His blood alcohol level was .206, he was a visitor in Australia and he was going 110 kmh in a 50km zone. (for our US friends that is 68 mph in a 30 mph zone) Correction: That was a sloppy mistake on my part, police were not summoned until he crashed, so his speed was not part of the case against him. The 110k clocked was how far he drove drunk. - BD
Jason Hooper, a neo-charismatic evangelist touring with a Hillsong guy in Australia, got off scott-free when he appeared before a judge. The maximum sentence 18 months in jail and a maximum fine of $3300. Hooper lost the right to drive in Australia for three years. New The sentence was described as a joke. The judge let Hooper off saying Hooper, recently part of Rick Joyners Morningstar Ministries was a “person of good character” under a lot of ‘ministerial pressure.”
The dad of three, who recorded a blood alcohol reading of .206, had clocked 110km, despite Macksville only being 50km from Kempsey.
A sheepish Hooper begged the court for mercy, saying he didn’t normally drink and would seek counselling on his return to the US.
“I have spent the last week wrestling night and day with how I could have made such an error in judgment,” said Hooper, whose conviction placed the rest of his NSW tour in jeopardy.He travels the globe as an evangelist, recently appearing as guest preacher in several ministries in NSW.
Pleading guilty, Hooper said it was out of character for him and he had prayed for forgiveness.
What he is is a good actor. He was doing double shots of scotch before climbing into the car and driving drunk. Hooper, who is from South Carolina, burst into tears when the judge handed down the driving ban. New South Wales has a zero blood alcohol limit for drivers with an overseas licence.
He blew .206. That is tanked, that is 3 hours of bending his elbow, and I think it’s quite a stretch to believe it’s out of character. People of good character don’t get behind a wheel when they’ve been drinking. He said he’d pay damages for the rental car and the car he hit. If he is under financial pressure, where is the money for significant car repairs coming from? He wasn’t shipped back to the US, he gets to finish his preaching tour with Pour It Out. Yeah, he should have just poured it out. I have no patience with drinking and driving, if Hooper has an alcohol problem I hope he gets into a reputable rehab. Restoration by Rick Joyner won’t cut it. Fortunately passenger Ben Hughes escaped without injury.*
There are no favourable comments at The Daily Telegraph, and this just hit Fox News Atlanta a few hours ago. James warned against becoming a teacher in the New Testament because ” Not many of you should presume to be teachers my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. James 3:1. While an Australian court has shown leniency, the court of public opinion is not.
The crash occurred June 19th. This is where Hooper was scheduled to preach in Coffs Harbour. Part of Hoopers preaching tour was billed “Your Kingdom Come.” It very nearly did – drinking and driving can hasten an event like that.
Hooper must be having financial trouble – his website for his revivalist ministry has been suspended. (see update – BD)
Hooper took the offering for one of Todd Bentleys webinars in 2009, and seems to have partnered with him in some fashion at Morningstar for other events. He was billed with Bentley the first of June for “The Greater Glory Gathering” in Virginia Beach.
via: Group Sects
* A commenter points out that Ben Hughes was not in the car. The statement is “… the association between Mr Hughes and Mr Hopper was terminated after their first meeting together. There are no plans for future meetings with Mr Hooper.”
Update: Hoopers website is back up, it appears to have undergone an upgrade and is not fully functioning. There is no mention or discussion of his arrest and conviction on his website, Facebook or Twitter account.
Bene- good post. Sounds like a judge needs some awareness that people of “good character” can be alcoholics.
I have such difficulty with drunk driving. Saw too many lives ripped apart and too many people pleading out in court.
You know what his problem was? He wasn’t operating in the “Seer Realm”. Because if he was then he would have known the outcome of driving while under the influence.
I am being sarcastic of course, since he talks about “going into other realms” all of the time. There are certainly a lot of spiritual nut-jobs around. What is even scarier, are the numbers of people following them, eyes wide open.
….Guess that Jason Hooper will need to be “restored”,by Rick Joyner???
I take it I need to re-work this sentence: “Restoration by Rick Joyner won’t cut it.”
Hooper blew .206. Most addiction specialists will tell you if someone blows over .15 there is usually an underlying alchohol problem.
Neophyte drinkers don’t double up on the Scotch.
I think rehab is wise, not Joyners impartations, proclamations and pontificating. You can’t spiritualize away whatever causes Hooper to drive drunk, and to get drunk.
One would think that the death of Joerg Haider
in Austria three years ago would serve as a good
object lesson. One would think that the judge
would have been more independently minded
as to sentencing rather than fall into the begging
for clemency and “being under pressure” defences.
What does it say about a ministry if it can’t keep
their own messengers from derailing? It says a
lot about the people at the top and the lack of
having a “brother partner” ready to listen at any time.
There is no excuse for either the behaviour or for
the poor judging used in this situation. Sad, all round.
Correction: Ben Hughes was not in the car with him at the time. As a matter of fact, the association between Mr Hughes and Mr Hopper was terminated after their first meeting together. There are no plans for future meetings with Mr Hooper.
His conduct is a tragedy. It is unnecessary that others suffer because of his actions.
Does anyone know if Jason Hooper took part in the restoration of Todd Bentley?
I don’t think you’ll find that he was doing 110 in a 50 zone. He was breathe tested after he crashed – not booked for speeding. It was that he drove 110 kms between the two towns that are only 50 kms apart. Which makes it sound like he was driving in circles, but you may find that our main highway was flooded here at that time.
My real concern is; “Was Ben Hughes really a passenger?” – as you state
If so he would have been there while Jason was slamming them down. He would have known Jason was hammered!
Please clarify this.
Hi Doug:
I apologize, it has been corrected. There is no excuse to err in the retelling of this. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
I read, ” had clocked 110km” and I read speed. I wasn’t careful with the rest of the sentence which reads, ” despite Macksville only being 50km from Kempsey.”
Thanks for clarifying the detour.
Hi Friend:
Thank you. The statement has been fixed, and you are correct, there is no excuse for anyone suffering because of Mr. Hoopers decision to drive drunk. I apologize for my assumption. I read, “touring with Hillsong protege Ben Hughes” in The Telegraphs first graph. Hughes attended a Hillsong seminar according to his bio – hardly a Hillsong protege. Bit misleading as is ‘touring with.” I take it the reporter meant Hughes is a charismatic.
The Telegraph also says, ” Hooper is on a working visa and is in Australia an east coast church tour with Pour It Out Ministries.” I can appreciate that error, when I was researching, notices for the tour were still up, implying Hooper and Hughes had been touring together since mid-June.
Do you know why their relationship was terminated?
I give God glory for this. I have been told by God over the past years to wait, just wait, for the Lord to expose this man, who cavorts with the liar Todd Bentley. God is good.
Unlike speeding or negligent driving, DUI is a criminal offence in Australia and so it should be. He now has a criminal record here. Hooper is just Damn lucky he hit a parked car and not a family. To be as drunk as he was he must have a problem. High range DUI here is blind drunk!!! Hopefully his criminal record keeps him out of here in the future. No doubt he will take up his fraudulent ministry again in the States and people will continue to get sucked in by him. Sad but true
Denial is a powerful mechanism for a drunk. While he plead guilty and talked about God’s forgiveness, when confronted with that he didn’t have an answer.
He is due back in Australia in October, hopefully he’ll stay in the US and get help.
While Fox picked this up, part of the sub-culture he adheres to is a form of denial in ignoring or carrying on as if nothing happened.
And he’ll have plenty of enablers.
Jason let his defenses down for a while. I’m not surprised. Now would be a good time, for those who follow Jesus Christ, to compare what Jason has been doing on the platform and assess where he is now. How far has he deviated? I’v worked with people that have addictions. First thing to look for is “denial”.
I suspected a few years ago, at one of my vistits to Morningstar, that a pastor on the platform looked like he would enjoy the spirits of alcohol. I think maybe a few may be in that group now.
If we take a moment and look at the “Kansas City Prophets”,”God’s Generals”,those on Elijah list…etc,One can easily see the “common threads”
It is a tragedy when anyone gets drunk . It is not the will of GOD nor does it line up with HIS character or nature. I believe ( well , it really does not matter what i believe..) what matters is what GOD says about it and not how we interpret what we think is right.. Jason will be judged according to his actions by GOD not us.. We are supposed to forgive and show mercy and grace if that is how we want people to treat us..Was Jason wrong ???? ABSOLUTELY…………..i pray that anyone who JUDGES him by their mindset will also be shown the MERCY and GRACE of GOD …
I have to love this comment he made in court:
<blockquote cite="When asked how the incident would affect his tour and his faith, Hooper told The Sunday Telegraph that he was forgiven because he had worked it out with the Lord.
Asked how, he said there was a process he had gone through for forgiveness but declined to elaborate."
So that’s how it is? We are forgiven by “working it out” on our own, or by a “process” that we go through?
Funny, but according to the Bible, we are only forgiven through Jesus Christ, and His finished work at the cross. Strange, isn’t it, how so many preachers out there simply don’t understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, from a hole in the ground.
But then again, many of these preachers are heavily involved in experientialism, and not the preaching of the Gospel.
Correction — I am not sure whether or not he made the statement in or near the court building, but it was directly to the Daily Telegraph.
We should pray for Jason Hooper and not stand in judgement over him. Matthew Chapter 7
Great catch, BD.
You think I wouldn’t be surprised anymore when an NAR type messes up, but…
Susan… ask and you shall recieve!
Hooper passed the hat on Todd Bentley’s behalf during one of Todd’s early post-restoration webinars, as I documented in 2009. I use the Google link to help you find the paraphrase of what he said easier.
I TinyURL’d the link for you Rick – BD http://tinyurl.com/3qn23eq
Quoting Hooper in that webinar report post I just linked to. Hooper speaking:
“…When I think of Todd Bentley, what comes to mind is that no one has done more , in the past ten years, at releasing, uncapping the well of the supernatural miracles, healing and overall supernatural lifestyle empowered by the gift of faith and radical love and compassion [than he], whether it be for the widows and the orphans or for the lame….”
“Overall supernatural lifestyle” would include being drunk in the spirit, so I am led to understand. Not otherwise…
Agreed Adair, he has been judged and found guilty.
Jason drove while drunk. He has been convicted.
He needs prayer, he needs intervention.
He doesn’t need enablers.
Mr. Hiebert,
I appreciate your posting concerning my question about Jason Hooper. It has refreshed my memory. It makes one wonder, about the references made to “take a drink” or “get drunk in the spirit”. Those terms are used loosely.
Pingback: US Evangelist Crashed Car after Mid-Afternoon “Double-Shot Whisky Binge” « Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion
It concerns me when I see loosey,goosey,”ministries,operating with out proper checks and balances
Acting like a bunch of renegades and cowboys….indicitive of the NAR way
Please leave the limelite Jason,and go get help
Now Pour It Out Ministries are ‘under construction.’ They have an article about the Angel of Awakening and a ‘prophetic’ sermon about the significance of certain numbers.
It’s interesting Pour It Out did not update their itinerary to show they were not doing meetings with Hooper, and they did not correct Australian and US news reports to reflect that. The only mention I can find is from a friend commenting at BDBO.
Richard Bartholomew of Barths Notes found a video of Hooper were he says he was shot in both legs and started preaching in prison were he says entire cell blocks were baptised in the Holy Spirit. people got out of wheelchairs and the blind saw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liNQtCm7654
Classic neo-charismatic drama and exaggeration. He says after he got out of prison he got into trouble with churches for ‘the way the Holy Spirit would manifest.’ He says he was in prison when Todd Bentley was in Charisma magazine because his mother sent him the article which he taped over his bunk. There are 95 articles and commentaries mentioning Bentley listed in Charisma search – the first being August 2002 riffing off the article Rick Hiebert did for The Report.
http://tinyurl.com/3laj4mz
It is crazy – these guys have no formal training for ministry, no vetting; they just set up and start preaching. What is even crazier is that people just believe them and follow them.
Hooper was to preach at 7 pm. He was drinking doubles from 11:30 -2:30 (just after morning church service and with who?) and was behind the wheel for approximately 1 1/2 hours putting 100 kil on the car. Calculate blood alcohol content subtracting 0.01 every 40 minutes after drinking.
A drunk exhibits the following at .206:
stupor
loss of understanding
impaired sensations
severe motor impairment
memory blackout
loss of consciousness
….and even when an NAR is not haiving some sauce,it is very bizarre,at best!
Perhaps Todd needs to assign one of his angel buddies to be Jason’s designated driver.
Adair said:
“We should pray for Jason Hooper and not stand in judgement over him. Matthew Chapter 7″
Adair, you’re absolutely right. None of us are better than Jason Hooper. And besides, the court already judged his actions and the Word judges Jason Hooper, pronouncing a curse upon him should be not change his ways.
“Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, [that] they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, [till] wine inflame them!” – Isaiah 5:11
I hope the best for Jason.
Not wishing to offend anyone, and this isn’t directed at anyone posting here — it’s just an observation I wanted to share.
I frequently hear fellow Christians speak out about how we shouldn’t judge someone .. who more often than not turns out to be a minister / preacher gone wrong.
But just wait until some news item about homosexuality or abortion appears, and the very same Christians are the first to jump sky high and point condemning fingers. It’s important to remember that ALL sin is equally bad in the eyes of a just and holy God. He doesn’t grade sin on the “Bell-Curve” the way humans do.
Most ministers today (not only Jason), don’t really preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Talking about angels isn’t preaching the Gospel. Talking about heaven isn’t preaching the Gospel. Talking about hell isn’t preaching the Gospel. Talking about the rapture of the church, or the tribulation, or the Second Coming, is also NOT the Gospel.
The Gospel is the good news of how much God loved all the world – without any form of discrimination – as shown through the person of Jesus Christ.
When a man or woman goes into the public limelight (more often than not preaching a false gospel), and furthermore takes public money — then goes out and not only risks his or her own life, but potentially others as well … the Church better damn well speak up about it!
Those who stand for NOTHING … fall for ANYTHING.
…When good men do nothing,Evil flourishes
@ Dave,
Yes, of course, let’s pray for Jason Hooper. But, with respect, he is a lot worse than most, for he is going around preaching a false gospel. People in public ministry are required to be good examples of Christian maturity – Hooper never passed this test because of his message. So I hope and pray this incident takes him out of circulation and God uses it to bring him to repentance.
BD…
I think that Jason Hooper might have seen the fawning seven page feature on TB in the September 2002 charsima, which I “fisked’ in the Oct. 7, 2002 issue of The Report newsmagazine.
Charisma, IIRC, did a one page damage control story after mine ran in the magazine, Can you only find the reaction story, now? That would be “very” interesting, if so…
Author of the original seven page article was Mr. Gail Wood, if that helps…
Hello, Adair:
You said: “We should pray for Jason Hooper and not stand in judgement over him. Matthew Chapter 7?
The need to exercise judgment is axiomatic,
in that one must invoke it in any effort to deny it.
For your edification on Matthew 7, nevertheless, you might wish to consult John Gill’s “Exposition of the Entire Bible” @ http://www.freegrace.net/gill/
Rick / Bene:
First three mentions of Todd in Charisma:
Aug 31 2002 – http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/features2/259-transformed-lives/6502-god-can-use-nobodies (long article)
Oct 31 2002 – http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/component/content/article/235-unorganized/6719-letters (brief letters)
Dec 31 2002 – http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/component/content/article/268-people-and-events/7032-healing-evangelist-todd-bentley-reveals-facts-about-past-assault-
To find more, simply type Todd Bentley into their search engine. You can order the results oldest first.
Hope this helps.
Mr Hooper put his and others life at risk – does his ministry do the same I wonder !
I guess HIS ‘saviour’ failed him that day!
Maybe the truth is being ‘revived’ ie;
False Witness Jason is not allowed!
The Lord brings down the Mighty – is that not so!
@anastasis
Don’t mistake me for an NAR/TB apologist. The ‘prophecies’ those self-proclaimed ‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’ made over TB at Flakeland err Lakeland told me all I needed to know about that movement. If they’re so close to God like they claim to be, why didn’t the God they say they know reveal TB’s heart?
And that the leadership in that movement couldn’t question the crazy claims of mass resurrections openly made on the Flakeland stage speaks a lot as to an indifferent attitude toward integrity. No, I’m no friend of that movement.
Hmmmmm …
WB Fanny!
Thanks anastasis…
Mr. Hiebert,
Is this what you’re referring to?
http://ricksmiscellany.blogspot.com/2008/09/tales-from-todd.html
Pingback: Articles of Interest 07-01-11 | Onward, Forward, Toward...
Pingback: Morningstar Ministries preacher Jason Hooper DUI arrest in Australia « Wolf Tracks
It would be interesting to know if he had Wine Barrel Family Church in Redcliffe on his itenerary.
Pingback: Postponed « Wolf Tracks
I wonder if Jeff Jansen and Jason Hooper will still team up for their events on this calendar.
http://ignitedchurch.com/events.html (clink on “see the full calendar”
Jason Hooper is still on Jeff Janson’s calendar too.
http://www.globalfireministries.com/events/
Will Jason Hooper still seek rehab for his ETOH abuse?
I think Todd B and Rick J will give some “guidance” for these issues