The principle of ostracisation was explained in a broadcast via live streaming, and copies of these messages are available on this website on request.
During BCF’s meeting on Sunday, October 27, 2024, the Presbytery’s ‘Word’ was directed towards those that have left the organisation or who do not obey. The banner at the bottom of the screen read ‘Presbytery Fellowship Word.’
The leader who spoke reminded the congregation that Jesus (‘the Lord’) said “You are mine”, meaning you are God’s people.
The speaker then said, “Of this word that’s being proclaimed to us, what person does that not apply to?” [meaning which people are excluded from being God’s people]
Listeners were told that Jesus also said, “On account of your own choice, you are not my own people,” and the speaker repeats the question of which people were not included when Jesus said, ‘You are my people’.
He went on to say,
‘Does that not apply to the ones that were here that have departed? Does that not apply to our children who’ve chosen to be an enemy of the cross’ [meaning a person becomes the enemy of the cross if they leave]?
Further, he says:
‘Every person can be choosing to be made one of the Lord’s people if they connect to the cross of Christ”,
‘There’s no other pathway; there’s no other place where we become the Lord’s people unless we’re joined to the cross of Christ.’
The speaker then references Abraham and his brother (whose name was ‘Lot’).
The speaker says Abraham loved Lot and so Abraham ‘commended Lot to…fellowship in the cross of Christ and he’ [meaning Abraham] never saw Lot again.’
The speaker then asked:
‘Are you willing to do that for your family, for your children? For your loved ones that have turned away.’
‘Are you willing to say, I’m commending you to the cross of Christ, and I don’t know whether I’ll see you again?”
‘Cause I don’t know what choice you’re going to make.
The inference being that “If you don’t make a decision to return to this church, you will never see your family again.”
He confirmed this ’Word’ has been preached many times by the Presbytery:
‘And I know we’ve heard the Word on this many times, many times, but the Lord is today saying it again.’
Having finished explaining the principle of ostracization, the speaker says:
‘Praise the Lord.’ [the inference being that we should celebrate the presence of ostracization]
and he said:
‘You’ve got to accept this is your gospel.’
‘You’ve got to do it’… ‘There’s no other pathway.
The speaker then describes the efforts made by mothers, fathers, and grandparents to reconnect with BCF members that have cut them off:
‘And taking every activity and every initiative to try to glean some sort of connection, some sort of relationship… we have to learn this, don’t we? Isn’t the Lord’s yearning heart much greater than yours?
The inference is that ‘the Lord’s yearning heart’ involving the principle of ostracisation is more important than the desire of mothers, fathers, and grandparents to reunite with their BCF family members.
The speaker closes by assuring the congregation that:
‘There is power here today to believe this word, which we can join today.’
The congregation then is asked to stand. They raise their hands skyward and sing a song in praise to God, and the meeting continued.
The CF organization teaches that the Presbytery hears the ‘Word of the Lord’ and it is their role to explain the ‘Word of the Lord’ to the congregants as the ‘Messengers’ of God’s word.
Congregation believes this, and they are reminded that unless they obey the Presbytery, their salvation is at risk.
One fundamental message preached by the Presbytery is the principle of ostracisation. The Presbytery explains this principle in a variety of ways, but in substance:
Congregants are told ‘the Lord’ does not want them to have anything to do with family or friends who reject Presbytery directives. The Presbytery’s directives are equated with the ‘Word of the Lord.’
The Presbytery does not use the term ‘Principle of ostracisation’. Many other words are used by the Presbytery, but the outcome is the same, and for this reason we use the ‘Principle of Ostracisation’ in this website.
The existence of the Presbytery’s principle of ostracisation carries with it the possibility that congregants may feel pressure to obey, so they themselves are not ostracised.
Other pressures may exist if congregants, who have chosen to obey the Presbytery (and actually cut off their loved ones), apply pressure to others to make the same kind of commitment to the Presbytery’s directives.
Whether the mechanisms described above are intended to secure control over people or not, their existence completes a set of policies and procedures within the CF organization that could be used to obtain a damaging level of influence over many people’s lives.
We would welcome an investigation into these policies and procedures to determine if,
