Reality Life With Kate Casey

Discovery+’s three-part docuseries “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed,” is an investigation into the church made famous by its celebrity congregation, such as Justin Bieber, various Kardashians and other stars. The series explores the rise of Hillsong, which was founded in Australia by Brian Houston as an offshoot of his father Frank’s Sydney-based Pentecostal church. Hillsong stood out by putting an emphasis on music as a part of worship. Later, Houston decided to export Hillsong internationally, and recruited pastor Carl Lentz to lead its New York City chapter. Lentz became famous in his own right — and was often photographed alongside Bieber and other celebrity congregants — until Houston fired him in November 2020 for “moral failures,” among other issues. Kate discusses the series, the Hillsong scandals, and the greed behind some megachurches with Hannah Frishberg from New York Post and Ben Kirby, author of PreachersNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities, both fe