. you're in the "cnn newsroom." i'm poppy harlow, in for guy good friend don lemon. ahead this hour -- ♪

the music, the crowds, dancing, this looks like a rock concert, right? it's not. this is church. in the middle of new york city, behind what is driving the success of this megachurch. but first -- >> this is cnn breaking news. we have two big breaking news stories that we want to tell you about tonight. following one here in the united states, one overseas. let's begin in las vegas, where five people are dead, including two police officers following a tragic shooting. police say two officers were killed when a gunman -- when gunmen opened fire on them while eating lunch in a restaurant. witnesses say the suspects said, quote, this is a revolution, as they opened fire the gunmen crossed the street and shot and killed a third person at the entrance to a walmart. police say two suspects then went inside that store and killed themselves. there's a news conference about to get under way from the las vegas police department.

we are of course monitoring it. we'll bring you all of the details as soon as we have them. also watching breaking news unfolding overnight overseas, some members of the military at the airport are dead, some of the attackers are as well. this is karachi, the biggest city in pakistan, several groups of armed militants stormed the airport a few hours ago, shooting and throwing grenades. this is a 24-hour airport. of course, passengers inside, even late at night when this happened airplanes parked around the terminals, on the tarmac. still before down in karachi. we'll know more details after daybreak. this is still unfolding. but our dr. sanjay gupta is there not far from the airport. he's been following this for us. you told us earlier that you heard at least one very large explosion? >> reporter: yeah, right. it's about 4 1/2 hours now, this has been going on, the most recent explosion there. we know was a suicide bomber,

the most recent militant killed, at least six militants killed. details, again, of the whole well-orchestrated attack are pretty extraordinary. in this situation, the suicide bomber was there, armored vehicle was approaching and he went ahead and self-detonated, killing himself. we understand no one in the armored vehicle was injured or killed. but that is sort of a little bit of the nature of how things have been going. at 11:30 sunday night is when militants tried to enter sort of a cargo private part of the airport. they were cutting through barbed wire over there. and that prompted a gunfight between those militants and commandos who patrol this 24-hour airport. four of the commandos were killed at that time. at least one of the militants. it's just ongoing gunfight. i don't know if you're seeing images from the airport but there are two large fires going now. we believe one of them is a

cargo international plane, a plane that was set ablaze in all of this as well. so, it's just -- it's fluid still, poppy. we know that this particular area is some distance away from the commercial part of the airport. but not surprising, the entire airport has been sealed shut and the passengers who were about to take off were brought back to the airport, dexlaened. airport planes going to land in karachi were diverted and now trying to rescue these passengers, get them out of the airport, and get them to some sort of safety. >> i'll see if -- there we go, images coming to us from local news there. you do see, as they zoom in you see smoke billowing and what does appear to be at least one object on fire. as sanjay reported, that's apparently a cargo plane. do we know if the situation is over in terms of securing the airport and you know if officials have been given the all-clear or is this a situation where this airport is under attack?

>> they have not given the official all-clear, poppy. but i think very much that the officers and the military groups have the upper hand now. what we heard is that there were anywhere from seven to ten militants around. we know at least six of them have been killed, could be more than that. but we also know there's been a very large show of force from the paramilitary, military folks, 150 officers over there in force, trying to secure the airport and search for any remaining militants. they've also been able to recover weapons. they've been able to recover weapons, grenades and unexploded suicide vests. starting to identify where the weapons came from. also being able to try to identify who terrorists are. we still don't know for sure exactly who they are, what prompted this or even if karachi airport was the intended target or trying to actually get through karachi airport and go somewhere else. so, that's still did that's

still an open question. >> so many questions. it would appear that they were able to enter in some fashion, you know, if this cargo plane inside the airport there, somewhere on the tarmac is on fire, what about the passengers? i know this was a bit away in more of the cargo area of the airport, not necessarily the commercial travel area, but what about passengers there? do we know about any possible passenger kagz waltz? still stuck, trapped inside the airport? >> reporter: yeah, it areas they are cordoned off in a departure lounge, how it's been described to me. we've tried to get detailed specifics about what exactly the threat was to the passengers and it appears they weren't in imminent danger. again, a separate area of the airport where the attacks seem to have taken place. so, there's a rescue operation still under way. they want to get passengers obviously out of the airport especially if they don't know the militants are still on the ground or if they all have been accounted for.

but at this time -- people out there worried about this, very busy airport that runs 24/7 -- but the passengers themselves don't appear to be in imminent threat and they're trying to get them out of there now. >> unfolding, fluid situation. appreciate the reporting overnight, all night from the ground there in karachi, sanjay. thank you. meantime we know why the controversial prisoner swap with the taliban for sergeant bowe bergdahl was done so quickly. a senior u.s. official tells cnn, after the u.s. cut a deal with the taliban, new intelligence emerged that, quote, other taliban elements might kill him. plus, emotional, new detail on bergdahl's recovery after five years of captivity. interesting to know, bergdahl now apparently wants to be called private first class, not sergeant, which is the standard promotion he was given while held as a prisoner of war. in an exxlclusive interview, secretary of state john kerry is defending the obama situation and the prisoner swap. five detainees were sent to

qatar. kerry spoke to elise labott. >> we're told that these five can roam around country, pretty vague on what those restrictions and monitoring are. i mean, tell me about that. and on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most confidence, how confident are you that qataris are able to keep a close eye on these guys? >> they're not only ones keeping an eye on them. >> the u.s. is monitoring them? >> i'm tell you, they're not the only one keeping an eye on them. we have confidence in those requirements. they're violated, then we have ability to be able to do things. i -- >> what kind of things? >> i'm not -- elise, i'm not telling you that they don't have some ability at some point to go back and get involved. but they also have an ability to get killed doing that. and i don't think anybody should doubt the capacity of the united states of america to protect americans. >> you mean you would kill them. >> no wouldn't should doubt the

capacity of america to protect americans and the president has always said he will do whatever is necessary in or to protect the united states of america. so these guys pick a fight with us in the future or now or at any time, enormous rick, we have proven what we're cape ofable o doing with al qaeda, the core al qaeda, in west pakistan, afghanistan. >> some people say bowe bergdahl is being swift boated. do you agree with that? did he serve with honor and distinction, as national security adviser rice said? >> elise, there's plenty of time for people to sort through what happened, what didn't happen. i don't know all of the facts. >> sounding like you're not sure he served with honor. >> that's not what i'm saying, elise. what i'm saying is, there's plenty of time for people to sort through that. what i know today is what the president of the united states knows, that it would have been offensive and income hence ibl to consciously leave an american

behind new york matter what, leave an american behind in the hands of people who tortured him, cut off his head, do any number of thing we would consciously choose to do that? that's the or side of the equation. i don't think anybody would think that is the appropriate thing to do. and you know, it seeps to me we have an ability, we know we have the ability, to be able to deal with people who want to threaten americans or threaten the united states, and if that's what they go back on their word to do, we have any number of avenues available to us to be able to deal with that. >> well, kerry's defense is getting backlash, even from a fellow democrat who chairs the senate intelligence committee. california senator feinstein slammed kerry's comments on cbs' "face the nation." i heard john kerry say, don't worry about them in doha, you can't help but worry about them

in doha. and we have no information on how the united states is actually going to see that they remain in doha, that they make no comments, that they do noa noagetati noagetation. >> also upset, senator chambliss. listen. >> this administration has acted very strangely about this, bob, and it's puzzling as to why they did not let us know in advance that this was going to happen. now they come back and because he is in decent health, considering where he's been, they've changed their story. they said, well, you know, we suspected his life may be in danger. >> well, chambliss is retiring soon but a republican who is not retiring any time soon, as we know of who mei lan. a bid for the white house, senator rand paul, has even more stinging criticism for the obama administration, tweeting, quote, mr. president, let's set up a new trait instead of five

taliban, let's trade five democrats! we know that bowe bergdahl spend nearly five years as a hostage of the taliban. our senior international correspondent nic robertson has stunning, new details on what it was like in captivity during those five years. >> reporter: after he was captured, he was kept in a house that wasn't terribly secure. he escaped almost on the run for three days, according to the source, the taliban knew the whole area and that's why he was recaptured. he was put in somewhere much more secure. however, this taliban source said that he wasn't put in a cage but he did -- he was in a position where he wasn't able to escape again, over a period of time he learned the local language. but he didn't convert to islam. that also was told us by this source. he said that bergdahl wanted to be able to celebrate easter and christmas, he was allowed to do that, given reading material, some of it islamic reading material but given to him, he

was able to get exercise, playing soccer with the taliban at one stage. but also complained about his food, according to the source, bergdahl was getting a lot of lamb, complained about the smell, asked for vegetables and fruit which he was given, allowed once a week, and vegetable and fruit more often. some of his diet needs, according to the source, were taken care of. >> nic from his taliban source, reporting from doha. also, coming up next, what we're learning today about bowe bergdahl's medical condition and his likely recovery following his years in captivity. we'll have that. also later -- facebook, may be listening to you, really, listening through the microphone on your phone. is it happening to you? do you want it to? hear what it's all about, next.

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when we arrived at our hotel in new york, the porter was so incredibly careful careless with our bags. and the room they gave us, it was beautiful. a broom closet. but the best part, / worst part, was the shower. my wife drying herself with the egyptian cotton towels, shower curtain defined that whole vacation for her. don't just visit new york. visit tripadvisor new york. with millions of reviews, a visit to tripadvisor makes any destination better.

bowe bergdahl has been a free man for more than a work now, and as for his physical condition today, we're getting nothing directly from the military hospital that is treating him in germany. they haven't released a bergdahl update in several days. "the new york times" did get information from a source they call, quote, senior defense department official. karl penhaul is in germany with that. >> reporter: even getting the medical details here on the ground has become very tricky because of the political firestorm around this case. the medics here at landstuhl haven't issued any update about bergdahl's health status since before the weekend and citing a patient privacy for this. and then this morning, when they saw the details coming out in the "new york times" their first reaction, maybe the senior pentagon official that talked to

"the new york times" may be he's violated patient privacy laws giving out these details. as far as the med nikz landstuhl are concerned bergdahl remains stable, condition is improving and he's taking a greater interest in the health care program that's being set out for him. but what we know from "the new york times," is that really bergdahl is showing no signs of serious physical problems. he has a gum problem and a skin problem, poor neutral, and the extreme weather conditions exposed to. "the new york times" says he weighs 160 pounds, for a guy 5'9" is a pretty good weight, no sign he's emaciated there. >> how likely is it in terms of how is the process likely going to look in terms of recovery, physically, emotionally, mental recovery? i want to bring in terry lyles, combat stress coach and

apsychologist. >> you're welcome. >> when you look at this, you were saying something earlier this week that stood out, though he will come home not missing a limb you have to look at it and look beyond that not being gone because so much of him has been taken, the emotional trauma, mental trauma. talk to us about that. so many people, it may look like the bowe bergdahl they knew. >> that's the classic way i try to describe posttraumatic stress issues. most is psychological, it's not physical, you can see. when people come back with emotional scars you don't see the scars and you have to read through that. he's been through five years of trauma, regardless of what happened, how it went down. but he's going to have a new awaken and a different trauma, get back to his family, because it's a different scenario that he's been used to and there's an acclamation time, debriefing

time, and it takes a period of time. eneveryone is different. >> in terms of that reuniting with family, that's not the first step. this is what officials call the third step in the long process. but a lot of times when someone who has been in a terrifying scenario like this, they can only reunite with their family for a moment of minutes, that's overwhelming. >> well, you have to look at it like exposure overload, you know? he's going through a step down process to make sure medically he's okay, nutritionally, psychological he's okay. nothing like seeing a family member or something familiar to him from five years past, eight years past, whatever it was total. that will bring on a whole set of emotions, a different set of reaction. you've got take that in baby steps. that it several can be very, very overwhelming and actually put him back into a bad

situation that he doesn't want to go to and medical people doesn't want him to go to either. >> we've been told by a senior u.s. official, indeed, he is in well enough health he could talk to his family on the phone from the hospital in germany. they could go there to meet with him in person, as far as we know, that hasn't happened yet. he hasn't talked to them on the phone, hasn't seen them there. does that surprise you, or is this going to be a matter of weeks before he's potentially ready to be reunited with family, maybe not until back here in the united states? >> well, first of all, it doesn't surprise me because everyone -- as everyone grieves differently, everyone transitions differently, and it's not uncommon. i do a lot of this, hear a lot of stories and help individuals acclimate back to society. you've got to meet them where they are. and you know, about he's not willing to reach out yet or has been advised -- we don't know that, he may have been advised not to reach out yet. regard office the situation, you've got to take it slowly.

whether it's a phone conversation or a brief, you know, in person meeting with family, everyone's going to have to weigh in on that, make sure it's the safest thing for him and his recovery process that's going to take him the rest of his life. >> we appreciate the expertise. no one knows. he's the only one that has the answer s but you've been around people in this situation before and seen what it's like to go through it. appreciate it, thanks for coming in for us, terry. california chrome, that horse's image may be tarnished, not because of disappointing fourth place finish but because of his owner's critical words after the race about other hoarseness the race. you're going to hear what he said. we'll talk about that, next. but when she saw the room... you turned into a weird "7". when she saw the roof-top pool... you went to: "11" ♪ you two should probably get a room... oh that's right!

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california chrome finished in fourth place at the belmont stakes yesterday, ending his triple crown hopes and one of his owners is blaming the sport itself. richard roth says he's sticking to his guns. >> reporter: steve coburn, co-owner of california chrome, was in a good mood moments of about the belmont stakes, waving his cowboy hat to the fans but minutes later he refused to wave the surrender flag after california chrome finished fourth missing out on the triple crown. the factory worker blasted other owners of horses who did not run in the first two legs of the triple crown, the kentucky derby and preakness, leaving them rested for the belmont to take down california chrome. >> this is a coward 's way out in my opinion. >> reporter: critics called the comments sour grapes he didn't

back down sunday morning. these people, they nominate their horses for the triple crown which means three, triple, three, and hold out two and come back and run one. that's me, at 6'2" playing basketball with a kid in a wheelchair the. >> reporter: triple crown has been won only 11 times and the test of endurance is why it's horse racing's greatest achievement. the 77-year-old was more generous in defeat. >> people aren't cowards. i think it was a little out of text myself, but, hey, he was at heat of the moment, you know what i mean? don't forget, he's a fairly new owner. you know what i mean? sometimes your emotions get in front of you. >> reporter: coburn went to the barn to check on california chrome who has an ailing hoof. the owner still sounded in pain. >> and if there's ever a chance

that we have another horse that has earned his way to the kentucky derby, we'll run in kentucky and then the hell with rest of them. >> reporter: calf california chrome is off to california, his owner will follow but not singing "new york, new york" on takeoff. richard roth, cnn, new york. >> and on another sports note, rafael nadal has reached a huge career milestone. nadal won this year's french open, giving him his ninth french title and fifth in a row. he defeated djokovic in four sets. nadal's 14th title tying him with pete sampras. only roger federer has more with 17. newest on the condition of tracy morgan following the deadly highway crash that killed his friend and left him along with two others in critical condition.

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a criminal investigation is under way into a crash that killed one man and critically injured comedian tracy morgan along with two others. we're now learning that morgan has a broken leg, a broken femur, broken nose, ribs and told that he's been more

responsive today and takes a good sign. police a say walmart truck driver has turned himself in in relation to the crash. he's been released on bail. >> i'm tracy morgan. >> do you have anything on your person that says that? >> how about my face, that's on my person? >> reporter: actor/comedian tracy morgan and two others in critical condition, his friend james mcnair, the comedian known as jimmy mac, killed after their mercedes limbo bus flip oevds on the new jersey turnpike. >> a definite hit. devastated. james, i love you. >> great comedian, writer, but very giving. >> reporter: a walmart truck driver faces serious charges for causing the six-vehicle wreck, one count of death by auto, four counts of assault by auto. new jersey state police say kevin roper, a 335-year-old failed to see traffic slowing down but slammed into the limo

bus around 1:00 saturday morning. >> two tractor-trailers involved, comedian/actor tracy morgan was involved, he is in intensive care. >> reporter: the national transportation safety board is also investigating the accident. their focus on commercial limousine and commercial trucking safety. walmart president bill simons says the company's profoundly sorry, if it's determined that our truck caused the accident, walmart will take full responsibility. we will do what's right for the familiar life the victim and the survivors in the days and weeks ahead. "saturday night live." >> reporter: morgan came to fame on "saturday night live," later starring with tina fey in "30 rock." >> i can't breathe, ms. lemon. >> reporter: before the accident saturday night performing at a casino in dover, delaware, the pictures of morgan and the packed house posted on facebook by fellow comedian, his opening

act. a final picture shows their limo bus before both men boarded. alexandra fields, new york. >> thoughts go out to all of them in the tragic situation. we'll keep you posted. quebec city, canada, now a massive manhunt is under way following the brazen jail break. police say three prisoners escaped from a detention center after a helicopter touched down briefly in the courtyard of the jail. this is the second time in just over a year that inmates in canada have used a helicopter to make a daring getaway. sounds like right out of a movie. talk about facebook. facebook's newest feature has some users saying, what? you can do that? the feature lets facebook turn on your smartphone's microphone and listen to what's going on around you, music, television, movies, conversation. you do have to opt in, this isn't just going to happen, so don't freak out. 500,000 people are protesting,

saying not me. let's talk about this with tech expert and analyst, bret larson with me here in new york. i want your reading on this. a scale of helpful to creepy, where does it fall? >> closer to creepy than helpful, if my opinion. it's a little odd. i think it's a use of technology taken too far. it's -- it's similar in concept to an app like shazam, which people have used, at the club, at the gym, hear a song, tap it. >> it's helpful. >> similar to that in that it's listening to what's going on around you to see what music you're listening to, what tv shows, movies. but facebook claims it's noon mussily collecting data. but you'll see that data show up in your news feed. listening to the new track from justin timberlake, it's going to say maybe suggest, hey, why don't you buy the album? is it going to tell people what you're doing? i don't know people know the doryy music. >> that's the embarrassing part

when robin out to '80s pandora channel. really, the '80s channel? that is an overshare. privacy wise, claiming this is again collected anonymously, it's not kept anywhere. but you know, facebook has had issues with privacy over their life of their short life span. i don't know how much we should put faith in that. >> whether it's facebook or competitors is all new territory, it's all experimenting as we go. but i wonder how much from a business perspective you think that this is important month terrell to facebook, is it a game changer? ultimately this comes down to data, the more data you have, the better you're going to be at targeting ads. >> surprisingly, facebook has a lot of data about us. thousands and thousands of data points about us. know who our friends are, where we go on vacationer where we live. this adds another layer and it's telling them a lot. it's monetizable. they haven't had a good success at monetizing all of this but

it's more information about us than they have now. >> switch gears and talk about netflixes, orange is the new black, love that show. >> yes. >> big one for netflix. >> lot of binge watching. >> you're saying more people are seeing red. >> yeah, more people are seeing red, no pun intended with verizon. verizon network crowded. netflix saying verizon is doing this on purpose because they need to upgrade their network. verizon on the other hand -- >> big issue with that. >> yeah. verizon saying this has nothing to do with us. this has to do with you. netflix has been -- >> do we know? >> we don't know whose side is going to be correct on this one. i would actually have to side with saying it's -- verizon has a robust network depending where you're accessing it. doing it over fios, that's fiber-optic, not to debt dorky. >> you already got there. >> but netflix is running into a lot of problems because there are video streaming service,

video streaming is big, big data. >> huge. >> they did that deal with comcast to sort of say, fine, we'll given you extra money, give us a priority. this could be another situation. >> no one likes to see that. >> no one wants to see that when binge watching their shows. >> thank you for coming in, i appreciate it. coming up next, this -- ♪ >> music, crowds, dancing. look look a rock concert, right? totally does. it's not. church. [ male announcer ] if you're taking multiple medications,

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we want to update you on the deadly shooting in las vegas. we now know the names of the two police officers who were ambushed and killed while they were eating lunch earlier today. they have been identified as 42-year-old alyn beck and 32-year-old igor soldo, the gunmen said, quote, this is a revolution, as they started shooting, police say after the two gunmen left the restaurant, they walked across the street to a walmart and killed a third person before killing themselves. our heart goes out to them and their family. we're told two of them both have young families. meantime, i want you to listen to this next story because it's pretty interesting.

we're pretty convinced that you have never met a pastor like this or seen a story quite like this about church. you might think it's a rock concert, but not exactly. ♪ >> reporter: the music the lights, the crowds. it looks like a rock concert. and the lines around the block are enough to make any nightclub envious. but this, this is church. and some new yorkers can't seem to get enough of their unlikely pastor, carl lentz. >> i will not say though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i take a look at my life, i realize it's sudden death. >> reporter: with the leather jacket and body ink, karl looks more like a rock star than the head of a pentecostal church. >> the lord is my shepherd and i lack nothing.

on three, one, two, three. >> reporter: this 35-year-old basketball fanatic, a walk-on at nc state, calling himself the unofficial chaplain for the new york knicks, is a pastor. the lead pastor of a church, hill song nyc. >> you ran from church your whole life you didn't like the organization, we meet in a club and not going to sing the songs you're used to and preach a message you think you'll hear. >> you take issue when people call this religion. >> i do. you can be religious about being a car thief. you can be religious, criminal. but we have a relationship with god. i will dwell in the house of the lord forever. come on, somebody. that is worth a pentecostal shoutdown. >> reporter: this is the american branch of the australian branch megachurch hill song boasting 75,000 members in 12 countries. lentz and wife laura started hill song nyc three years ago

after meeting at a bible college in sydney. >> i got on my proverbial knees and said, jesus, i need to give this a shot with you in charge. >> we tried to create a place that is safe to people, like a home for people. ♪ it's not for everyone. that's okay. that's the great diversity and the beauty of the house of god, the church. ♪ >> on an average sunday, some 6,000 followers pour in over the day's five services. >> you just leave, like, filled with the holy spirit. >> you don't feel judged at all when you walk in. >> when i came here, i found what i was looking for. i found god. >> reporter: found god? >> simple and plain. his presence here is phenomenal. >> reporter: the church baptisms carried out here in a time square hotel swimming pool.

>> i feel amazing. i feel new. >> this narrow gate to jesus, some people are rolling right by it. >> reporter: watch lentz preach and see his veins pop out of his neck. his intensity silences the entire congregation. >> jesus is here. >> reporter: whether or not you agree with his message, there's no denying lentz is magnetic. >> you cannot find hope. this has to be your moment to let me say let me try the chief shepherd that never failed anybody. let me give the creator a shot at my life. >> reporter: is carl the next ryan houston, the next joel 0steen? >> could well be. could well be. >> but while they're complaining, moses is already praising. >> reporter: brian houston founded hillsong 30 years ago in australia with his wife bobbie. are you concerned that people are coming for them more than for the message? >> not really. we have seen the same response all over the world. people lining up for church in london, capetown, stockholm and paris.

carl, of course, attractive, magnetic guy. the tattoos are a problem. big picture -- >> reporter: you don't like the tattoos? >> they're okay. they're okay. >> they're stickers. like i say. they're great. thanks, bobby, for bringing that up. >> walk down this runway. bucket list. >> reporter: he seems to revel in the spotlight. but lentz would prefer you focus on his preaching rather than his wardrobe. he says he's been blocked from visiting inmates because prison staff thought he looked more like a criminal than a cleric. >> it's so funny when people make comments about the way we look, almost like it's -- they don't mean to be judgmental but it's like i say what should we look like? you're implying there's an outfit to wear to bring peace to you. the whole point of our faith to come exactly as you are. jesus loves you. he died and rose again so you could have life. >> you have to admit that the way you dress, the tattoos, the way you look -- >> that's the point. >> -- gets people talking and is

that a bad thing? >> no. you wonder why you're calling a hipster church. >> i'm not a hipster. you don't even know. hipsters -- >> do you own a mirror? >> no. first of all, let me explain what a hipster is someone that lives in williamsburg brooklyn. >> yeah. >> who has a much better beard. >> where do you live? williamsburg, brooklyn. >> reporter: while hillsong draws crowds it also draws skeptics. >> any time a church gets people in the door it's a good thing but the problem and the questions i have is, if we're getting them in under the guise of a cool experience or a cool club type experience, is that going to sustain them? >> reporter: brett mccracken is author of "hipster christianity: when church and cool collide." >> whenever a pastor or a celebrity pastor becomes the draw, it's a distraction from gentlemen sus and that should be the draw. >> your bible works midweek. >> i don't know that the big lights and sound and music and style of a church is going to

transform a young person's life in the long run. >> reporter: some might say it's christianity light. is that fair? >> i don't know what they mean by that. when your bank account says zero, we have jesus. we're going to be all right. no fear. >> i've heard the other critical bit, if you have a lot of people coming you must be doing something wrong, which is the weirdest concept in history. wherever jesus went, there were absolute throngs of people trying to get to him. >> reporter: and throngs of people try just to get into hillsong. >> our goal is not to turn some cultish thinking into new york city like when you come to our church, we're going to change you. that's an arrogant premise. >> reporter: have people said that to you, this is cultish? >> for sure. yeah. even though it's the most preposterouse allegation in history. a cult is if you think any

different than me, you're gone. that's a cult. we preach the opposite. you should go home and question what i preach. you should look it up in your own bible. >> reporter: but getting american youth to read a bible is difficult. a 2012 study found one third of american adults under 30 have no religious affiliation. a big jump from past generations. >> sometimes people say your church is filled with young people. i say no, it's not, we just actually have some. >> reporter: are you criticizing the traditional typical what we picture as church? >> i'm not criticizing it. i'm just calling it what it is. >> christianity should be about unbridled, contagious joy but religion has hijacked the fundamental ingredient of our faith. >> hillsong nyc is attracting big-time crowds and also attracting big name celebrities. that means millions of dollars in the process. that's after a quick break. you know that dream...

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before the break we introduced you to a pastor who is challenging every preconception about what a preacher should look and sound like. his services look a lot like a rock concert. the church, hillsong nyc is drawing the young and hip, a lot of celebrities and a lot of money. >> reporter: hillsong church is drawing celebrities and making big money. one reason, their christian rock

band, with 14 million albums sold according to the church founder, brian houston. some news reports have pegged the church's worth at $50 million to $100 million. are those numbers right? >> it would be in the ballpark. >> you can make out a check to hillsong church. >> reporter: tithing is encouraged, credit cards accepted. some people might look at it and say well, they live in a very cool neighborhood, nice place on the river, you know, that's not what i equate church with. >> if you go down that road you simply cannot be poor enough for some people. you can drive that car but not that car. we are never going to cater to that mindset of people trying to tell us how to live. >> reporter: as pastor carl lentz's star rises, a host of celebrities have gathered around him. do you care about having celebrities in your congregation? >> the goal of our church is from the nameless to the famous. our church should have celebrities, we believe, because we are trying to reach everybody. that's one of our goals. >> reporter: there is justin

bieber who tweeted i broke down today after one of his sermons and he baptized nba megastar kevin durant. >> when i came out of the water i just felt different. >> reporter: we wanted to know where he falls on social issues and politics. >> my thing is that jesus transcends politics so whether i'm right wing, left wing, democrat, republican -- >> reporter: you going to tell us? >> no. that wouldn't be any fun. some christians say you can't even be a democrat and even follow jesus. that really bugs me. >> reporter: some of his positions are clearer than others. don't get drunk, no sex before marriage. are gay men and women welcome in the church? >> absolutely. we have a lot of gay men and women in our church and i pray we always do. >> it's not our place to tell anyone how they should live. that's their journey. >> reporter: every article i have read about you guys says he declined to discuss gay marriage. >> yeah. it's a misquote because i do discuss it, just not the way people want me to. when it comes to homosexuality i

refuse to let another human being or a media moment dictate how we approach it. jesus was in the thick of an era where homosexuality just like it is today was wildly prevalent and i'm still waiting for someone to show me the quote where jesus addressed it on the record in front of people. you won't find it because he never did. >> reporter: but people are finding hillsong. some 3,000 just turned up for one of the church's first events in los angeles. >> hillsong l.a. is on its way. >> the funny thing about hillsong, whether it's the music or at churches is we seem to do well where other people struggle. >> reporter: would we not see you in the bible belt? >> we go where we are called to be. >> reporter: he doesn't dream of building a megachurch or becoming a televangelist. >> success is not having a big church, a big portfolio, a lot of money, nice car.

prosperity for us is simply knowing jesus and having the right to repent from a sinful life and cling to that cross every day. >> thank you guys for waiting. we didn't expect to be at capacity already. >> reporter: he is redefining church for some. >> whether you like it or not, god is your shepherd. whether you like it or not he has never failed anybody and he's not going to start with you. whether you like it or not, you need to hear it. he is going to lead you into something better. >> reporter: you can find out more about hillsong church at cnn.com/belief. also want to bring you this, just in to cnn. an update on the deadly attack at the karachi international airport in pakistan. government officials now confirming to cnn 21 people are dead, ten of them militants who stormed the airport with guns and grenades. also killed, eight troops from the airport security force, two people who worked for a pakistani airline and a member of the pakistan paramilitary force. we are told that attack is now over. it started shortly before

midnight pakistan time. we have been updated throughout the night from sanjay gupta there. up next, anthony bourdain. at 9:00 eastern, don't miss the remer premier of "parts unknown, brazil." i remember the moment i first realized i had been living my whole life in black and white.