Hillsong 'Naked Cowboy' controversy: Brian Houston says youth pastor was 'not naked' but assures 'it won't happen again'
The controversy concerning a Hillsong youth pastor who appeared as the Naked Cowboy on stage during the church event Color Conference in New York City last month has obviously not died down as Senior Pastor Brian Houston has finally spoken up about the incident.
On his blog Friday, June 3, Houston detailed the controversial youth pastor's costume as "proper shorts, not underwear, and he had a flag draped over him – bare-chested" and described it as "perhaps inappropriate, certainly unexpected and unauthorized," and concluded it was not naked.
The senior pastor also clarified that his wife Bobbie, although convenor of the conference, was not aware of the Naked Cowboy act nor were other pastors Carl and Laura Lentz "part of the decision."
Houston reflected, "I can only guess at this point, that someone thought it would be funny and sent him out there without thinking about the ramifications. Some well-meaning person just made a silly decision."
"It won't happen again," the church leader added.
ChurchWatch Central, a site that claims to be a watchdog for the Christian church and who identified the youth pastor as Diego Simila, was quick to take a swipe at Houston's response saying that he used "very careful wording to imply what he wants you to think" and to "feign ignorance on behalf of all the Hillsong leaders gathered."
"Brian Houston decided to protect the Hillsong brand, his Hillsong leader's reputations and avoid legal proceedings by the Naked Cowboy," said ChurchWatch Central.
The site also pointed out that if the Naked Cowboy act was really unintended, then the senior pastors who came out on stage together with the Naked Cowboy — as shown in the nearly six-minute video of the spectacle — would have been in a position to prevent the act.
Todd Rubenstein also released a statement through the same site as spokesperson for the original Naked Cowboy, Robert John Burck. According to the statement, Hillsong did not request nor obtain any right to use Naked Cowboy's registered trademark and added that Burck, also an Ordained Minister, took it as an extreme offense against his Christian beliefs.