The Christian Fellowship Leopard has not changed its spots

[Faith Hopegood]

Hello Dear Streetcar Readers,
over the past 12-24 months it appeared that the Christian Fellowship in Brisbane was endeavouring to make changes and also recognise past errors and sins. There were admissions from the pulpit, elders and in private that they had been on the wrong track and needed amend their ways. I will explore this progress.

These "changes" were occurring in the Post Falk Fallout from Toowoomba where Pope Vic was claiming just like Sergeant Schultz in Hogans Heroes "I know nothink!" where Vic expected the followers to believe that all the dreadful revelations from Toowoomba were a complete surprise to the Brisbane leadership and they claimed that Falk operated in some sort of a vacuum! If you believe this, you came down in the last shower.

Fast forward a year or two after Falks axing and it appeared that some efforts were being made to mend their wicked ways and seek some reconciliation with some who had left. There was even talk of admissions they got some teachings wrong and were changing their teachings a little! This was a good thing of sorts.

It is not just me, there are some others who also observed cynically, that Pope Vic was watching his weekly tithes and offerings plummet as the exodus of previously faithful followers continued and Pope Vic needed to take some action to prevent continued losses (both dollars and head count). So Vic concocted a scheme to preach to the faithful ears, admissions of minor fault were made, and followers urged on to a new and bright future.

Personally I thought this was just window dressing. My reasons for this are as follows:
1. Look at what people do and not just at what they say.
2. How could the Christian Fellowship completely stuff things up and follow some false doctrinal teachings given that Vic was hearing a "special word" direct from God some times too!
3. Families are still participating in shunning behaviour just like the Jehovah Witness and brethren cults

Firstly, Gods word and doctrine is constant and unchangeable. God has not changed and nor has His Purpose or Word. If the Christian Fellowship leaders are admitting they made mistakes and taught wrong things, they were building on completely the wrong foundations. How do people know that what the CF elders are preaching is now correct? It is still the blind leading the blind with calls to the faithful of "trust us, we know what we are doing".

Secondly, the actions of the Christian Fellowship are still very much the same. There are Grandparents and Parents who are still completely forbidden to see they children and grandchildren who attend the Christian Fellowship. This is an absolute disrespect to God's commandments of respecting your parents. There were no conditions attached this this commandment (ie only respect your mother and grandmother or father/grandfather if they kowtow to the CF line). No, the CF are still building on wrong foundations that are not of God's unconditional love. There are senior elders and leaders in Brisbane who forbid their wives and children to see relatives who no longer attend the Christian Fellowship. This is just plain wicked and evil and is evidence that cult teachings still prevail.

We must also examine Vic's nature and past actions to get an indication of his future intentions. Given that he is a narcicist who has to rule supreme and continues to be estranged from most of his siblings then we must assume the leopard has not changed his spots. Vic was 110% fully aware of everything Falk was doing in Toowoomba and, in fact, Vic regularly used Falk to do his dirty work when it came to axing other leaders all over the country.

Continued Doctrine Questions.
If the CF elders admitted they got some teachings wrong in the past, how on earth do they presume they are right now? They have no reference point or feedback from outside of themselves. They reject contact with all other Christian churches and most others in Christianity. Sadly they will continue on the wrong path like a ship with a faulty rudder.

[Paul Kovaks]

Interesting update FH.
I fully agree of course: yes, great they are making some admissions.

But if it was real they would reach out more to ones who have been harmed, stop the ridiculous shunning practises and - ultimately - admit that Vic's lost the plot.

That last one is why they can't move on:
BCF/MCF's whole modus operandi is built on Vic being some sort of pipeline to God.
Like the Ark in Raiders OTLA.
And the presbytery is this vat of oil.
It's all garbage.
What happens when Vic dies? It's all crazy.

Ray Jackson Snr & Vic Hall started out like us all.
Sinful people (like us all) with some calling, probably greater than ours.
They got excited about the restorationist word like us all. Good.
But they got puffed up after some success to the extent of committing huge sins and heresy.
As soon as you see yourself as key - and start blocking others - then you become near useless.
Anyone in power is tempted like that.
Unfortunately they fell for the sin of being puffed up which then enables the normal sinful tendencies in all of us.

[Faith Hopegood]

I agree with you Paul. Evidence of the Christian Fellowship changing its ways will be when they stop the dreadful deliberate shunning.

Currently I know of a lot of families where children and grandchildren are forbidden to see fathers and grandparents (even though those people are committed practicing Christians). This activity of deliberate shunning is wrong on at least two levels.
1. It is a deliberately spiteful action designed to bring maximum emotional punishment and pressure on the person that no longer attends the cult. Nothing more and nothing less. It is straight manipulation.
2. It is an action that is extremely disrespectful and completely unbiblical because it goes against the biblical commands to honour and respect your mother and father and elders. It is doubly worse for the CF cult because they are shunning fathers who are practicing believing christians.
3. Shunning confirms that the Christian Fellowship is a cult and has cult behaviours and is no better than groups such as the known recognised cult groups Jehovah Witnesses and Exclusive Brethren.
As the bible says, you will know them by their actions.

To people who are still attending any Christian Fellowship group, please know that you need to discern the underlying nature of the group mainly by their actions and not so much by their words. By their actions, the Christian Fellowship is denying children and grandchildren contact with their christian loving fathers and grandparents. The elders and leaders might dress it up with their words and justify their actions with words or even deny that shunning goes on. But just like every authoritarian group in the world, they must control and punish dissenters.