What I am doing it to find out more about Hillsong from those who know as in people that have been members of the church or are members of the church amongst others. I am doing that because you hear all sorts of stories and at the end of the day it is just an opinion.
So then why exactly do you brand Hillsong as a cult?
No offense . . . it sounds like you just have a general impression of them.
Chuck Smith used a heavy hand in some instances. He was very much the central (human) personality around which Calvary Chapel revolved. If you got close to Chuck you could rise quickly through the ranks. He said himself that his board of elders was there to rubberstamp his decisions and to take the heat if someone was critical. He had a large staff of pastors, and that's who you would generally talk to if you needed a pastor. Chuck, towards the end, taught an impermanent, 'lose-able' salvation, definitely against Scripture! So far, by your list, Calvary Chapel is a cult, if you want to spin it that way.
But having been pastored by Chuck, I would never call them a "cult".
Something that I find in my extremely limited experience of Hillsong is that they seem to have a faith in God and an sense of His glory that I find lacking in a lot of other places. Including a lot of Calvary Chapels.
But again, I know very little about them. If you want to post actual information of what Brian Houston teaches and does that makes them a cult, OK, otherwise, this seems a little like a witch hunt.
I've heard all kinds of stories myself, about Calvary Chapel.
So far, the most I know about the church is this handful of songs I listen to that proclaim God in a fresh and inspiring way, that is filled with faith, and wonder, and that lifts my spirit up into the heavens in awe and love of God. Now, if that's a bad church, I'd like to find a good one!
Much love!