Wow – somebody out there doesn’t like Hillsong Church very much. This is quite the elaborate video – anybody out there know who’s behind it? Comment below if you know anything.

Update: Thanks for the info, everyone. This video is from the Australian TV show “The Chaser’s War On Everything” which I suppose is like our “Saturday Night Live.”

I find things like this, though offensive, to be very interesting. Evidently, Hillsong has reached the public consciousness in Australia where they’re being mocked by comedy shows. I’ve met Hillsong musicians Ruben Morgan and Ben Fielding and they’re great guys with great hearts for worship. But Hillsong does preach a heavy health and wealth message and that seems to be a big turn-off to the world. One commenter on the YouTube site said he lives close to Hillsong  and calls the church the “Till on the Hill.”

I remember “Saturday Night Live” doing regular sketches years ago about televangelist Jim Bakker during his scandal (complete with comedienne Jan Hooks doing a mascara-dripping version of Tammy Faye.) I don’t ever recall any comedy sketches about Billy Graham. Maybe when the world uses you for comedic fodder it’s time to re-evalute.

The Catholic Diocese of Orange said Wednesday it is looking into the possibility of trying to acquire the Crystal Cathedral complex in southern California.

The diocese said in a statement on its Web site Bishop Tod D. Brown has authorized a law firm and other lay advisers to explore whether the church should try to purchase the expansive property in Garden Grove, which is tied up in federal bankruptcy court.

Read more.

I had the chance to visit Lifechurch this past Sunday in Edmund, Oklahoma. The Oklahoman‘s Sunday edition had a story about one of Lifechurch’s campus pastors, Chris Beall, and his struggle with porn which resulted in an affair and pregnancy.

The most amazing part of the story is his wife’s determination to work through the issues to save the marriage. It’s also a great story about the rare instance of a church not shooting their wounded but rather seeking to restore a fallen brother.

Read the full article at The Oklahoman.

Watch a video of Cindy Beall’s testimony.

Scott Williams from ChurchLeaders.com gives an optimistic view of Oprah’s Jesus comment from her show’s final episode. Especially interesting are all the hate comments at the end of the article. God forbid Oprah shows any sign of embracing Christianity! Read more.

Signs that a major transition was looming for Mobile-based Integrity Media were confirmed Monday, when the company announced that it was selling off divisions in a move that will cut its local work force in half.

The company’s co-founder and CEO, P. Michael Coleman, was somber as he described “a difficult series of decisions” for the Christian music and publishing enterprise.

“What we’ve done is sold the two divisions that were in the recorded music and song-publishing space,” he said.

The deal that will have the greatest local impact is the sale of the Integrity Music division to David C Cook, a Colorado-based nonprofit ministry. Continue reading.