Pentecostalism has been practised in Australia since the 1920s. But it wasn’t until husband and wife team Brian and Bobby Houston launched Hillsong church in 1983 that Pentecostal Christianity really began to surge in popularity.  

From its humble beginnings in Sydney’s Baulkham Hills, by 2018 Hillsong had 80 branches in 21 countries. But after a spectacular and meteoric rise to international popularity, over the last several years Hillsong has been dogged by controversy. Allegations of fraud, coercive control, and abuse eroding its stronghold on Pentecostal believers. 

But what’s life actually like inside this megachurch? And what next for the followers who've been left disillusioned.

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CREDITS

Guest: Marc Fennell

You can watch his documentary The Kingdom on SBS On Demand.

Host & Producer: Emma Gillespie

Executive Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producer: Madeline Joannou

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