Open message to all those in Fellowship

I have been contemplating writing this editorial for a number of months. My reticence revolved around sounding patronising to those who have followed the brethren doctrine all their lives. The decision to write this message came after establishing the level of profit made by companies owned or heavily linked to the family of your Man of God, Bruce Hales.

I think it would help to give some information around my background. In May 2020, I started looking at the contracts being awarded by the UK government to understand where taxpayer money was being spent. At that point I admit to having never heard of the Plymouth Brethren. I live in an area outside any of your communities. It was only due to a number of contracts being awarded to the companies of brothers in fellowship that my research into your church began. At first there was some admiration for the community that appeared to have been created and how it operated. Though the further I researched the more obvious it became that the church you belong to, is nothing more than a cartel operated by the Hales family and a number of their closest allies for their personal gain. As an outsider or 'Worldlie' I found it difficult to understand how those in fellowship didn't see the level of coercion that was clearly evident.

It was when I understood that you have been brought up since birth to see people like me as 'Opposers', or working for the devil. The use of 'Opposer' is a very powerful tool in the Hales armoury. Whenever someone from outside 'shines a torch' into your closed religion then they are simply dismissed as an 'Opposer'. I also understand why it must be so difficult to escape, to be separated from or to be ex-communicated, to risk losing your home, your job and most importantly to lose your family. I get that for those of you in fellowship that there is some comfort in the protection of being part of something. 

I find it so sad that you are provided with information that is wrong. The world outside fellowship is not the 'world of the devil', it is just the world. Most people outside fellowship are no different from you, they are good people, they want the best for their families, they want to succeed and live good honest lives. Yes, there are some 'bad people' but no different from inside fellowship. There have been abusers, murderers, drunk drivers coming from within your own communities. 

I speak to your family members who have left fellowship, there are many who have built successful, Christian, honest and good lives outside of fellowship, there are some that struggle to cope with the loss of contact with their families still inside and there are a mix of views about those of you still inside. There is real empathy for you and there is anger at your treatment by the Hales & their cronies. They are not 'opposers' of you but certainly oppose the Hales coercive control.

A lot of my work is around openness and transparency. It is clear to me that you are not privileged to that basic freedom within the PBCC. I have found that for instance the Hales family made around £500 million or AUS $1 billion in post tax profits from the pandemic. I also see that they were using UBT seminars at the same time to try and get you to fund the 'ecosystem' to the tune of £250 million or AUS $500 million. This funding would enable the profits from the investments to fund your OneSchool Global and wider system without the need for constant appeals for funds. It would appear very hypocritical to ask for funds when as Christians they could have covered the required amount from their own personal gains.

One question I often ask myself, is what happens next? How would the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church survive if you all split from the Hales commercial system? It just would, you are good people, many of you run good successful businesses that could support your local community. I think many of you would thrive, that you could live in line with the true doctrine of John Nelson Darby. The Hales doctrine isn't inline with God, it is simply a doctrine of commercialism using his coercion and fear to make you tow the line. 

I believe that you could flourish and many of the made up rules that have been introduced to exert control during the last 60 years could be ended. There is no need to separate from your families outside of fellowship, you should be able to serve as Doctors, Nurses, Police, and even attend University. You don't need to be a servant to the Hales and their acolytes.

I hear that Bruce Hales talks about a testing time, with 'opposers' fighting to destroy fellowship. The ATO raids and tax investigation of UBT, the brothers out of fellowship exposing the truth, the Get A Life podcasts are all challenges for Mr Hales. The biggest problem is that they are not aimed at you good brothers and sisters but purely at the 'Man of God', Mr Hales. The man behind the commercialisation of a Christian group.

I hope and pray that for the future of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, and that you all stand up and remove the devil that has been able to place himself as the 'Man of God'. Don't be frightened your family outside of fellowship is willing you to end the reign of the Hales family and to return to the doctrine of John Nelson Darby. One where your religious beliefs can be at the forefront of what really is the Plymouth Brethren and not one that focuses on big houses and fast fancy cars or one where schooling, shopping and business has been commercialised and certainly not one where you feel pressure to volunteer for your PR charity or for Campus & Co.

Remember 'Opposers' is the tool that Mr Bruce will use to convince you that he is the Man of God. A true Man of God would see those out of fellowship as future brothers and sisters who would want to join. No one would knowingly want to join a sect that is coercive in its application of the doctrine of separation. 

Regards
Damian