Says Diana: "To this day my parents are heartbroken, because they can't have anything to do with us. "Most girls were there to check out the guys rather than listen to the word of God. (The terms "conservative" and "progressive" are often informally used to describe the emphasis, or lack of emphasis, that Brethren assemblies and individuals put on matters of doctrine, worship, and church order which distinguish them from other Evangelical Christians). She would often sing us to sleep, and one of the songs she strummed was Hank Thompson's 1956 country ballad The Blackboard of My Heart. I had hoped he might wave his hand and declare I was cured. Once someone leaves the Brethren, they are forbidden from having contact with anyone still in the church, including their relatives. Business owners are sent annual questionnaires about their turnover, gross profit and net profit and NAF representatives then suggest how much they should donate from their business. Brethren leaders throughout New Zealand unanimously rejected the Charismatic movement in 1964, and decided that the assembly at Te Papapa, Mangere, which had endorsed the view that all spiritual gifts were operating today, would no longer be "recognized" as a Brethren assembly. He also allowed the New Zealand assemblies a degree of congregational autonomy that was unknown among the Exclusives in the British Isles. Source: The Exclusive Brethren, BBC. We address doctrines and practices of Christian churches and organizations, as well as those of cults of Christianity. The medication left me lethargic and unhappy and I stopped taking it after a few weeks, although I had enough repeats on the prescription to last for a year. Last July, lawyers and private investigators arrived at his Mngere Bridge home before dawn to carry out a private search warrant of the house and all devices. Here is how the money-go-round works: large New Zealand retail businesses get guaranteed customers (the Brethren who are directed to purchase their goods and services) in return for rebates, which go to UBT. It was one of the worst cases of neglect to come before a racing authority. But there were no "worldly" friends over to play, no going to the worldly kids' parties, no overnight school camps, no inter-school sports. In tears that evening I finally broke, but even then I couldn't bring myself to say the words. It's easier to control people when they're addicted. Former members say the church has a centralised hierarchy, and everyone is expected to show absolute loyalty to the Sydney-based supreme leader Bruce Hales. Source: Paul Flynn, MP Exclusive brethren the whole truth? I've kept in touch so the kids know them. Minding their business * Fewer than 2000 Exclusive Brethren New Zealanders The men must have short hair, be clean shaven and are prohibited from wearing ties. As well as forcing Brethren businesses to purchase locked-down computers, phones and IT services, UBT also charged "consultancy fees", which could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and even started taking controlling stakes in profitable companies through a venture called Vision Accelerator. Two months ago that name did not exist. The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. []. The Exclusive Brethren church has been using the controversial private investigators Thompson and Clark to spy on former members of the church. It was a catastrophic reordering of life, and other experiences don't come close. Some negative features cant be avoided, but my intent is to present a positive and comprehensive outline of the history and ministry of the recovery of the truth. As a young child the chorus mystified me. It was exhausting, especially for families with young children, but we heard repeatedly how we were the "chosen ones", members of a spiritual elite carving out a place for God on Earth, destined for special reward when we got to heaven. A cult-like church that exerts almost complete control over its members has metastasised into a multinational corporation with massive buying power. The list appears to have been compiled originally by a member of that fellowship at some time after 1970. The local rainbow support group occasionally published contact details in the classified section of the newspaper, and for months I scanned The Southland Times waiting for the next listing. Brethren families as well as businesses are also encouraged to buy goods and services from companies which give cash back to UBT and the National Assistance Fund, including petrol and groceries. Pro The Exclusive Brethren Christian Fellowship (Pro) Note: The site has since been renamed to plymouthbrethrenchristianchurch.org, to reflect the movements misleading name change, in 2012. At the age of 20, I found myself learning the ways of the world for the first time, and was baffled by how it all worked. "We made it our own fun." They are not allowed to form friendships with people outside the church, who are known as 'worldlies'. These people, like his father, still retain a hope of getting back into the Brethren, so they are quiet and careful to keep the rules. Private individuals or businesses are free to spend their money how they like - but Dr Gousmett argues trading by charities should be taxed. Instead I felt condemned to struggle against the essence of who I was. This examination delves deeper into the groups past, revealing the Brethrens 19th-century origins in the United Kingdom, their fractious history, their extraordinary use of scripture to control members and dissidents, and their lucrative business and financial arrangements. A fascinating tale of power exercised across several continents, this is also a moving story of damaged lives, broken families, and anger that stretches back decades. You will receive notifications of new posts by email. Source: The Exclusive Brethren, BBC. Petrie, then 74, was jailed for2 years for the offences. Initially, they saw no need for any but the simplest pattern of organization, and their separation from all existing churches was not conceived as a negative decision, but rather as the only basis on which the unity of true Christians could be established. I love being a journalist and wouldn't trade it for anything. It is worth noting that although many "Community Churches" and "Bible Churches" in New Zealand are part of the Open Brethren movement, others such as Mairangi Bay Community Church are not. Profits from UBT are funnelled as donations into the National Assistance Fund (NAF), which then sends the receipts back to UBT to cut the tax. Since 2003 an Exclusive Brethren trust has set up 15 year 7-12 schools here, teaching about 1000 children. It wasn't true. Non-members are called 'worldlies'. There was a narrow window to say goodbye. These early Brethren were men of education and social positiontwelve of the earliest Brethren were, or were training to be, Anglican clergymen (in England and Ireland); five were ministers in Nonconformist churches; a number had private means, including five with titles, and another eight were, or had been, commissioned officers. The couple maintain a faith in God but don't go to any church. "We don't want anybody to get into jail. For members of the Exclusive Brethren, a strict religious sect, constraints such as these are normal. [], Members of the Exclusive Brethren are very limited in their contact with outsiders. The link leads to an archived version of the website. "If you understood the way they were brought up, we've got everything that we need in the fellowship, and they don't need to do that so it doesn't really come up, because they don't want to, really." The companies themselves were also interconnected through supply chains and personal relationships, controlled by the church's supreme leader Bruce Hales, who took a close personal interest in their performance, he said. reach out to my brethren who have been damaged, disillusioned or discarded by the legal system which first emerged in 1959, and continues to dominate many to this day, to recall them to their spiritual birthright the rich heritage of former years; to encourage them to take possession of it . The leader of the church has absolute power to appoint the priests, resolve breaches of the rules, approve marriages and decide on punishments. The following few months were the worst of my life. Wikipeebia [Contra] An extensive website, with personal testimonies, historical documents, discussion forums, and more. I'd long since accepted I'd never see my family again, so when another of my brothers left the Brethren a few years ago it was a shock to have a sibling back in my life. While putting heavy restrictions on the movements members, the leaders engage in dirty tricks campaigns. Last week. New rules came thick and fast from the 1960s, when the world leader of the time James Taylor Jnr, an alcoholic businessman from Brooklyn, New York enforced the principle of "separation". This week the New Zealand Presbyterian Church voted to ban anyone in a sexual relationship outside marriage from its leadership roles (though 35 per cent voted against the ban). Broadcast Mar. They love alcohol. At one church service it was said the spirit of God departed from us if we ever crossed the threshold of a cinema the next time I was at the movies I stepped backwards and forwards through the doorway to see whether it felt any different (it didn't). Denied tertiary education and IT-illiterate, they're ill-equipped for many jobs in the outside world. Russell Stewart, photographed by police, shortly after he left the scene of a fatal crash at Baylys Coast Rd, Northland, in June 2016. doctrine) to which they subscribed. The Exclusive Brethren practice the doctrine of separation: they eat, sleep and live apart from the world, except when doing business with 'worldly' people. Thompson laments a love betrayed: At the end of the song, Mum stopped to answer my questions about blackboards. "Bible Churches" tend to embrace many progressive trends, but generally retain a male-only leadership and continue to disassociate themselves from the Charismatic movement. So many, many tears, streaming over blackboards and permanent ink. All members must follow the rigid code of behaviour and rules that govern the contact. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848. [7] Unlike Darby, he did not believe in maintaining insularity from non-Brethren Christians, and preached in churches of many denominations. Women must wear their hair long and down, and headscarves in public. Their "exclusiveness" refers to staying away from the world' s evils -- to the extent of having no windows in their meeting halls, the website said. "That's news to me. The Brethren faith was introduced to New Zealand in 1850, and is now led by Greg Mason. The beliefs of the Exclusive Brethren have much in common with most those of most evangelical Christian groups: However some of their beliefs are heretical by other Christian standards. Sorrow overthe past and humility in the present may be the keystones to those many groups to visit one anothers meetings and to see how little stands between them and to share meetings in the spirit of oneness not implied superiority. Perhaps you're an uncle by now. I had no plans, and nowhere to go. After the UK Charity Commissions refusal to grant Charity Status to the Exclusive Brethren, in the summer of 2012, an observer provided a series of explanatory comments regarding that decision: 2.10 Misleading information: whilst it is of course legitimate to change a name and reconstruct a website, it should not be done in such a way as to make it appear that it involves an entirely different organisation. "There were real pissheads in there: they drink heaps, it's the only thing you're allowed to do." Brethren run at least 12 firms in Dargaville - mostly in trade and farm supplies - many clustered in an industrial complex on the town's southern edge. We're just simple Christians, normal people, we look after our own and go about our business, don't hurt anyone." From tear gas to television, Craig Hoyle has had quite the ride since leaving the Exclusive Brethren sect 10 years ago. Through SGnLS (Southland Gay and Lesbian Support) I met other gay people, and realised I was not alone in the world. The scene of a crash in which three members of the Exclusive Brethren church died in Baylys Coast Rd, Northland in June in 2016. If brethren and sisters continue to fellowship with other professing Christians who hold and practise the sign-gifts they will have to withdraw because we will have nothing to do with these practices. They were required to wear dresses or skirts, have long hair and very minimalist or no makeup, hair dye and jewellery. We don't look down on other Christians because they don't live like us. Sarah and her producer, Charlotte, took a keen interest in my circumstances as we travelled and filmed together, and asked what I wanted to do with my life. The BBC website listed the following rules for Exclusive Brethren: they cannot go to university, have televisions or radios, visit cinemas or the theatre, read newspapers or fiction, use computers, own mobile phones, vote in elections, serve in the armed forces or join any group that includes people outside the Brethren. ", Doug Watt, a spokesman for the church, said:"The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church considers this to be a private matter and have no further comment to make.". If they leave the church, they lose their livelihoods - many former Brethren claim they were forced to sign over their own companies to relatives. "It was known in my local church that I wasn't subscribing to it and I was treated with disdain, like a black sheep. The following are some of the institutions that are widely supported by Brethren assemblies in New Zealand. Visits to New Zealand by British Brethren preachers Campbell McAlpine and Arthur Wallis in the late 1950s and early 1960s caused a great deal of controversy. I felt trapped, a Brethren failure, and ultimately convinced that I needed to confess my sexuality. I knew I was breaking her heart, but had no choice. Contra Peebs.net (Contra) This web site deals with the Exclusive Brethren from a critical perspective. Photo: Supplied. 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