A charity offers social services designed to help with shortcomings in welfare, such as clothing, mental health or affording food. Destiny Church does not offer such services.
A true charity does not openly espouse hatred of minority groups. Destiny Church’s leader Brian Tamaki has openly called for the erasure of the L.G.B.T.Q. community from New Zealand society. A true charity values inclusiveness and diversity. Destiny Church does not.
Mr Tamaki is well known for his lavish lifestyle consistent with evangelical leaders in American churches. A lavish lifestyle that has come in for various criticisms and commentary over the years, and has seen those that live them described as grifters.
Disturbingly, in the case of the United States there has been a clear trend towards narrowing the hallowed space between the State and the Church. American political leaders have long courted the church, but with hardline Christians in recent administrations like former Vice President Mike Pence, the pressure to turn the Republic into some kind of theologist state has grown.
In New Zealand the pressure is not so great as New Zealanders generally dislike the loud, strident chest thumping of the male leadership in Destiny Church (which I’ve not noticed any distinct female leadership in, other than Hannah Tamaki). New Zealanders are also generally more tolerant of diversity in our society and supporting minorities to have our acclaimed “fair go”.
Destiny Church was formed in 1998. It first came to my attention in 2004 when school children and young men marched through Wellington wearing black t-shirts saying “Rise Up”, and “Enough is Enough” protesting the Civil Unions legisation that became law later the same year following a conscience vote.
Across the years, its use of congregation tithes, on which Destiny Church has relied heavily, has attracted media attention particularly after Mr Tamaki’s wife Hannah purchased a brand new Mercedes Benz for over N.Z.$200,000. A plan for a development called Destiny City was also publicized, which was meant to have schools, housing, a university and other amenities.
More recently Destiny Church clashed with authorities during the COVID-19 lockdowns, deliberately defying Level 3 orders which prevented gatherings by leading a march that attracted 2,000 people. The refusal to co-operate with the Police led to Mr Tamaki briefly serving jail time. It has also been linked to The Freedom and Rights Coalition, which has actively campaigned against perceived – or otherwise – Government mandates.
But it is the inflammatory commentary about minorities that are the most disturbing. In 2016, following Mr Tamaki said that the 2011 Christchurch aftershock and the 2010 earthquake that made it possible, were acts of God for homosexuality existing. This was on 13 November 2016. A few hours later, in the early morning of 14 November a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in north Canterbury.
They come alongside numerous attacks on the Muslim community, especially after the 15 March 2019 mosques atrocity in Christchurch. This has also intensified with time. And that is why I support Destiny Church being made to pay taxes, at the very minimum.
More recently though Destiny Church have started employing intimidatory tactics such as repainting rainbow road crossings and trying to disrupt drag queen story time telling sessions. These have occurred in conjunction with far right activists, some of who have done jail time being in attendance.
But if it continues this increasingly violent trend of openly defying authorities and trying to intimidate the rainbow community, it is at good risk of becoming something more sinister. Which begs the question:
At what point does Destiny Church stop becoming a cult, and start being considered a hate group – one that openly espouses hateful views and actions towards particular individuals and groups?
Leftist Kiwi Writes 