Carl Lentz

Background

Carl Lentz was a basketball team member at Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach, where he grew up. In his adolescence, he acknowledged that he was prone to mood swings. When he graduated from high school, he enrolled at North Carolina State University, where he was a walk-on basketball player. Lentz grew up attending a Baptist church, although he wasn’t very devout then. He went to church one night to watch Hillsong Church leader Steve Pastor at his parents’ urging. Following his stint in the military, his sophomore year was spent at Virginia Wesleyan University. He would subsequently attend Hillsong International Leadership College in Australia, but he couldn’t deal with the turmoil in his life at that moment. A few months after his return home to California, he began studying the Bible at a Bible college. During this time, Lentz received his first tattoo, a burning sword, on Sunset Boulevard.

One year later, he returned to Australia to complete his studies in the Bible, and he met his future wife there, Laura. Both of them have a straightforward and unwavering faith in Jesus. They are driven by a deep desire to communicate the gospel’s message in a way that is understandable to a younger generation that is urgently looking for a purpose that is bigger than themselves.

The departure of Lentz from Hillsong has left many people perplexed. When Lentz appeared on ABC’s “The View” in 2017, he was questioned about his stance on abortion, and he was chastised for not providing a direct answer to the question. However, he later clarified that he believed abortion to be a sin, but that during that specific interview, he opted to focus instead on sharing his faith in Jesus Christ. Lentz remained in his position as senior pastor until he was removed, despite the many scandals that had dogged him. On the other hand, Lentz provided more insight into the matter when, in a lengthy post on Instagram, he admitted that he had cheated on his wife, which resulted in him being fired from his job.