Pastor Carl Lentz of Hillsong Church in New York City faced a litany of scrutiny last week over comments he made about abortion during a recent appearance on “The View.”
But, while critics felt he was skirting the topic and declining to embrace pro-life sentiment, Christian author and radio host Michael Brown offered up some proof that Lentz actually hasn’t held back on his opposition to abortion in the past.
Before we dive into that, though, let’s briefly recap “The View” controversy. During an October appearance on the show, Lentz was asked by co-host Joy Behar, “So, it’s not a sin in your church to have an abortion?”
Rather than answer directly, he said that people have to “live with their own convictions” and stressed the importance of pastors starting by getting to know people before pinpointing sin in their lives.
He continued to waffle as the dialogue progressed; you can read about that here.
Controversy quickly erupted and Lentz ended up putting out a statement affirming his pro-life ideals. Brown followed that statement with an op-ed of his own defending Lentz, despite admitting he wished he had answered the question better.
https://twitter.com/carllentzNYC/status/927955785417506817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Brown, though, specifically pointed to a past interview in which Lentz offered a candid assessment of his take on abortion. Here’s a snippet from a 2015 dialogue with GQ — a quote that was also highlighted by Cosmopolitan magazine:
“I know that many remain disappointed in Pastor Lentz and some believe his Twitter post was too little too late,” he wrote. “But since he had made his position clear in 2015 (in a totally secular context) and has now reiterated that he believes abortion is sinful, I suggest that we pray for him and encourage him rather than throw him under the bus.”
What do you think?