Covenant - The healing after all the pain and heartache

This is my first written response to the scrutiny of recent weeks surrounding Destiny, which began when TV3 sent a hidden camera into our open men's meeting – a meeting that any media could have attended (as they have on past occasions) had they simply asked.

The following news item featured an unidentified individual who merely repeated the same rhetoric of five years ago – black suits and bodyguards. To the contrary, there were no black suits, no bodyguards and the speaker wasn't me, it was my wife Hannah.

Much of the controversy has been around the aspect of "covenant" through the news that 700 "sons" had covenanted to me as the founder and spiritual father of this movement.

The principle is pure Bible and revolutionary.

The Old Testament reveals this dynamic through the life of Elisha and his spiritual father, the prophet Elijah.

The New Testament provides even greater insight through the Apostle Paul and two notable spiritual sons, Timothy and Titus. "For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me. For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church." 1 Corinthians 4:15-17

Whilst pointing to the divinity and supremacy of Christ, it is apparent through Paul's writing that his leadership as a tangible example to the local-church believer was a fundamental aspect of Christian living. This is the way of Destiny. The difficulty today's liberal society/church has with this model is that it's not democratically driven.

Destiny has protocols which compare to that of any other organisation that values order, respect and unity in their environment. Unfortunately, an unauthentic "protocols document" circulating the media makes references to laying gifts at my feet and bowing down etc. It did not originate from me and there is no inclination on my part to be approached in this way.

There is another aspect to covenant that has not been touched in the media but would be an injustice to overlook.

The lead-up was based on literally hundreds of hours of personal testimony and confession held during a series of 18 camps over four months.

During these camps I listened to the personal stories of every one of those 700 men – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Men aged from 18 to 80 deeply troubled by childhood abuses. Stories of severe dysfunction, pain and heartache that had tormented the inner-world of individuals for decades.

Yet in spite of every conceivable obstacle to move forward in life, this process galvanised a deep desire to be better men, better husbands and better fathers. And through this process of healing and restoration, men were free to stand tall and move forward from a position of strength.

A ring symbolising the commitment is akin to the father who put a ring on the finger of his prodigal son to celebrate that wonderful new beginning.

One example of transformation is in a South Auckland family, once the backbone of the Otahuhu Black Power.

The father and adult sons held power positions within the gang and were responsible for all manner of criminal activities. Three generations of this family have been in Destiny for the best part of eight years – free from alcohol, drugs, violence and crime.

They're legitimately employed and paying their taxes.

According to their testimony, it was only through my influence and that of Destiny Church that their offspring aren't destined to repeat the destructive cycle. From a social and economic perspective, how would you measure the cost of this kind of turnaround? And for that matter, where should I send the invoice?

We recently honoured some fine achievements amongst members of our movement, including a new All Black, five youth social workers contributing significantly towards the success of a Mangere police project, an outstanding manager for Healthcare NZ, an event management company making a difference for Maori and Pacific music and arts, two award-winning Otara musicians who have been involved in major Samoa tsunami relief efforts, and a senior university lecturer who is breaking ground in global business innovation.

Sadly, good news rarely generates media sales or ratings. But branding Destiny a "cult" obviously does.

The notion of a "walled city" was the media's idea, not mine. A "cult" is an exclusive community closed to outside interaction.

Destiny's doors are wide open and always have been. We're probably more open than most via live, unedited internet broadcasts. We're located at the centre of Auckland's concrete jungle, Mt Wellington. The free will of every individual is respected and protected.

People come, give and contribute towards our vision because they want to, not because they have to. Those mostly responsible for infringing "free will" are the hypocrites who demean the choices our members make in their commitment to create a better future for our children and communities through the Destiny dream.

- © Fairfax NZ News