The Briefing magazine critiques Hillsong's COLOUR event.

MORE criticism has emerged in the UK Christian media about the Hillsong churches, whose stream of worship albums have become international best sellers. The latest criticism revolves around a women's conference held at the Hillsong church in Sydney. The welcome message on the Hillsong website reads as follows: "Women are fantastic. They are beautiful, diverse, interesting and intriguing. Unshackled, they captivate hearts and light up a room. They are warm, embracive, maternal and delightful. They delight in friendship and crave companionship - the desire for loyalty runs within their veins. They're dynamic and creative and without doubt are fashioned for greatness! We believe in women! We believe in their potential and the significant contribution they bring to this table called Life! We believe that 'within every woman resides a history maker capable of making her world a better place.' COLOUR exists to champion this cause. Birthed from a whisper sensed from above, this conference seeks to tell 'everyday women' that there is a God in heaven and a company of people here on earth, who believe in them."

The April issue of The Briefing magazine editorialised, "These paragraphs could no doubt be criticised for their Oprah-Winfrey-style sentimentality, for their tasteless flattery of the target market and possibly even for their excessive use of exclamation marks. But someone has to say it: the worst thing about this message is that it is worldly, sub-Christian tripe. Christianity is about us believing in God, not him believing in us. It's about him coming to earth as a saviour to rescue sinners, not as a knight in shining armour who comes 'for the love of a princess.' I keep being asked whether or not the Hillsong movement is 'evangelical', as it is often described in the secular media. If the COLOUR conference represents the Hillsong message to women, qualifying for the tag 'evangelical' is the least of their worries. They need to worry about whether their message can fairly be called 'Christian'." CR

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