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Hillsong founder Brian Houston found not guilty of covering up
father's gay child sexual abuse
By Clyde Hughes
I wonder what he was thinking? Those eyes are a little disturbing.
Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Australian megachurch founder Brian Houston was found not guilty on Thursday of hiding his father's sexual abuse of a child years before.
Magistrate Gareth Christofi ruled that 69-year-old Hillsong founder Brian Houston had a "reasonable excuse" for not reporting the allegations against his father, late Assemblies of God pastor Frank Houston, he believed he was respecting the wishes of the victim Brett Sengstock.
"There is little doubt in my view that the accused knew or believed on reasonable grounds that Brett Sengstock did not want the matter reported to the police," Christofi said.
Brian Houston, who pleaded not guilty to charges of concealing a serious indictable offense said he learned in 1999 that his father abused Sengstock when he was 7. The younger Houston said he was left "speechless" about the revelation by Sengstock who was 30 at the time.
Sengstock testified that he did not want others to know about the abuse, calling it a "hideous secret."
"Frank Houston was no pioneer for Christianity; his legacy remains a faded memory of a pedophile," Sengstock said. "Regardless of today's outcome, I have received a life sentence."
The magistrate said Sengstock was paid $10,000 after meeting with Frank Houston in late 1999 or early 2000, during which he signed a napkin and was told to contact Brian Houston if he did not receive the money.
Christofi did admonish Brian Houston for being involved in the payment of Sengstock, which he saw as a "hush money" payment than a form of financial compensation for what the victim went through.
He noted, however, that Brian Houston took part in a 2003 interview in which he said his father confessed to the abuse which was reported to church elders and the wider congregation and later discussed in sermons.
The magistrate said this was a sign that he did not try to hide his father's crimes.
"The obvious conclusion to draw ... is that he wanted people to know about it," Christofi said. "That is the very opposite of a cover-up."
During the trial, Brian Houston said additional victims from New Zealand had come forward around the same time as Sengstock and that the full extent of his father's abuse may remain unclear.
"He was obviously a serial pedophile," he said. "We probably will never know the extent of his pedophilia and a lot of people's lives have been tragically hurt and for that I'll always be very sad."
Pastor dies by suicide after girlfriend rejects marriage proposal
Another Nigerian pastor suicides after being accused of misappropriation of church funds
By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor
Chris Hondros/Getty Images
A young pastor in Nigeria’s Anambra State jumped from a two-story building and died, reportedly after his girlfriend rejected his marriage proposal. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to reports.
Identified as Pastor Prosper Obum Igboke, the 30-year-old man led a Pentecostal church in the Nnewi area of Anambra State, Nigerian Tribune reported Saturday, citing a relative who said the pastor took the fatal leap last month after his girlfriend, whom he had financially supported through university, declined his proposal for marriage.
The same relative expressed surprise that “a man of this age and a pastor can do this.”
Pastor Igboke was a native of Leru community in Umunneochi Local Government Area, Abia State. According to the tradition of the Leru autonomous community, individuals who die by suicide are buried in a forest as an act of “sacrilege.”
Igboke was buried last Friday in a bush in his community, the relative was quoted as saying.
The state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, told media the incident had not been reported to the police command.
“There is no information like that before me, and I want to also thank you for the privileged information. I will escalate this to the police manager within the area for necessary action,” Ikenga said in a statement to Punch.
The deceased had reportedly seen his girlfriend through university, investing emotionally and financially in her education. The relative who spoke to journalists said the rejection came as a disappointment to Igboke, leading to his drastic action. This information was consistent across reports from the Nigerian Tribune, Punch and Daily Post.
The incident has raised questions about the societal pressures and expectations that may have contributed to this tragic event. However, as of now, the police have not initiated an official investigation into the matter.
In a separate incident in January 2016, a 49-year-old Nigerian pastor named Bassey died by suicide in his Lagos home, according to News Break. Bassey had been accused by his church members of misusing church funds for personal gain.
The accusation led to his depression and withdrawal. On the night of his death, he stayed on the balcony until 3 a.m. before his wife convinced him to go to bed. Unbeknownst to her, he had hidden a knife under the bed. He used it to slash his throat at 5 a.m. Bassey left a suicide note stating, “I, Myself, not my wife.”
Pastors who misuse church funds, or who suicide because of rejection, have not surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. Consequently, their ambitions open the door for Satan to enter in and tempt them to suicide. These tragedies are not societal in origin, they are an example of men who should not be pastors.
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