The Fellowship (Australia)
Encyclopedia
The Fellowship is the name of a group within the Presbyterian Church of Australia
. Located in Melbourne
, its membership is estimated as involving between 300 and 400 people. The Fellowship has been labelled by opponents as a "secretive cult".
.
The Fellowship is strongly opposed to Freemasonry
, and members have been directed to refrain from listening to Mozart, due to his masonic connection. A theory of "generational curses" is taught, which encourages repentance if a member's ancestors were Freemasons.
This decision was appealed to the State Assembly, which upheld the decision of the Presbytery at its meeting in October 2006. Some members of the Victorian Assembly then appealed the decision to the General Assembly of Australia on the grounds that the Victorian Church had set up its own processes for discipline rather than operating under the General Assembly's Code as required and that the decision of the Victorian Assembly was made based on information that was not available to the Presbytery of East Melbourne when making its the original decision, against its own process of discipline.
These appeals were upheld by the General Assembly of Australia at its Commission in August 2007. The clerk of the General Assembly, Dr Paul Logan, said that many felt that natural justice had been denied by the processes used. As a result of this decision the elders were reinstated, "[b]ut members of the Victorian assembly, which excommunicated the 15 elders of Trinity Camberwell, were not too downhearted, saying the Fellowship had won the battle but lost the war."
The General Assembly of Australia established a committee to investigate material published about The Fellowship, including allegations of errors in doctrine and behaviour, promising to re-hear complaints.
The Victorian State Assembly was instructed by the General Assembly of Australia to take several actions including withdrawing from publication Fractured Fellowship: A Presbyterian Case Study and temporarily moving the parish of Camberwell from the Presbytery of Melbourne East to the Presbytery of Melbourne West until the matter could be settled. At its Commission in May 2008 the Victorian Assembly handled the private report of the committee of the General Assembly in public session, rejecting its instructions to retry the matter. Rev. Douglas Robertson from Scots' Church
in Melbourne, who at the same meeting was elected the next Moderator of the Victorian Assembly, accused the General Assembly of Australia of censorship and unconstitutionally exceeding its authority.
Presbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. .-Beginnings:...
. Located in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, its membership is estimated as involving between 300 and 400 people. The Fellowship has been labelled by opponents as a "secretive cult".
Characteristics
The Fellowship is a group associated with the holiness movementHoliness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
.
The Fellowship is strongly opposed to Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, and members have been directed to refrain from listening to Mozart, due to his masonic connection. A theory of "generational curses" is taught, which encourages repentance if a member's ancestors were Freemasons.
Criticism
The Fellowship has been criticised for broken relationships between Fellowship members and their families. Allegations have been made that non-Fellowship people have been refused contact with their grandchildren, and that Fellowship people have refused to attend funerals of non-Fellowship family members. Fractured Fellowship makes this case based on primary sources, including private letters, that have never been published.Actions by the Presbyterian Church
In February 2006, the Presbytery of Melbourne East excommunicated all 15 elders of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Camberwell because of their handling of a complaint of emotional abuse against an elder.This decision was appealed to the State Assembly, which upheld the decision of the Presbytery at its meeting in October 2006. Some members of the Victorian Assembly then appealed the decision to the General Assembly of Australia on the grounds that the Victorian Church had set up its own processes for discipline rather than operating under the General Assembly's Code as required and that the decision of the Victorian Assembly was made based on information that was not available to the Presbytery of East Melbourne when making its the original decision, against its own process of discipline.
These appeals were upheld by the General Assembly of Australia at its Commission in August 2007. The clerk of the General Assembly, Dr Paul Logan, said that many felt that natural justice had been denied by the processes used. As a result of this decision the elders were reinstated, "[b]ut members of the Victorian assembly, which excommunicated the 15 elders of Trinity Camberwell, were not too downhearted, saying the Fellowship had won the battle but lost the war."
The General Assembly of Australia established a committee to investigate material published about The Fellowship, including allegations of errors in doctrine and behaviour, promising to re-hear complaints.
The Victorian State Assembly was instructed by the General Assembly of Australia to take several actions including withdrawing from publication Fractured Fellowship: A Presbyterian Case Study and temporarily moving the parish of Camberwell from the Presbytery of Melbourne East to the Presbytery of Melbourne West until the matter could be settled. At its Commission in May 2008 the Victorian Assembly handled the private report of the committee of the General Assembly in public session, rejecting its instructions to retry the matter. Rev. Douglas Robertson from Scots' Church
Scots' Church, Melbourne
The Scots' Church, a Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia, was the first Presbyterian Church to be built in the Port Phillip District . It is located in Collins Street and is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Australia...
in Melbourne, who at the same meeting was elected the next Moderator of the Victorian Assembly, accused the General Assembly of Australia of censorship and unconstitutionally exceeding its authority.
External links
- "The Fellowship, Inside Out" Episode of "The Spirit of Things" on Radio NationalRadio NationalABC Radio National is an Australia-wide non-commercial radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Radio National broadcasts national programming in areas that include news and current affairs, the arts, social issues, science, drama and comedy...
. - "Fractured Fellowship: A Presbyterian Case Study (PDF)" Booklet published by The Church and Nation Committee, Presbyterian Church of Victoria, 1999 (later ordered to be withdrawn from circulation by the General Assembly of Australia).
- 7:30 Report Program Transcript - Trinity Church struggles for credibility after excommunications ABC TV, Reporter: Geoff HutchisonGeoff HutchisonGeoff Hutchison is a Western Australian journalist who presents the Morning programme on 720 ABC Perth. Born and raised in Perth, Hutchison briefly attended the University of Western Australia before winning a cadetship at the Geraldton Guardian newspaper. In 1982 Hutchison moved to Bunbury and...