Meet the sons of Plymouth Brethren’s global leader
After decades of negative media stories, members of a secretive Christian faith with just 16,000 members have spoken for the first time. Read the exclusive interview with Dean and Charles Hales.
The notoriously secret Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has opened its doors for the first time, as part of a major public relations push, addressing allegations about its religious practices, sizeable wealth and involvement with conservative politics.
The Daily Telegraph was recently granted an exclusive interview with Dean and Charles Hales – the wealthy adult sons of Bruce Hales, who has been the Brethren’s global leader for the past 23 years.
Founded in the 1840s, the Brethren was described as a “cult” by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the recent federal election campaign when its members volunteered for the Liberal Party.
With only 16,000 Australian worshippers, the Brethren has faced accusations it forbids homosexuality, controls the lives of its members, shuns those who leave and holds disparaging opinions of nonbelievers.
The Hales brothers used the discussion to plead with the Australian public for a “fair go”, while conceding the ongoing stories published by the ABC and Nine papers were having a “damaging impact” on the Brethren, its schools and its businesses.
“How would you describe a cult in your words?” Charles asked his brother during the interview.
“I mean a cult for me is where there is absolute control. There’s brainwashing of its members. There’s recruitment. That’s just three features of a cult,” Dean replied.
The pair insist Brethren were “encouraged” to align with certain religious teachings and values, but generally there are “no rules” members are expected to follow.
However, Dean and Charles personally don’t listen to the radio or go to the movies.
They love rugby union, but have never been to a stadium.
They don’t celebrate Easter or Christmas.
Like all Brethren, they were married on a Tuesday. They would only go on holidays for business and if a church was somewhere nearby.
And strictly - they never sit down for a meal with a non-Brethren. The practice of “fellowship” - not eating or drinking with the wider community - was introduced by a former Brethren leader about 60 years ago.
“We don’t put ourselves ahead of other mainstream Christians, but probably the one per cent that differentiates us … is probably the eating and drinking issue,” Dean said.
Charles added: “we believe eating or drinking is a practical form of fellowship. It’s really simple for us - if you don’t gather with us at the Lord’s Supper, we just don’t eat and drink with you”.
Every Sunday at 6am, the Brethren arrive at small halls across Australia for the Lord’s Supper, where they share the emblems - bread and wine - and acknowledge the death of Jesus Christ.
This is followed by a larger church service and lunch, with households sometimes allocated up to 20 people.
When asked how Brethren members viewed nonbelievers, and why they wouldn’t eat with them, Dean Hales said: “I mean … not to Bible bash you,” before he turned to a marked page in his New Testament.
“The scripture that we use is 2 Timothy 2: verse 22 where it says ‘But youthful lusts flee, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.’ Our teaching and doctrine has been that 2 Timothy 2 is our charter, and so therefore anyone that doesn’t join with us in that weekly communion that we have with God … we can’t eat or drink with.”
“We’ve had conversations (in business) where we actually say to people, we’re sorry that we can’t … and it’s nothing against you, but we’d like you to understand why,” Charles said.
A Brethren won’t go to dinner with a colleague unless they were in the Church.
They don’t eat alongside a nonbeliever in the work lunch room.
And if someone leaves their small fellowship - that person can’t come back for a meal with their mum and dad.
The brothers explained that in “rare” cases a Brethren could be “confined”, which they said involved being “restricted from church services”, and it would generally be the result of “some level of unfaithfulness.”
They assured The Telegraph it did not involve “locking someone in their bedroom.”
If these issues cannot be resolved, which can sometimes take years, a person can be “excommunicated”.
The Hales said eight people had left the Church in Sydney over the past decade.
“We have meaningful, genuine relationships (with people who leave),” Charles said.
“If they need help - we’ll help them. But if someone left and went off about the Church … I’m probably not going to talk to them,” he said.
Dean added: “It’s left up to the individual family member to decide whether they want to have that contact. (You just) can’t sit down for meals with them.”
Charles also said the brothers had known of gay members who had “remained in the church for years” before departing on “amicable terms.”
“Coming out as gay does not mean you are immediately put out of the Brethren,” he said.
But he then added a caveat: “The nature and character of the lifestyle of a gay person is regarded by the Brethren as against the law of God, which finally means their situation becomes incompatible with the Brethren fellowship.”
Many of these claims are not reflected by some former members, including Lavinia Richardson, who endured vastly different experiences in the Brethren to what the Hales brothers claim.
Ms Richardson’s relationship with her parents who remain in the Church is “almost non-existent” and she was not invited to her sister’s wedding today.
Dean and Charles are two of six children born to Bruce Hales, who is the most senior leader of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. It is unclear how Mr Hales Sr became the “Minister of the Lord in the Recovery” in 2002, and who the next leader might be.
“There is no formal process. There’s no paid clergy or structure per se,” Dean claimed.
The family’s significant wealth, political views and property portfolio in Sydney will be examined by The Daily Telegraph in coming days.
At one point during the interview Dean opened his phone and eagerly showed an app featuring a live tally of 56,000 Brethren members across the globe, in almost 20 countries. It displayed the faces of family members, contact details and, in some cases, home addresses.
“Marriages. Births. It tells you when someone was taken (died). And if I jump on here - say I’m allocated somewhere for lunch. I’ve never been to their house - I jump on here and I can click on Google Maps,” Dean said.
“But again - all by choice. If you don’t want a photo on there, don’t put a photo,” Charles said.
We asked if the app was also tracking Brethren members, as some media and former members have claimed. The question prompted sudden, extreme laughter to fill the room.
“It’s comedy,” Charles said.
“Absolutely not. They say we control everyone’s computers and devices. We have a … safe web filtering tool, but that does not track devices,” Dean said. “It would be illegal for a start.”
Do you know more? Email james.willis@news.com.au
