Public Relations Review 49 (2023) 102282 Available online 5 January 2023 0363-8111/Published by Elsevier Inc. Beyond reputational and fnancial damage: Examining emotional and religious harm in a post-crisis case study of Hillsong Church Jordan Morehouse a, * , Laura L. Lemon b a Clemson University, Department of Communication, 108 Strode Tower, 121 Delta Epsilon Ct Clemson, SC 29634, USA b University of Alabama, Department of Advertising and Public Relations, 412 Reese Phifer Hall, 901 University Blvd Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, USA A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Crisis communication Religious organizations Situational crisis communication theory Discourse of renewal Moral crisis ABSTRACT Religious organizations have largely been overlooked in public relations scholarship, particularly in the crisis communication literature. Additionally, research in crisis communication primarily focuses on the reputational, material, and fnancial damage caused by crises. This study addresses theoretical and topical gaps in public relations scholarship by advancing Spaulding’s (2018) emotional and religious harm categories for moral crises within religious organizations. Results of a qualitative case study of Hillsong Church’s Carl Lentz crisis suggest an emotional harm continuum exists for moral crises, and religious harm emerges as distancing as a religious protective measure. Findings advance crisis communication theory regarding the use of religious and renewal rhetoric and types of harm inficted from crises, and assists practitioners in crafting post-crisis messages that prioritize stakeholder healing and the organization’s recovery. This research did not receive any specifc grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-proft sectors. Crises have dominated news headlines, media reports, and social media posts over the past decade. Stories of corporations swindling innocent customers, natural disasters wreaking havoc on local commu- nities, and products accidentally harming the users they intended to help have been shared widely through formal media channels and within informal conversations between friends and family members. One such variety of crisis that has captured the media’s attention includes crises that involve religious organizations, including churches, temples, syn- agogues, and mosques. In-depth expos´ e ’s on religious leaders sexually assaulting minors, stealing money from pious parishioners, and cheating on their spouses with sex workers have been featured on credible news channels and gossip sites (Dixon, 2004; Legg, 2009; Morehouse, 2020; Spaulding, 2018). Yet, while the rate at which news reports on crises within religious organizations has increased, scholarly attention given to this crisis genre has not seen much development (Barth, 2010; Boys, 2009; Courtright & Hearit, 2002; Dixon, 2004; Maier & Crist, 2017; Morehouse, 2020; Morehouse & Austin, 2022; Swanson, 2012). This disparity is prob- lematic. Crises within religious organizations have the potential to impact core identities within stakeholders, including their religious identity, and have consequences for stakeholders beyond fnancial, reputational, and material harm, which is predominately assessed in crisis communication scholarship (Spaulding, 2018). As a result of these factors, crises within religious organizations are unique from crises in other types of organizations, including for-proft, government, and non-faith-based non-proft organizations, and have the potential to further theorizing in the crisis communication and public relations literature. This study addresses theoretical and topical gaps in public relations and crisis communication scholarship by advancing Spaulding’s (2018) emotional and religious harm categories for religious crises. Specifcally, this study examines the ability for a crisis to cause religious and emotional harm to stakeholders, both of which are forms of damage that have been overlooked in the crisis communication scholarship. To do this, we conducted a qualitative case study of Hillsong Church’s crisis with Carl Lentz, a megachurch pastor accused of sexual assault, harassment, extramarital affairs, and unethical treatment of employees. Data included controlled content from the religious organization’s post-crisis communication efforts, news media concerning the crisis, and stakeholders’ responses to the crisis. Hillsong Church is a Protestant global megachurch with locations in 23 countries. Before reviewing specifcs of the crisis and case, the literature review will discuss major trends in crisis communication scholarship, followed by gaps in the literature concerning religious crises. Next, the study will * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: jlmoreh@clemson.edu (J. Morehouse), lemon@apr.ua.edu (L.L. Lemon). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Public Relations Review journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/pubrev https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2022.102282 Received 12 November 2021; Received in revised form 18 December 2022; Accepted 21 December 2022