Listen: Hillsong's Phil Dooley talks to Ben McEachen about Easter and the uncertainty it was built on
By Ben McEachenFriday 8 Apr 2022Hope AfternoonsEasterReading Time: 1 minute
Phil Dooley made me think about Easter in a way I don’t think I ever had before.
Not because what he revealed is revolutionary or so “out there”. Rather, I hadn’t deeply considered how Jesus’ death and resurrection occurred within a cauldron of political and social instability and uncertainty.
Maybe you have chewed over that. I sure had not, until Phil raised it while speaking on Hope Afternoons.
The interim global leader of Hillsong, Phil discussed the eternal relevance of Easter before the recent announcements about Hillsong founder Brian Houston.
Separate to the machinations of that intense and scrutinised saga, Phil contrasted the times we are in now with the times Jesus went to the cross.
We are living in a pronounced time of uncertainty and instability, from warfare to floods, pandemics to political point-scoring.
But as Phil pointed out, “the good news is that Jesus went beyond that suffering [on the cross]… and ultimately he came out the other side, victorious”.
“That story is what brings all of us hope, no matter how difficult our times and seasons are or have been.”
“That story is what brings all of us hope, no matter how difficult our times and seasons are or have been,” – Phil Dooley, interim global leader of Hillsong
“And they have been very tough.”
Listen to the full interview with Phil Dooley in the player above.