LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz has confessed on camera to having an "inappropriate relationship" with a nanny. His confession is featured in FX's new documentary series, 'The Secrets of Hillsong,' which consists of four parts. The series premieres on Friday, May 19, and explores the scandals surrounding the renowned megachurch, including exclusive interviews with Carl and his wife, Laura Lentz, following their expulsion from Hillsong Church in 2020.
Carl, who played a significant role in establishing and running Hillsong's NYC branch in 2010 and garnered substantial media attention at the time, was ousted from the church due to "moral failures." The day after his dismissal, he admitted to being "unfaithful in my marriage" and acknowledged carrying significant lies and secrets for years. According to People, he stated, "If you are led by somebody, you have to trust them. One of the biggest mistakes of my life was that breach of trust for thousands of people, especially my wife and children."
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'Nobody should go through that'
Hillsong leadership discovered incriminating text messages sent by Carl to Ranin Karim, in which she admitted that she was his alleged mistress, as reported by Vanity Fair. The "rockstar pastor" expressed his disbelief, stating, "I just remember feeling like, am I in an alternate universe right now? The hardest part of this was just trying not to look my wife in the eye, ever." In the second episode, he shared, "There are some things that you can recover from. There are other things that I'll never recover from." Carl explained the profound impact on his wife, stating, "Just the sound of her voice, the kind of cry that she had was like no other cry I've ever heard. Nobody should go through that, especially a wife who has impeccable character. At that time, I wasn't fully honest, and although she wasn't angry, she was completely shattered. Those who have experienced infidelity understand the pain I'm talking about."
'We are still together'
The former pastor, who also gained attention for his close relationship with Justin Bieber at that time, concluded, "Although we have a long way to go, with a lot of work, honesty, and prayer, we have found ourselves in a beautiful, happy, and intentionally truthful place." He shared that he and his wife are still together and recently celebrated their 20th anniversary.
