Skip to main content.
Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news
ReligionNewsBlog

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:
A Random Image


Related

More news articles & news archive on Hillsong Church


Translate



Advertisements *

What is a cult: Cult Definition
Simple steps to financial health and a good credit score


Elsewhere

Where can I read more about grace?


Hillsong Church:

Hillsong stripped of more funding

The Australian, Australia
Mar. 2, 2006
www.theaustralian.news.com.au

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 13812 • Posted: Thursday March 2, 2006  

  • Google Bookmarks
  • Google Reader
  • Gmail
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Facebook
  • Share/Bookmark
Click here... More articles on this topic: Hillsong Church

Hillsong Church’s benevolent arm has parted with its third source of federal funds in a month, amid allegations the organisation misused millions of dollars in grants intended for Aboriginal communities.

A funding arrangement in which Indigenous Business Australia provided Hillsong Emerge with $610,968 to run “enterprise hubs” to encourage indigenous entrepreneurship – but which failed to enable a single Aborigine to become fully self-employed – has been halted.

This follows a decision by IBA to dump a funding relationship with Hillsong worth $1.6 million for “micro-credit” loans, and a federal Justice Department decision to strip it of $414,479 for community crime prevention.

The three developments follow a series of exposes by The Australian of allegations that Hillsong had taken much of the funds for its own use – claims that Hillsong denies.

Hillsong issued a statement on its website yesterday saying it had decided not to apply for further funding after a meeting with IBA officers last week.

“We have decided to fund, operate and deliver these services to the community ourselves as we recognise that our objectives and those of IBA about the future of Micro Enterprise Development in Australia differ,” Hillsong Emerge chief executive Leigh Coleman said.

NSW Labor MP Ian West, who raised many of the allegations against Hillsong Emerge, called for “a full and transparent inquiry and report on this whole sorry mess”.

The love of money

Hillsong, Australia’s largest church, promotes Word-Faith theology, with a major emphasis on the so-called prosperity teaching (a get-rich-quick scheme).

Weeks earlier, in answer to questions on notice from federal Opposition indigenous affairs spokesman Chris Evans, the Howard Government provided figures showing that only a trickle of IBA funding for Hillsong Emerge had reached the Aboriginal community.

In one case, Hillsong Emerge spent $315,000 employing seven of its own staff to administer a “micro-credit” project that made six loans to Aborigines worth an average of $2856 each.

At a Senate estimates committee hearing, IBA revealed that the $140,808 of “enterprise hub” money was spent on Hillsong’s “Shine” program. IBA said the Shine program had aimed to give young people business skills and opportunities, but conceded it had mainly targeted Year 7 and Year 8 schoolgirls with “Christian values” and “confidence building” programs.

Hillsong is becoming an embarrassment for the Government, after John Howard personally launched several Hillsong events, including the crime prevention program.

In December, the Prime Minister said he would be “very surprised” if there had been any misuse of public funds by Hillsong, adding: “I think it’s a wonderful organisation, a wonderful and active branch of the Christian church.”

Senator Evans called on IBA to explain its role in the affair.

  • Google Bookmarks
  • Google Reader
  • Gmail
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Facebook
  • Share/Bookmark


What You Can Do From Here

Read More Articles On These Topics
more cult news articlemore religion news Categories: Hillsong Church
more religion news aboutmore Religion News Blog articles about
Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article
Subscribe
Follow Religion News Blog on Twitter


Read Another Article
Find Related Information
cult research search enginecountercult information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults
Find Related Books


Most Popular Today


Share This Article

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:





Counter Cult Search

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.


Apologetics Search

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.

Home
Latest Headlines
RSS news feed [?]
Headlines by Email
News Trackers
Free content for your site
About RNB
Privacy Policy
Contact RNB
Link to RNB
Advertise on RNB
Apologetics Index
Cult FAQ
Apologetics Search Engine
CounterCult Search Engine