastor.” Hillsong founder Brian Houston, who’s on trial for allegedly covering up sexual abuse by his now-deceased father (Frank Houston), has had his own share of scandals. (Brian Houston has pleaded not guilty; the trial has been delayed until June.)
In 2022, Brian Houston went on a disciplinary sabbatical for inappropriate behavior with two women, plus substance abuse. Last month, he pleaded guilty to a DUI charge in Southern California and was sentenced to three years of probation.
Hillsong Had ‘A Larger Cultural Malaise’
“The Secrets of Hillsong” includes interviews with former church members and employees who describe the lasting trauma of scandals and misbehavior by leaders. Vanity Fair writer Alex French, co-executive producer of the docuseries, said it became obvious from his research that “the problems with Hillsong New York were not specific to Carl.”
Instead, French told the L.A. Times, “There was a larger cultural malaise, a toxic cultural climate that Carl was maybe a symptom of, not so much the cause of. There were these deep, systemic, inborn problems with this church that date back to Frank Houston using his ministry as a tool for grooming and abusing young boys. Carl was just the handsomest, most charismatic, most camera-friendly version of what the problem looks like when it’s full grown.”
Episodes 1 and 2 of “The Secrets of Hillsong” air on FX on May 19 and can be streamed the next day on Hulu. The final two episodes drop on May 26.
