Carl Lentz says interview with Vice News about politics and Trump was 'heavily edited'

Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz has lamented that his interview aired by HBO's Vice News earlier this month left out a significant part of the conversation and was not presented honestly.

In his recent interview with Vice News, Lentz appeared to suggest that he had some interaction with the administration of President Donald Trump.

When asked about whether he would influence politics in the U.S. if possible, he replied: "I've done some White House stuff on the sly. I've been in rooms with people who make big decisions."

The 39-year-old pastor, however, had expressed frustration in the way the interview was presented, saying the point that he wanted to make was taken out completely by Vice.

Speaking to World Religion News (WRN) in an interview published on Monday, Lentz stressed that his point was that it was part of his duty to pray for America's leaders.

"Whether I agree or disagree I am going to pray for them passionately. That is my job as a Christian and then it devolved into 'has he done anything' and I told them lightly 'I have been in some rooms' I may be referring to the Prayer Breakfast or whatever in D.C. The conversational tone was so different and it was heavily edited," he said.

Lentz has been conducting a number of interviews as part of the promotion of his new book titled "Own the Moment."

The pastor had previously drawn criticism for not giving a clear answer when he was asked about his views on abortion.

During his appearance on ABC's daytime talk show "The View," Lentz appeared to say that people have to live with their own convictions when it comes to abortion, adding that he did not classify the issue as an "open and shut case."

Lentz later clarified that he believes abortion is sinful, and he expressed hope that people would continue to help those who have made decisions to terminate their pregnancy rather than "cast further shame and guilt" on them.

In his interview with WRN, The megachurch pastor indicated that he would be more straightforward when he gets a chance to speak with political leaders.

"I would go for much unadulterated, black and white truth as I have to muster because of the urgency and the weight of that moment. You never know how many shots you're going to get like that," Lentz said.

Lentz has been known to work closely with celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Hailey Baldwin.

When asked by Vice News about whether Bieber's ties with Hillsong are comparable to actor Tom Cruise's advocacy for Scientology, the megachurch pastor replied, "No, it's apples and oranges."

He contended that Scientology attempts to indoctrinate people and make them into its spokespeople, which he says Hillsong does not do. He further noted that Bieber has never appeared on stage at the church.