(ChurchLeaders) In a Sydney, Australia, courtroom Tuesday, a lawyer for Brian Houston said his client will plead not guilty to the charge of concealing his father’s alleged child sex abuse. Houston, co-founder of the worldwide evangelical megachurch Hillsong, wasn’t required to appear in person but has professed his innocence.
Before dying at age 82 in 2004, Frank Houston, Brian’s father, had confessed to sexual abuse of a boy during the 1970s. Police now say the younger Houston knowingly kept information from authorities instead of reporting the abuse.
When the charge against Brian Houston was announced in August, he described being “devastated.” In a statement, the pastor said, “These charges have come as a shock to me given how transparent I’ve always been about this matter.” Houston, 67, also indicated he would fight the charges, saying, “I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight.”