Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

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Faith Hopegood
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Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by Faith Hopegood »

A key foundational teaching of Vic Hall and the Christian Fellowship group is their repeated references and fixation on the “The Order of Melchizedek.”
In the bible there are several references to Melchizedek:
Genesis 14:18 &20 where Melchizedek blessed Abraham and Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek
Psalm 110:4 in a Psalm of David – The LORD has sworn a solemn pledge and won’t change his mind: “Thou art a priest for ever in line with Melchizedek”
Hebrews Chapters 5,6 & 7.
Of particular note is Hebrews 7:11 passage (AMPC version)

Now if perfection (a perfect fellowship between God and the worshiper) had been attainable by the Levitical priesthood–for under it the people were given the Law–why was it further necessary that there should arise another and different kind of Priest, one after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one appointed after the order and rank of Aaron??
https://www.bible.com/bible/8/HEB.7.11

It is this concept of perfection in the church that Vic Hall has built a theology upon.

The concepts of: perfection, church administration & tithing are all mentioned in relation to The Order of Melchizedek. It is this “special revelation” that Vic uses as his lever to tell the congregation that the Christian Fellowship group has something special or higher that the rest of Christendom does not have.

In fact Vic Hall authored a book “Unto Perfection” (co-authored with Murray Wylie and Doug Watt). This book was the supreme reference in the Christian Fellowship organisation from the mid 1980’s until the mid 1990’s. Strangely, the book hardly rates a mention at all in the Fellowship any more – maybe it is because Vic’s theology has changed or maybe it is because the books two co-authors, Watt and Wylie, are no longer in fellowship with the Christian Fellowship! (or all of the above!).

The concept of going on to perfection fitted neatly with Vic Halls control methods that are virtually a carbon copy play book of the damaging discredited the Shepherding Movement in the USA. Hall and his lackeys and minions used the perfection concept to use every opportunity to “counsel” congregation members about every perceived fault both real and imagined. This was said to be a pastoral process of “the dross being removed to reveal pure gold”. In reality it is just an extremely damaging cult like type of control where wife was put against husband and children against parents all the time keeping everybody off balance and looking introspectively. Numerous families and marriages have been destroyed by Vic Hall and his teachings. Many congregation members ended up suffering severe mental depression, stress and anxiety which was directly bought on by this “counselling”. Quite the opposite of what is supposed to go on within a christian church.

Vic Halls pastoral and counselling methods are particularly brutal and show no empathy at all with suffering people. This was all done in the name of getting the Bride of Christ to be perfect ready for the coming of the Lord.
Another element is the references to tithing and constant demands for more and more money. This was backed up with constant references to scriptures on tithing and the tale of Ananias and Saphira was trotted out to be a warning to what would happen to any disobedient congregation members.
At this top of this wealth creation empire sits Vic Hall. The whole empire is worth millions – just look up the records in the charities commission.

Finally, there is a very notable failed historical story about the Order of Melchizedek.

During the inter-testament period, there was what was known as the Maccabean Revolt. This started as Jewish civil war where traditional Jews fighting against hellenised (Greek) Jews. This was at a time during the end of Alexander The Great’s Greek Empire and before the Romans came and sacked Jerusalem. The Maccabean/Hasmonean peoples pushed the Ptolemaic empire back to Egypt and took control of the land of Israel. The Jewish festival of Hanukkah originates from this time.

However the whole plan came unstuck when Hasmonean people installed their own kings as King of Israel and not someone from the Levitical priesthood or Line of David. When questioned about their legitimacy in 141BCE for the Hasmonean Jews to have their king (who was not a Levitical Line or from the Tribe of Judah) they claimed that their kingship line was from “The Order of Melchizedek”! This kingship line became the Hasmonean Dynasty that lasted for 103 years before being replaced by the Herodian Dynasty.

I just thought it was ironic that the Hasmonean Kings thought they could lay hold of the title of Order of Melchizedek as the lineage.

It has been said that Vic Hall fancies himself as a bit of leader who charge it is bring the Bride of Christ to Perfection according the Melchizedek Order.

It would be prudent for Vic Hall to remember the fate of the relatively short-lived Hasmonean Dynasty which claimed to have connections to the Order of Melchizedek.
Paul Kovaks
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Re: Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by Paul Kovaks »

Yes, the whole perfection business was a foundational element of XCF.

At one level it made sense: It's there in Scripture, the church doesn't seem to be perfect today, and yet Christ prays at Gethsemane for the church to be 'one as I and the Father are one'. I still believe God wants a 'spotless bride' and that will be more than just spotless because of forgiveness. The church will be transformed through perfecting processes from 'glory to glory'. This is classic Immanuel/BCF/MCF and I think it's actually true and hard to deny. But . .

What went wrong was:
1. The Melchizedek stuff itself was over emphasised by XCF (for goodness sake it's only in 3 verses!)
2. XCF assumed that THEY were the vessel of this perfection
3. XCF assumed it meant that lots of new teachings would emerge

This gave license to re-writings of the gospel every easter by Vic Hall et al.
And the ridiculous insularity. Crazy.

They were simply nuts. It's embarrassing.

It can only happen when there is a very good core of truth that others are ignoring I think.
Wendy
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Re: Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by Wendy »

Thanks, Faith! Great overview of the heresy that Vic expounds - and of course he stole it from the originator of the xCFs - Ray Jackson senior. Ray was on about the O o M from the beginning of his 'new teaching' the Ephesian Pattern - the Shepherding Movement in disguise. He linked the two and usually threw in the tithing aspect as well. I'm sure Abraham would be very annoyed to learn that his simple act of giving was turned into a subversive doctrine forcing people to handover their hard earned to a narcissistic meglomaniac.
And I agree, Paul - there was far too much air time given to someone who is barely mentioned in the Bible. Typical Vic though - find a twig and turn it into a whole forest.
Faith Hopegood
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Re: Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by Faith Hopegood »

Thanks to Paul and Wendy for the feedback. I had forgotten about the book "the Ephesian Pattern".

I can see the validity of Pauls comments about the scripture, it certainly is there in the bible and there is no doubt that Christ wants a spotless bride. And I think Pauls 1,2 & 3 points are very true, in particular point 2. BCF DID believe that they were the vessel of perfection and this was definitely preached at the time. The other belief that was preached was that other churches and denominations would come and join BCF once they realised the wonderful revelation of truth that Vic was expounding and we would truly have one communion in the City of Brisbane (I suppose they thought it would have to be QE2 or Lang Park stadiums to cope with the numbers!). It is also point 2 that led to the spirit of pride and conceit that abounded in BCF and still does to this day. This is the foundational reason for the CF churches being able to shun people and family and break up marriages with a clear conscience. Even today, those congregation members and leaders in the CF

I had a good chuckle at Wendy's gem "Typical Vic though - find a twig and turn it into a whole forest"
Paul Kovaks
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Re: Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by Paul Kovaks »

Yes Faith, agreed that the assumption by XCF of XCF being the messenger to the world is what empowered them and the shunning and sycophants & all the loonyness.

I and my wife often ourselves said 'where else could we go'?
We knew it was cultish to say that but we thought we were in the same situation as the disciples. Where else would they go?

I stand by my last statement (last post) that there was a strong GOOD core of truth (irrespective of how well it was put into practice or not) that was also key and that it was being ignored by many other churches:
* Multiple eldership
* Priesthood of all believers
* Gifts of the Spirit
* Unity of the Body
* Teachings on Biblical themes, patterns & end-times

That WAS good stuff.

But almost from DAY 1 I couldn't believe how much they were:
1. Largely ignoring the above in favour of looney control & suffering stuff
2. Going overboard on music in evangelism
3. Ignoring basic teachings on salvation & Christian life
4. Not practicing it
5. Practicing horrific levels of partiality
6. Going overboard on devotion to certain leaders
7. Ignoring young people's ministries
8. Insularity

I could see that as a 17-22yo.

So from Day 1 it was ULTRA good vs ULTRA bad!
But anywhere else I go the good is pretty good and the bad is not very bad at all.

MCF was ULTRA Good & ULTRA bad!
Crazy!
robocop
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Re: Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by robocop »

* Multiple eldership
Paul, the 'Multiple Eldership' was just a sham - especially after Vic Hall took over. It was 'Vic's way' or the Highway....
Boundary Rider
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Re: Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by Boundary Rider »

Just to add to Wendy's astute remark .....
"Typical Vic though - find a twig and turn it into a whole forest...... and pretty soon you can't see the wood for the trees!!!!!" :D ;) :oops:
Paul Kovaks
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Re: Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by Paul Kovaks »

Robocop, I did preface it with "irrespective of how well it was put into practice or not".
So, yes, you are right, it was a sham, as practised.

But Jeff Hammond is practising Biblical multiple eldership in a group of churches of 20,000+ people in Indonesia as we speak (I heard all about it from some of his guys recently) and it works great when you have looney top dogs out of it.
Wendy
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Re: Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by Wendy »

So BCF thought the other churches would come and join them too, Faith? 😄... Shades of MCF and the One Church, one communion nonsense. We too thought they would be thronging - you thought Lang Park? Nah, at MCF there was talk of filling the MCG! 😂

And very funny, BR ... You're obviously up and about again and not pining away! 🌲
Bagel
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Re: Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek

Post by Bagel »

Paul Kovaks wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 7:02 pm Yes Faith, agreed that the assumption by XCF of XCF being the messenger to the world is what empowered them and the shunning and sycophants & all the loonyness.

I and my wife often ourselves said 'where else could we go'?
We knew it was cultish to say that but we thought we were in the same situation as the disciples. Where else would they go?

I stand by my last statement (last post) that there was a strong GOOD core of truth (irrespective of how well it was put into practice or not) that was also key and that it was being ignored by many other churches:
* Multiple eldership
* Priesthood of all believers
* Gifts of the Spirit
* Unity of the Body
* Teachings on Biblical themes, patterns & end-times

That WAS good stuff.

But almost from DAY 1 I couldn't believe how much they were:
1. Largely ignoring the above in favour of looney control & suffering stuff
2. Going overboard on music in evangelism
3. Ignoring basic teachings on salvation & Christian life
4. Not practicing it
5. Practicing horrific levels of partiality
6. Going overboard on devotion to certain leaders
7. Ignoring young people's ministries
8. Insularity

I could see that as a 17-22yo.

So from Day 1 it was ULTRA good vs ULTRA bad!
But anywhere else I go the good is pretty good and the bad is not very bad at all.

MCF was ULTRA Good & ULTRA bad!
Crazy!
Hello Paul,

Thanks for expressing this. Yes, it’s true, there was at one stage a fairly good message. The execution of that message became distorted and perverted as certain people became hooked on power.

As you say, other places were somewhat tame by comparison, nothing outstanding one way or the other. I certainly noticed that when we visited other churches that I found them a tad bland. It helped me realise the XCF way, everything in extremis.

And possibly the key to it all... the basic human need to feel ‘special’. XCF had this worked out well and truly. As you say, where else could you go that had the same message of spiritual superiority? Nowhere of course. And I’ll be honest enough to say that it was ego coming into play, we thrived on the feeling of being the chosen ones. It disturbed me at the time that those who were more, shall we say, democratic, or horizontal in viewing leadership, were given a taste of being on the outer.

While the sycophants vied to be the favourite sons, they stood on as many heads as needed along the way, come what may.

The trail of destruction was horrific but as badly, no accountability or responsibility. People who commit acts of devastation under the name of God are often deluded and are dangerous to themselves and those around them.

Fortunately I’m not special enough to be counted among their throng of elite so called christians, I might just have to settle for vanilla salvation from the blood of the lamb.

Bagel
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