“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” — 1 John 4:8
This is an urgent wake up call to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In an age of online “Christian” personalities and public controversies, we must not be deceived by someone simply because they call themselves a Christian.
We must discern their true spirit, their true intentions, and their true relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this article, using the case study of Christian Hacking, we will cover:
- The fundamental standard for Christians
- How the Judas Syndrome deceives true Christians
- What the spirit of exploitation is, and how it operates
This article is about a 15 minute read.
We sincerely pray it is of encouragement and strengthening for you.
If you are not familiar with our investigation and case study into Christian Hacking, click on the arrow on the left for more context. If you are familiar already, continue reading below…
- Christian Hacking presented himself to Lighthouse Global as a “very amateur” independent Christian journalist, and we initially aimed to support him as a brother or sister in Christ.
- Lighthouse later concluded that Hacking had a vested interest in demonising us through toxic framing, needing Lighthouse to appear as a “cult” and Paul S. Waugh as a “cult leader”, despite what is extensive contrary evidence.
- We believe this framing served Hacking’s amateur journalistic ambitions by creating a sensational “big scoop”, even if misleading, at our and Paul’s expense.
- Due to Hacking’s deceptive intent, lack of professionalism, and limited audience or reach, we decided we could not work with Hacking.
- Hacking sent Paul a set of 150 questions. These questions were biased, cynical, self righteous, and prosecutorial, demanding answers, despite Paul stating (26 Jan 2026, via audio message) that we could not work with Hacking.
- At minimum this is a petty vendetta, and possibly signs of being a “media plant” connected to the BBC. Both Hacking and Hacking’s father David have praised the BBC.
- If Hacking is smearing Christian communities as “cults” for personal agenda rather than genuine investigation, it must be challenged, hence our case study and linking it to the “Judas Syndrome” educational series.
- This issue is larger than one individual. It is part of a wider, orchestrated “Establishment” strategy to brand close knit communities, and even businesses or parties, as alleged cults to control narratives and ostracise opposition.
The Divine Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18
It has often been said that Christianity is not a man-made religion, full of traditions and rituals. It is a deeply personal relationship with Christ, the living God.
Yet for many, that is actually not true.
For many who identify as a Christian, it is a set of practices, habits, doctrine and tradition.
It’s about church on Sunday.
Reading the Bible.
Grace before eating dinner.
Getting baptised.
Singing hymns with our hands in the air.
None of those things are wrong or bad.
But that is not Christianity.
Jesus Christ does not save us to be part of some Bible-themed social club.
He calls us into an intimate, personal relationship with Him.
The God of all creation… the perfect way, truth and life… suffers brutally and horrifically to come down to us, imperfect, sinful, rebellious, selfish, self-righteous, murderous creatures…
And He chooses to bless us with the grace of a personal relationship to restore, regenerate, renew and perfect us.
He is willing to give His perfect, atoning, self-sacrificing love to us.
So do we reject that? Keep it to ourselves? Run from it? Abuse it?
The Fundamental Standard for Christians — Self-Sacrificing, Personal Love
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.” — Romans 12:10
A divine, personal relationship with Christ isn’t just emotional; it changes how you relate to truth, justice, evil, eternity and other human beings.
Man-made religion based on practices and beliefs by itself can never do that. No matter how much one tries to be a “good person”.
No amount of works, in our fallen human nature which is deeply imperfect, can ever attain perfection.
Christ does not want impersonal, robotic, Bible-quoting automatons calling themselves Christians.
He is not giving us His self-sacrificing love and atonement, for us to take all the blessings from Jesus and then not share them with anyone else.
Christ has nothing to do with those who abuse His atonement. It is not some get-out-of-jail-free card to not participate in the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10).
As Paul S. Waugh has previously shared, it is not just about being willing to suffer with and for God —but wanting to.
He doesn’t want us to act as if we can hold onto Him all for ourselves like an imaginary best friend.
He calls us to be like Him in our love for Him —and for each other.
That love is personal and relational.
Personal relationship and personal love bears the fruits of compassion, concern and the willingness to suffer for ourselves and one another at the very least.
What Personal Love Looks Like in Practice
A child of God does not watch from the sidelines while our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer, only to say “I’ll pray for you” without really meaning it or wanting to act on it.
If a sincere and earnest prayer is all we have, then that is all that we can give.
But too often, that is not the case.
Too often, self-identifying Christians will act nice and sweet around one another.
But when really needed, when really in trouble, hurting and suffering… the cold and disturbing reality is that those same supposed Christians who appeared to be “nice”, are nowhere to be found.
Because they don’t want to love.
They want to exploit and take advantage of Christ and Christianity, all for their or our own benefit.
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ — Matthew 25:41-45
This is precisely why Christ makes very clear, that those who exploit the self-sacrificial love of Christ, are not truly His children.
The Judas Syndrome: The Spirit of Exploitation and Opportunism
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” —Matthew 23:27
In the case of the self-proclaimed “very amateur” journalist, Christian Hacking, this is precisely what we found —which was frankly shocking and upsetting to us at Lighthouse Global.
To see how a seemingly supportive Christian brother, who appeared humble, softly spoken, kind and gentle, was the exact opposite; diabolical, predatory, self-righteous, psychopathic, wilfully ignorant and destructive.
If a so-called Christian could behave this way, what did that say about Christianity?
What is the Judas Syndrome?
- There are those parading as Christians who will not address their own stony, dark heart and repent. They want it to stay dark. And so they will pray with you, walk with you on your journey, even help you in your journey in Christ, but when it comes down to it, they’re not serving the same King you are. Their allegiance is to themselves and their own ambitions. Even if they don’t esteem to the greatest heights of the kingdom of darkness, you can guarantee that their own sense of self-importance and self-righteousness takes precedence in their heart, when all is said and done. And if that means throwing you or anyone else under the bus when the time comes, they’ll do it.
You can read our full article on the Judas Syndrome here.
This is exactly why we need to expose this Judas Syndrome, because millions of individuals are not only harming true brothers and sisters in Christ —they are actively giving Christianity a horrible false reputation that is in no way based on Christ.
One of the most pernicious forms of deception is vulnerability.
To a true Christian, vulnerability and suffering is a cause for grief. Indeed, Paul took a lot of pity on Mr Hacking as a supposed brother, who was struggling to support his family. So much so that Paul gave Mr Hacking over two hours of personal audio messages that ranged from prayers, to offers of support, and a vast amount of insights on articles about Lighthouse Mr Hacking claimed he was working on.
Someone who comes to exploit will never reveal themselves as such. They can prey on your generosity, kindness, compassion and care. They will treat it as weakness and use that very strength in your heart, to abuse you.
We have seen a very disturbing trend in Mr Hacking’s actions and his own articles, where he rather disturbingly, plays on the “victim identity” he has built. He wants people to take pity on him —even if he never overtly says that.
But rather than use your sympathy to grow, he and others like him will use it to feed off you —like a parasite.
To exploit you.
Mr Hacking came to us in the name of Christ, as a journalist.
But we were merely a sensationalist story to him.
We were an opportunity.
A “thing” in his eyes, to leapfrog over, for his career.
Perhaps this is why he takes advice and encouragement from low grade BBC journalists —we already know that he and his father Lord David Hacking, literally praise the BBC.
This is not the behaviour of someone in the spirit of Jesus Christ.
This is not the mark of someone who has a personal, loving relationship with God, who loves others too.
A Simple Discernment Framework (spirit vs exploitation)
When someone claims Christ but relates to Christians in a fundamentally different spirit, the contrast often shows up very plainly:
- Personal love moves toward sacrificial care, truth, and a willingness to suffer with others.
- Exploitation moves toward extracting value (status, “scoops”, leverage, money, influence) while remaining cold to real human suffering.
One spirit treats people as sacred souls that you’re willing to suffer, even die for.
The other treats people as things to feed on. Food for a parasite.
Exploitation can come in many ways, not just a very amateur journalist who uses you for their story…
- The possessive parent who wants to keep you under their control
- The jealous, insecure sibling who never wants you to outshine them
- The insecure spouse who wants you to live in their small world
- The friend who uses you to feel good about themselves
In any instance, what you’ll find missing is the deep, growing spirit of self-sacrificial love. What may appear personal and loving to you, is actually them using you for any number of reasons to feed their sense of self.
Tragically, that lack of love is always there because of the lack of constructive, agape, self-sacrificial love in our own families. Where we were not loved, mentored, coached, counselled and developed in the Spirit of God.
We have experienced this and known this first hand in ourselves at Lighthouse. To face the terrifying darkness that lies deep in our souls and in our families is only possible, through the Spirit of God.
Mr Hacking himself has made clear he did not come from an abundantly loving home —and we pray that he is able to face the bitterly painful truth of himself and his family in repentance and contrition. We would love nothing more than for him to heal and thrive in the Spirit of God.
Why Many Christians Do Not Recognise The Spirit of Exploitation
“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.” —Matthew 13:25
A Christian… a true godly Christian in the Spirit of Christ is almost a completely different human to others. They are increasingly governed by and abide in the literal Spirit of God. Whereas this world has indoctrinated and programmed the majority of human beings to be led and deceived by the spirit of Satan.
Many of us want to be able to trust and rely on those who call themselves brothers and sisters.
Yet many do not know how deceptive Satan is, nor how much he has poisoned this entire world with his propaganda, belief systems and indoctrination.
The Bible literally tells us that Satan has planted “tares”, i.e. false Christians, among the “wheat” (God’s elect).
A natural and instinctive reaction for one Christian to meet another, would be of joy, love, and belief that a person who claims Christ, is a brother or sister in the Lord —that very different kind of human being.
Yet many are so naïve and infantile in their view of the world around them, that they do not question their own perceptions and experiences.
So when we do meet someone who called themselves a Christian, but does not live in God’s Spirit, or when the warning signs do appear, it can be very tempting to overlook them.
We may neurotically doubt ourselves and tell ourselves that we should examine the plank in our own eye before judging someone else.
And we may tell ourselves to be forgiving and loving, instead of suspicious.
So we ignore more warning signs.
And we ignore yet more warning signs.
And then the betrayal shocks us out of our stupor, fast into reality.
We become a victim of the Judas Syndrome.
“But aren’t we called not to judge?”
We are absolutely called to humility, repentance, forgiveness, and love.
But we are not called to childish naivety.
Discernment is not hatred.
Wisdom is not malice.
When someone repeatedly demonstrates a spirit that is psychopathic and cold to suffering, hungry for exploitation, and indifferent to truth, love does not require us to pretend it is Christlike. It requires us to directly expose it and call it out for the satanic spirit that it is.
The Urgent Call for Love and Wisdom
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” — Gospel of Matthew 10:16
This is exactly why we have written this article and many others as part of this series in our investigation and case study of Christian Hacking.
We as a Body must realise that there are false pretenders aplenty hiding among us.
There are literally millions globally.
As we have said before, conservatively speaking, at least 1 in 12 self-identified Christians may even be deceiving themselves as well as others.
This is not a call to be paranoid and reclusive.
It is a call to build an even stronger personal relationship with our Lord Jesus and yearn to be grown and transformed by Him; to be incredibly wise and unshakeable in our relationship with Him.
It is a call to ensure that those Christians we choose to have in our lives, are likewise, brothers and sisters who are also growing their personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
That does not mean we are all perfectly loving —far from it.
The Holy Spirit sanctifies us from our deeply fallen human nature.
Every single human being, Christian or not, will make mistakes, sometimes horrible mistakes.
Individuals like Christian Hacking would pounce on those mistakes to judge, accuse, blame and exploit.
Just as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day did.
We are called to build one another up.
To suffer with each other through harder times.
To bear each others’ burdens and be there in times of need.
And where we ourselves get things wrong, that is where we must repent, make our wrongs as right as we possibly can, and use those mistakes or wrongdoings to serve more, not less.
Addressing Christian Hacking’s Unrepentant Heart
Only God knows Christian Hacking’s heart, and why this person has committed such outrageous acts in the name of Christ.
One possibility, which we earnestly hope and pray to be, is that Mr Hacking is being admonished and taught by God to grow up and out of his childish, infantile and toxic ways, to become a man of God.
A second possibility is that Mr Hacking is indeed a Judas —whether he knows it or not.
While we sincerely pray either way for him to change and come to Christ in full repentance, we cannot determine his choices or his heart.
Given the critical importance of these lessons however, it is imperative that we at Lighthouse use these experiences to teach our brothers and sisters in Christ.
This article is an overview of what spirit we must abide in, and what spirit we must watch out for.
In our next article, we will provide specific issues of how Christian Hacking has violated:
- Jesus Christ
- The Body of Christ
- The Lighthouse Global Christian community
Mr Hacking has paraded as a Christian activist and a “servant of Christ” as he states.
So before we dive into the details of how he has violated and exploited Lighthouse, first, there are major areas of concern and responsibility he has to our Lord and the wider Body of Christ.
We are doing this firstly, because Mr Hacking has shown zero signs of repentance, remorse or righting his wrongs, despite numerous personal and heartfelt appeals to him for nearly three weeks at the time of writing this.
We are also doing this because we believe that the Body of Christ needs real, personal examples of the Judas Syndrome.
The Bible is filled with hundreds of factual accounts of real human beings, who have been violated, exploited and abused by people they trusted the most. From Abraham to Christ Himself.
If we had lived through those same experiences ourselves, we would take them far more seriously as God intends for us to.
If we were there when Jacob was betrayed by his uncle.
If we were there when Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers.
If we were there with Peter over the fire when he denied any knowledge of Jesus.
These are all real, where real pain has been caused, real damage has been done, real people have been hurt.
Yet tragically, as part of Satan’s indoctrination, we caricaturise the Word of God. We turn the real-life accounts into “stories” from the ancient world, that we no longer relate to.
Hence, we are sharing our own lived experiences so our brothers and sisters in Christ can learn from these real life experiences.
And if you yourself need any support with the Judas Syndrome – whether as a victim or a perpetrator who wants to repent, please get in touch at [email protected].
Related articles:
Open Letter Part II to Amateur Journalist Christian Hacking — False Allegiance to Christ or the Establishment? 
The Urgent Call for Christian Advocacy – by Lighthouse Global Media 
The Investigation & Case Study of Amateur Journalist Christian Hacking Part I: The Lack of Christian Brotherly Love 
5th May, 2026 – Lighthouse Tuesday Update – When Christians Scapegoat The Devil — And Each Other
This was painful to read and experience. I’m very thankful for this process though. As you say, this is real, with real people and real issues. Thank you for the great lengths you are going to, to provide this education on the Judas Syndrome through the case of Mr Hacking. I’m praying for his repentance and his relationship with the Lord Jesus to change radically. For my own heart, discernment and wisdom to grow in line with these lessons. Thank you all for this.
Thank you to everyone who has gone through the often painful process of looking within themselves in order to better recognise these syndromes in others. We continue to pray for Christian Hacking and his family, asking that they would turn to the Lord in repentance and come to know and love the truth, as we are also seeking to do in our own lives.
This is a power article and once again shows the need for such conversations to be had amongst the Body of Christ. Discernment and wisdom is needed and you are showing us that just because somebody calls themselves a Christian doesn’t necessarily mean they are. Ultimately only God and Christ know what is in someone’s heart. Nevertheless there are key indicators that you are showing. I pray for Christian Hacking 🙏
This is a deeply concerning read. Yet it is an incredibly important one, a warning for our brothers and sisters. Whilst Christian Hacking is presented here as the example, there are likely millions of those like Christian Hacking who seek to exploit those in the Body of Christ rather than build them up. The worst thing about the situation with Christian Hacking, and others like him, is the willingness to betray and the lack of conscience to see what impact their actions have on others.
I pray that Christian Hacking’s family is willing and able to help Christian Hacking before he breaks himself against more of God’s laws and principles. Similarly I pray for the Body of Christ to have the discernment required to separate the wheat from the chaff.
The scripture from Matthew 25 says so much about how Christ views us and what He’s truly looking for from us and what will naturally separate those who enter into His presence and those who are cast out from it. I know we can all be diabolically selfish and neglect others, be indifferent and uncaring, but what is the general trend of our heart. Are we repenting and working towards living as His good and faithful servants, who are caring for and loving and supporting one another? Or are we wearing the idea of that on the outside, like a cloak, and trying to appear that way as much as we can, but inside living as those ‘accursed ones’? The latter is pharisaical and it’s the same today as it was two thousand years ago. I hope many who read this will embrace it’s lessons.
This is truly devastating to read. I pray for Mr Hacking and his family. What a paramount and candid reminder that our relationship with Christ comes first, and that through every other relationship with others, we express that relationship with Him. Accountability is very painful but also deeply important when you’re ultimately fighting for someone’s soul and calling them to repent. If you’re going to err, err with Christ in repentance because we cannot afford to get that wrong.
It’s powerful to define this destructive behaviour as exploitative. When Christians are engaged in discourse and Christ is not welcomed in, or is not part of that interaction, something is fundamentally wrong there. At the very least, that should be recognised.
What Christian Hacking was doing was far more heinous, selling Christians out for 30 pieces of silver by leveraging his so called faith to progress and make profit. He is selling out Jesus Christ in the name of walking with Him. People need to be made aware of this.
Thank you so much for this article. It has been quite emotional to read because of the powerful message that you want to get out to us, your brothers and sisters in Christ. The Judas Syndrome is such a critical syndrome for the Body to understand, because of the wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing that are penetrating the Body to divert Christians from the righteous path to the narrow gate. God bless you and all of us…Amen
This is such a crucial read. Thank you for the lessons shared here and for helping me understand the Judas Syndrome through the example of Christian Hacking. It shows the need for greater self awareness, to recognise those darker tendencies within ourselves, but also to exercise discernment with others and avoid placing trust in people whose hearts reflect the spirit of Judas and who attack others for personal gain.
This requires wisdom, humility and discernment. I pray that Christian Hacking comes to recognise his wrongdoing, truly repents, and comes to understand what it genuinely means to be a Christian.
Thank you for this critical reality check for we are as believers called in Corinthians 13:5 to: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves”. It is not easy at all to look at our hearts and seek out the syndromes and toxicity that lay within and address it but we must to look more like Christ. I thank God for His grace that we’re able to do so.
We continue to pray that Christian Hacking will do so as we continue to reveal what he has so far been unwilling to do so far.
This is a crucial set of articles regarding Mr Hacking, to learn about what true Christianity involves and what deception looks like. I agree it is not wrong or evil to judge clearly based on evidence and to be on guard for actions that indicate an attack or an intention to harm. After all, if someone came at you with a knife, no one would criticise you for ‘judging the assailant to be a threat’ and taking any action to defend yourself and others.
It is clear that there are many ‘tares’ among the wheat and I need to ensure that I am following Christ as best I can to not for foul of Satans ways.
One thing I also note is the use of the word ‘Story / Stories’ in the media. It has always annoyed me that this is what is used to describe an actual event in someone’s life, which is why I believe ‘report’ and ‘reporter’ ought to be the norm.
Ironically, ‘Story’ is more accurate, given the media makes up 80% to 90% of what they broadcast.
It is crucial to learn how to repent and build a relationship with Christ.
If this can not be done with God, then any meaningful relationship between oneself and another fallen human being is doomed before it even begins.
I pray the Mr Hacking can repent, say sorry and make his wrongs right, as this is a crucial ability for us all.