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Hillsongs Gets Punked: Terminal Writer of Hit Song Not Really Terminal

Orginally published on Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 6:14 AM
by Todd Rhoades

A sad and embarrassing story hit the wires over the last few days... this time out of Australia. Michael Guglielmucci is a former pastor who had inspired hundreds of thousands of young Christians with his testimony of having terminal cancer. The problem was... he didn't. According to Adelaidenow.com.au, he is now seeking professional help. Earlier this year, Guglielmucci released a hit song The Healer which was featured on Hillsong's latest album. The song has become an anthem of faith for believers, many of whom are suffering their own illness and were praying for a miracle for Mr Guglielmucci, who has claimed for two years to be terminally ill. In one church performance that has attracted 300,000 hits on YouTube, he performs his hit song with an oxygen tube in his nose. The clip was pulled by YouTube with the advice "video no longer available."

According to the article, “It appears that Mr Guglielmucci, who was a pastor with one of Australia’s biggest youth churches, Planetshakers, may have even deceived his own family.

“This news has come as a great shock to everyone including, it seems, his own wife and family,” Hillsong general manager George Aghajanian said in an email to his congregation yesterday.

“Michael has confirmed that he is not suffering with a terminal illness and is seeking professional help in Adelaide with the support of his family.

“We are asking our church to pray for the Guglielmucci family during this difficult time.”

Los has a short post on the situation. You can also read the news article here.

What do you think? Can a song be ‘annointed’? And can/would God work through a fake to pen a song for that would be embraced by the church as this one has? (I obviously think He could, but wonder why He would… but, as Obama would say… I think that ones above my paygrade.)

Your thoughts?

Todd

This post has been viewed 1802 times so far.

There are 22 Comments:

Posted by Peter Hamm

Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 6:42 AM

Ooh… You just can’t make this stuff up. (Okay, I guess you can...)

First, Can a song be ‘annointed’?

No, I don’t believe so, not in the biblical almost “magical” sense that so many mean it these days. Can a song be very appropriate and inspired (not in the sense that Scripture is inspired) and effective in communicating something very effectively? Oh yeah. But a song that is anointed one day isn’t the next? (If I ever hear “Shout to the Lord” one more time I’m going to just scream...)

And can/would God work through a fake to pen a song for that would be embraced by the church as this one has?

God causes EVERYthing to work together for his good purpose for those who love Him. That answer is easier, but more disturbing imho.
Posted by Camey

Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 7:45 AM

Oh.... praying...... more thoughts to come I’m sure…

Peter,

I understand where you’re coming from on “Shout to the Lord.” Let me tell you from mine… As someone who has known the depth of life-threatening illness personally.. of not being able to stand or move… and then having been completely healed - I will always shout to the Lord. Forever I’ll stand.... even when I wasn’t able to on my own and now even when wearing 3 inch heels for 12 hours like I did yesterday. I even shout to the Lord in regards to my daddy’s life and last breath.

Back to the original post:

We don’t always understand it all… and I for one am thankful for that - for He alone is God.
Posted by karl

Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 8:31 AM

yes, i think God can work through a ‘fake pen’. as hard as the story behind this is, as far as the song goes, there has been plenty that wasn’t originally created to honor God that has then been used in that way.
Posted by Derek

Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 8:46 AM

C’mon Peter...shout to the Lord...that’s a classic!

Seriously, I agree with you. We actually use Shout to the Lord (STTL) as a benchmark. I tell our worship leader that any song written before STTL is too old for us to do in worship. And STTL is a bit worn out, but it was cool when the American Idol contestants sang it last April on the number one TV show in America.

Can a song be anointed? No not really. “Anointed” is charismatic talk for uniquely inspired or empowered by the Spirit. It is perhaps the wrong word. God typically anoints people and not things.

God can use it to encourage people, no doubt. But songs can also have a powerful emotional effect on us that people can wrongly assume is the Holy Spirit. This is one of the pitfalls of charismania, confusing emotional experiences with spiritual experiences (e.g. the Lakeland “revival")

Derek

P.S. We do include “O Lord You’re Beautiful” in our worship services. My all time favorite worship song by the late, great Keith Green.
Posted by Peter Hamm

Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 9:12 AM

Derek,

That Keith Green song has, imho, attained hymn status at this point anyway. But here’s my point. The top 25 songs from August 2008 according to CCLI.

How Great Is Our God
Here I Am To Worship
Blessed Be Your Name
Open The Eyes Of My Heart
Forever
You Are My King
Come Now Is The Time To Worship
Shout To The Lord
Lord I Lift Your Name On High
Holy Is The Lord
Everlasting God
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
We Fall Down
God Of Wonders
In Christ Alone
The Heart Of Worship
Trading My Sorrows
You Are My All In All
Breathe
Beautiful One
You’re Worthy Of My Praise
Above All
Mighty To Save
Days Of Elijah

Heck, I’ve RETIRED half these songs because they have “lost” their effectiveness. I wonder how many folks program nothing but these on a regular basis, because they felt so good and so right at some point, so they try to re-create an experience that might be better served by a NEW song!
Posted by Derek

Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 9:34 AM

Peter,

Yeah I see what you are saying. It underscores my earlier post about confusing an emotional experience with a spiritual experience.

Songs carry an emotional tie to a moment in our lives. If it is overplayed it loses it’s emotional effectiveness. “Not that there is anything wrong with that” I think it is important for people to understand the difference between what they are feeling and what they are spiritually discerning as related to worship music.

Oh Lord You’re Beautiful...definitely a hymn in the contemporary pop worship world. May it live on!

Derek
Posted by

Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 3:40 PM

Philippians 1:15-19
Posted by Jermayn

Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 7:18 PM

I do think its a bit of hype by emotional Christians however some songs are better than others and do make your hairs on your back of the neck stand on end.

I am more disgusted by this claim…
Posted by

Saturday, August 23, 2008 at 3:16 PM

I think its funny how we have made this about the song. It isnt about the songs Mike Gug has written (which are a LOT more than just “Healer"). The song is an icredibly written song which no doubt came from God. If it came from God, than it is His, and we should have no problem in singing the song.

My concern is first, is for the man. He is obviously stuck in a web of his own deceit and dishonesty. The new news that he has had an addiction to pornography puts it in perspective. He has been having to lie to cover things up for 18+ years, so it almost comes as no surprise that it came to this. He, no doubt, is confused as to what is fantasy and what is reality. Through good, Godly counsel, I believe that he can and will be set free of this. God disciplines those whom He loves. Mike should be glad that this has happened in a sense, because God is showing him His sovereign love. How much worse would it have been had he kept on this path for 5 more years? God’s timing is perfect, and He knows what He is doing.

I think a lot of Christian folks are angry and want him to suffer and pay for what he has “put us through.” I got news though...it’s not about us. Another one of God’s mouthpieces fell in a big way, and people will be hurt, but God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him. I believe that God has a plan in all of this. I pray that Mike can become a servant of God to speak out against the perversity that has overcome a generation. I pray that God will restore him to a place that will bring God glory in the most magnificent way. Mike’s ministry has been very self serving. When he is restored back into ministry, I believe he will be very much God-serving. God wont allow him to step back in to that type of capacity until it becomes all about Him.

My other concern is for his wife. She has had to go through an emotional roller coaster for the last 2 years, thinking her husband had cancer. She has never really known him. If she chooses to stand beside Mike in all of this, I pray that the healing can begin for her, and that the trust can be rebuilt between the two of them.

I am drawn to the story of David. He obviously lived a life of deceit at least for a while with Bathsheeba. But when his sin was exposed, and he repented, David was exalted into a great place of leadership. In fact God’s throne was established through David and Bathsheeba. We need of extend that same type of grace, and not be so quick to crucify this guy, although I do believe he needs to pay the price for what he has done…

just my 2 pennies, for whatever thats worth
Posted by

Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 5:05 AM

sad day, but we are seeing scripture revealed.... deceivers… satan loves to shock, overwhelm and even destroy.

can a song be anointed, absolutely yes… by way of effluence (outflow) from and anointed writer. hmmmm.
Posted by

Monday, August 25, 2008 at 2:45 AM

I for one definitely agree with Jeremy.The guy has been living a life of deceit and people in his ministry as well as his own family could be angry with him but don’t we all have some kind of lie hiding within us.I mean at least this person has come out in the open which is the best way to deal with a lie and also to confuse the enemy.Its never too late to ask for forgiveness and start all over again. God is interested in His people and therefore He will restore the ones who seek His forgiveness and move on.We need to forgive Pastor Mike and pray for his loved ones to overcome these difficult times in their life.Also remember David, he never went against Saul because once upon a time Saul was the anointed one of the Lord.Pastor Mike is the anointed one of the Lord and lets pray that he gets is perspective right in life.Lets not judge him but befriend him.
Posted by

Monday, August 25, 2008 at 2:33 PM

Very sad situation, but it does not inhibit God from using the man’s songs to bless many people. God is not bound nor hindered by our shortcomings. Lest we forget, look at the many individuals in Scripture that had shortcomings and yet they were used by God and millions have been blessed by their lives although all were fallen people. This however is not a license for sin. I think he definitely needs help, which it seems he’s seeking and he needs to not be active in ministry until he has overcome whatever is plaguing him.
Posted by

Monday, August 25, 2008 at 2:38 PM

Whoa, Peter! A song losing its effectiveness? I think more likely, we as people change, but I think Christian music, if written under inspiration, never loses its effectiveness.
Posted by Peter Hamm

Monday, August 25, 2008 at 2:52 PM

“written under inspiration” is a tricky thought, though, don’t you think? Surely not the same inspiration as scripture is written under. I have seen songs totally lose their impact over time, even good songs.

I’ve heard it said that about the 7th to 10th time an average person sings a song, it starts to go downhill. (there’s some research from barna or somebody on this.) I think that’s fairly accurate, and if you want a song to last, don’t do it twice or three times a month!
Posted by

Monday, August 25, 2008 at 3:10 PM

I don’t think “writen under inspiration” is tricky. One is either inspired by the Holy Spriit or they’re not.

I think it comes back to us as people. There are songs that I don’t listen to very often that I learned years ago, but because I focus on the words and the message, I can still find myself being touched by them. There are some very old standards of the Church that when sung, I can see how impacting they are on the congregation. Some I’m sure are just into emotionalism, but some really know what the message of the song is and it resonates with their own experience with God. I think of songs like “It is Well” and “Amazing Grace” for an example. I think what you’re referring to about not repeating a song 2 or 3 times a month is more a commentary on the shallowness of our culture and the disdain for all things “old”.
Posted by Peter Hamm

Monday, August 25, 2008 at 3:54 PM

Oh, but it is tricky.

First off, I think only Scripture is truly inspired in the sense that the Holy Spirit has directed its course and content, and secondly, one song that might totally connect with you might leave somebody else scratching their heads saying “yeah, what’s so special about that one?”

[I think what you’re referring to about not repeating a song 2 or 3 times a month is more a commentary on the shallowness of our culture and the disdain for all things “old”.] No, I think it’s different. Try this. Take a song you really love, and listen to it every morning for 4 weeks. You won’t really love it anymore. And if you do, it might not have the same effectiveness as it did the first few times you heard it (again, that has been tested by research as I recall).

Music affects us emotionally, and over time, our reaction to a certain emotion from a song will change or go away.
Posted by

Monday, August 25, 2008 at 4:16 PM

As a song writer myself, I can say that some of my best stuff (imo) that I have written, came while I was hiding deep dark sin in my life. Was it inspired? Absolutely. I wrote those songs out of a time of worship and prayer and repentance unto God. I know for a fact they came from Him and not my own doing. But a great song did not change the fact I was hiding something, and did not liberate me from it. With Pastor Mike, he no doubt was struggling in the area of pride, as porn is deeply rooted in pride, so this great song only fueled his sin. That doesnt say his song was not inspired. I am willing to bet it came out of a heartfelt desparation, and a yearning to be free. Was it the same inspiration as Scripture was written under? All I can say is that it was the same Holy Spirit, written to the same God, by a frail human being. Are there degrees to inspiration? Maybe, maybe not. I, for one, dont really care about that, as it doesnt change the fact that God is who He is, and man continues to fall short. I am anxious to hear the songs Pastor Mike will write through this journey, though.
Posted by

Monday, August 25, 2008 at 7:37 PM

Well, Peter, I may be an odd duck, but I do have songs that I listen to over and over. Obviously, as I grow and change they will affect me differently. Then there are those songs that I listen to, set them aside for a time and the come back to them and they still resonate with me. Maybe not in the exact same way, but yet there is still something about the lyrics that touches my soul. I can’t explain it, but the idea of “retiring” something because it’s outlived it’s usefulness can be somewhat short-sighted at times. I would be concerned with what type of message we send our churches if we display that attitude. As if Shout to the Lord can never be sung again. I would image 10, 20 years from now, someone will hear it and greatly blessed by it. But, it all comes down to the listener’s attitude of the heart. If it’s just a feel good with no real depth to it, then they’re missing it. That’s where I think worship leaders and pastors come in by helping people think about the lyrics so they don’t just get carried away with a pretty melody.
Posted by Andy Wood

Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 8:56 PM

The gospel is always greater than the vehicle that carries it, whether it be a money-grabbing preacher in Chattanooga, a pathologically-lying songwriter in Australia, or a belly-kicking “evangelist” in Florida. As long as the message is truth, God can and will use it. When you get to heaven, ask Solomon about whether anything good can come out of the sinful actions of God’s people (parents).

And please, could we “trust, but verify” the sensational we love so much to repeat?
Posted by Motorcycle Fairings

Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 7:49 PM

What surprised me a lot is how he looks like a skate guy who has nothing to do with religion. But if he’s reaching 100’s of people maybe is the way it works for him.
Motorcycle Fairings
Posted by Clarice

Monday, October 06, 2008 at 11:25 AM

Can a song be ‘annointed’?

I asked myself the same thing when Kirk Franklin confessed about his porn addiction. It was revealed he was struggling with it or a while and yet he made some songs that were some big tunes and really annointed…

Which brings me to ask, did David loose his title of ‘a man after God’s own heart’ after his incident with Bathsheba & Uriah?
Posted by

Monday, October 06, 2008 at 12:45 PM

Clarice, interesting that you should mention David. There’s an excellent post at Koinonia about the interpretation of David being a man after God’s own heart. Check it out here:
http://zondervan.typepad.com/koinonia/2008/10/hebrew-corner-6.html

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.