PoliticalGroove Forums - View Single Post

RK77 · 03-29-2008, 09:36 PM

Dysfunction in the Fellowship Family
by Ben Daniel

The Fellowship Foundation, a secretive organization of wealthy and powerful American political, religious, and business leaders, would rather that you not be aware of its existence.

The Fellowship Foundation is an organization that goes by many names, but members mostly call it “the Fellowship,” or just “the Family.” It is a loose, worldwide affiliation of mostly wealthy, mostly powerful, mostly men, using the Mafia as an organizational model. Preaching a simple gospel of “Jesus plus nothing,” and, being adverse to institutionalized forms of Christianity (even shunning the name “Christian”), the Fellowship eschews organized churches, choosing instead to build strong relationships in the community of small cell groups. Each year the Fellowship hosts the National Prayer Breakfast and hundreds of prayer breakfasts worldwide, and through the relationships developed in these cell groups and prayer breakfasts, the Fellowship quietly exerts great influence within our nation’s corridors of power. For years, the Fellowship has operated without accountability, oversight, or restraint, in ways that are cultlike in the spiritual, emotional, and personal control that is exerted over members.....

......The Fellowship’s connection to power and wealth has has created what Chris Hayashida Knight, an ex-member from San Francisco, describes as “a priesthood of rich white guys,” men who are admired for their faith, respected because of their wealth, and feared on
account of their power. These are men no one really wants to piss off.

In fact, while soliciting interviews for this article very few people were willing to be interviewed
on the record. “Don’t use my name because I’m afraid of these people,” was an oft-repeated
refrain. Others expressed hesitancy to talk saying “I don’t want to break down the Body of
Christ.” The frequency with which both mantras were repeated is emblematic of the kind of
control exerted by the Fellowship over its members.........

......Life among the young people who live in the Fellowship’s homes is spiritually, emotionally, and
physically regimented in ways that are cult-like in their intensity. Absolute commitment is
required. In all things members are obliged to subject themselves to the will of the group,
becoming empty vessels ready to be filled with Jesus and a vaguely articulated Fellowship vision.
In an interview for this article, Jeffrey Sharlet, who for nearly a month lived at Ivanwald, the
Fellowship house for young men, and who later wrote about his experiences in the March 2003
edition of Harper’s Magazine, reports a constant striving for “an almost Buddhist commitment
to nothingness.” Mild hazing and intense scrutiny of the men’s past sins and shameful habits
were used to keep the men mindful of their humility........

........In addition, some Christian leaders are beginning to raise cautious and thoughtful questions about the Fellowship’s attitude toward women. An Evangelical scholar told me of being troubled after a chapel service at the college where she works. Doug Coe’s sister, a Fellowship adherent, had delivered a message promoting a spirituality that the scholar described as being “overly prescriptive of men’s and women’s roles and differences in function.”

Such attitudes toward women often are lived out in the Fellowship with painful consequences.
Despite the spoken promise that they are to be considered equal partners in the Fellowship's
ministry and honored sisters in the Fellowship family, the women of Potomac Point are treated as servants and are reminded that their role, both in life and in the work of the Fellowship, is one of quiet, strong support for the work of the men.......

Many of the women with whom I spoke reported being treated, at the same time, as children in need of instruction and as sexual deviants worthy of reproach. Such perceptions are not unfounded. One deeply committed Fellowship member spoke of his marriage apologetically,
comparing it to the marriage of the Biblical prophet Hosea, who was directed by God to marry a harlot so that the prophet might learn of the hardships God endures.

........Questions also are being raised about the Fellowship’s honesty. The Fellowship Foundation is
registered as a public charity in IRS Publication 78. According to a September 2002 article in
the Los Angeles Times, they have a large annual budget, significant real estate holdings worth
millions and dozens of employees. The Fellowship also has a clear leader in the person of Doug
Coe, and their records are archived at Wheaton College’s Billy Graham Library. Yet publicly the
Fellowship claims not to exist as an organization. Followers insist they are a “movement,” a
“vision,” a “family,” a “network of brothers,” but they tend to downplay and even deny the existence
of the Fellowship as a legal entity........

The entire article

******************************************

This article is very long but the information is, to say the least very troubling.

03-29-2008, 09:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
RK77 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Michigan by way of Iowa Posts: 7,692 Thanks: 963 Thanked 334 Times in 225 Posts	The Fellowship cult: Abuses of women Dysfunction in the Fellowship Family by Ben Daniel The Fellowship Foundation, a secretive organization of wealthy and powerful American political, religious, and business leaders, would rather that you not be aware of its existence. The Fellowship Foundation is an organization that goes by many names, but members mostly call it “the Fellowship,” or just “the Family.” It is a loose, worldwide affiliation of mostly wealthy, mostly powerful, mostly men, using the Mafia as an organizational model. Preaching a simple gospel of “Jesus plus nothing,” and, being adverse to institutionalized forms of Christianity (even shunning the name “Christian”), the Fellowship eschews organized churches, choosing instead to build strong relationships in the community of small cell groups. Each year the Fellowship hosts the National Prayer Breakfast and hundreds of prayer breakfasts worldwide, and through the relationships developed in these cell groups and prayer breakfasts, the Fellowship quietly exerts great influence within our nation’s corridors of power. For years, the Fellowship has operated without accountability, oversight, or restraint, in ways that are cultlike in the spiritual, emotional, and personal control that is exerted over members..... ......The Fellowship’s connection to power and wealth has has created what Chris Hayashida Knight, an ex-member from San Francisco, describes as “a priesthood of rich white guys,” men who are admired for their faith, respected because of their wealth, and feared on account of their power. These are men no one really wants to piss off. In fact, while soliciting interviews for this article very few people were willing to be interviewed on the record. “Don’t use my name because I’m afraid of these people,” was an oft-repeated refrain. Others expressed hesitancy to talk saying “I don’t want to break down the Body of Christ.” The frequency with which both mantras were repeated is emblematic of the kind of control exerted by the Fellowship over its members......... ......Life among the young people who live in the Fellowship’s homes is spiritually, emotionally, and physically regimented in ways that are cult-like in their intensity. Absolute commitment is required. In all things members are obliged to subject themselves to the will of the group, becoming empty vessels ready to be filled with Jesus and a vaguely articulated Fellowship vision. In an interview for this article, Jeffrey Sharlet, who for nearly a month lived at Ivanwald, the Fellowship house for young men, and who later wrote about his experiences in the March 2003 edition of Harper’s Magazine, reports a constant striving for “an almost Buddhist commitment to nothingness.” Mild hazing and intense scrutiny of the men’s past sins and shameful habits were used to keep the men mindful of their humility........ ........In addition, some Christian leaders are beginning to raise cautious and thoughtful questions about the Fellowship’s attitude toward women. An Evangelical scholar told me of being troubled after a chapel service at the college where she works. Doug Coe’s sister, a Fellowship adherent, had delivered a message promoting a spirituality that the scholar described as being “overly prescriptive of men’s and women’s roles and differences in function.” Such attitudes toward women often are lived out in the Fellowship with painful consequences. Despite the spoken promise that they are to be considered equal partners in the Fellowship's ministry and honored sisters in the Fellowship family, the women of Potomac Point are treated as servants and are reminded that their role, both in life and in the work of the Fellowship, is one of quiet, strong support for the work of the men....... Many of the women with whom I spoke reported *being treated, at the same time, as children in need of instruction and as sexual deviants worthy of reproach.* Such perceptions are not unfounded. One deeply committed Fellowship member spoke of his marriage apologetically, comparing it to the marriage of the Biblical prophet Hosea, who was directed by God to marry a harlot so that the prophet might learn of the hardships God endures. ........Questions also are being raised about the Fellowship’s honesty. The Fellowship Foundation is registered as a public charity in IRS Publication 78. According to a September 2002 article in the Los Angeles Times, they have a large annual budget, significant real estate holdings worth millions and dozens of employees. The Fellowship also has a clear leader in the person of Doug Coe, and their records are archived at Wheaton College’s Billy Graham Library. Yet publicly the Fellowship claims not to exist as an organization. Followers insist they are a “movement,” a “vision,” a “family,” a “network of brothers,” but they tend to downplay and even deny the existence of the Fellowship as a legal entity........ The entire article ****************************************** This article is very long but the information is, to say the least very troubling. Last edited by RK77; 03-29-2008 at 09:39 PM.
	Top