Vic Hall and Order of Melchizedek
Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 12:12 pm
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.
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.