Melbourne Revival Centre
Geelong Revival Centre
RCI
Group Founder:
Lloyd Longfield (aka "Pastor Lloyd")
Description of Group:
A Bible-based, Pentecostal/evangelical group. Founded
in Australia in 1958 by Lloyd Longfield & Noel Hollins, who
broke away from the Christian Revival Crusade. The group started
as the Melbourne & Geelong Revival Centres...Spread to other
states of Australia, and overseas to New Guinea, USA, UK, France,
Africa, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong and other countries... They
claim to have started earlier than 1958 in order to fulfill some
obscure prophesy... Teaches Bible numerics, speaking in tongues
& British Israel theory... All members are encouraged to "give
over" to the leadership, all activities are controlled by
a set of often changed guidelines, separation from the "world"
is encouraged... A split occurred in 1996 over the issue of sex
before marriage...They lost almost 2 thirds of their membership,
including half of their overseas assemblies...The Assemblies remaining
with the RCI are located in Australia (Half remained, half went
with the new group), Canada, USA, UK, Fiji, New Zealand, Italy,
Kenya, Papua New Guinea & Malawi...The splinter group is called
the Revival Fellowship & it is identical to the original group
except for the doctrine which caused the split... The new group
is headed by John Kuhlmann... The leaders of both groups live
in virtual luxury, without any obvious source of income... The
last I heard Longfield owned the old Mayor Mansion in Melbourne
& has all the land owned by the RCI in his name...Pretty good
for a guy who owns a small butcher shop in downtown Melbourne...He
also bought both his sons a Range Rover which retail from AUS$100,000...
John Kuhlmann drives a luxury car, has a large home & no visible
signs of an income...All the land owned by the Revival Fellowship
is in his name... The members of both groups are not permitted
to see the groups financial records... The RCI was recently handed
over to Longfield's son Simon..Longfield was in poor health &
it was rumoured he was showing early signs of dementia...
The BITE model applied to RCI:
Compiled from former members' submissions
Behavior Control:
1. Regulation of individual?s physical reality
Members are expected to dress conservatively...no
short skirts, no tight jeans, no tattoos, men are not allowed
to wear earrings...Contact with ex-members is forbidden...Members
are encouraged to break contact with any "unsavoury"
friends...The group comes before family...They own camping grounds
which members are encouraged to go to on vacation...If members
go interstate or overseas it is expected that they will stay with
other members & continue going to meetings...There are 5 meetings
a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & 2 on Sunday), there are
activities organised for Saturdays & a compulsory youth group
for single people under 30's...Thursday is set aside for a coffee
morning & door knocking, which everyone is expected to attend
at least once a month...Failure to attend at least 3 meetings
a week plus the activities on Saturday results in a visit from
the "middle management" ie. houseleaders or newer Pastors
who reports back to the leadership...Public image! ! is everything...single
men cannot have female housemates & vice versa, members are
not allowed to go into pubs (not even to get a meal), those having
sex outside of marriage are forced to marry or are expelled from
the group...
2. Major time commitment required for indoctrination sessions
and group rituals
New members are "taken in" by older members who live
near by them & escorted to all group activities... Members
are encouraged to "pray" with the leadership for long
periods until they "receive" ie. start speaking in tongues...New
member meetings are offered & attendance is strongly "encouraged"...
3. Need to ask permission for major decisions
All major decisions have to be approved by the pastors...This
includes legal decisions...Pastors have been known to intervene
in custody battles & go against custody orders ie. encouraging
the member to deny access visits to the non-member parent...Abused
women are often ordered back to their husbands, divorce is forbidden,
the partner filing for divorce is promptly removed from the group...
4. Need to report thoughts, feelings and activities to superiors
The pastor's door is always open...Members are encouraged
to "discuss" all their feelings with the leadership...Withholding
information is considered the same as lying to God...
5. Rewards and punishments (behavior modification techniques -
positive and negative)
Disobeying the Pastors or "sinning" in any way is punishable
by expulsion from the group or being banned from attending any
fun activities eg. group picnics etc...I have witnessed a Pastor
intervening in the discipline if a member's child...Telling the
child they are evil & of the devil because they are misbehaving...All
youth group members are given a curfew of midnight regardless
of age, anyone caught out after this time is disciplined as the
the leadership sees fit...
6. Individualism discouraged; group think prevails
No expression of doubt or negative feelings/thoughts
about the group is tolerated...It is considered divisionary...Members
must present a united front...
7. Rigid rules and regulations
There are enforced "guidelines" which
are changed at the whim of the leadership...No-one ever knows
all the rules...disobeying them leads to immediate disciplinary
action & carries with it the threat of expulsion from the
group...
8. Need for obedience and dependency.
Disobeying the leadership is like disobeying god...dependence
is encouraged, several biblical passages are used to illustrate
that truly godly people should "give over" to those
who know best ie. the leadership...
Information Control:
1. Use of deception
The full history of the British Israel Theory is
not made known to group members...Members are not made aware of
recent research into Bible numerics...Sexual education is withheld
& discouraged...Appalling Greek, Hebrew & Latin translations
ie. highly inaccurate...Crime statistics exaggerated to make group
seem safer & to support their "end times" theories...Claiming
miraculous cures for asymptomatic conditions such as AIDS...Stories
made up about ex-members to support the belief that life is "sevenfold"
bad for you if you leave the group...Rumours are circulated about
members who are questioning too much...
2. Access to non-cult sources of information minimized
or discouraged
Members have to check with pastors before they
buy a book on religious theory or go to see a movie...Members
are discouraged from watching TV or listening to rock music...Members
are advised what books to buy & are provided with tapes of
previous "talks" & "appropriate" music...Contact
with ex-members forbidden, members kept busy...Recently a ban
on internet access has been instituted due to the amount of anti-RCI/Revival
Fellowship material available...
3. Compartmentalization of information; Outsider
vs. Insider doctrines
The leadership know's everything about everyone,
almost nothing is known about the leaders...Information given
out on a need to know basis...
4. Spying on other members is encouraged
Members are encouraged to "tell on" other
members for their own spiritual good, so that they can be corrected...New
members are paired up with older members who are in favour with
the leadership...Due to the spying members are convinced that
God is telling the leadership everything, therefore it is pointless
not divulging every thought, feeling & action to the pastors...
5. Extensive use of cult generated information and
propaganda
The group has a news letter, a magazine & various
audio & video tapes which members are encouraged to buy &
distribute amongst prospective recruits...
6. Unethical use of confession
Threats to divulge information about past "sins"
to other members are used to keep people "in-line"...
Thought Control:
1. Need to internalize the group?s doctrine as "Truth"
The RCI is the one true church...Us vs Them mentality,
the outside world is considered a dangerous place & the people
in it agents of the devil...RCI members are considered elite,
they call themselves "saints"...There are no "grey
areas" everything is either good or bad, there are no in
betweens, no excuses...A common phrase used by members is: "if
you are not with us you are against us"...
2. Adopt "loaded" language (characterized
by "thought-terminating clichés")
Non-members often need a translator to understand
what RCI members are saying...Certain phrases are meant to elicit
certain responses...
3. Only "good" and "proper"
thoughts are encouraged
Any "impure" thoughts are said to be
the devil creeping in...If this is occurring the individual is
encouraged to pray (in tongues) on it, talk to the Pastors &
devote more time to the group...
4. Thought-stopping techniques
It is common to hear current members justify the
leadership's actions & aggressively defend them...Members
are encouraged to "speak in tongues" often & for
long periods, especially when they are having doubts...
5. No critical questions about leader, doctrine,
or policy seen as legitimate
Critical questions are greeted with hostility or
the questioner is patronised & told not to worry about it..If
it continues the faith of the questioner is brought into question
& they are told to go read their Bible because that is where
they will find the answers to all their questions...Too much questioning
leads to a "smear campaign" by the Pastors & eventual
expulsion from the group...
6. No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate,
good, or useful
Alternative belief systems are ridiculed regularly at meetings...Anti-Catholic
sentiment prevails..
Emotional Control:
1. Manipulate and narrow the range of a person?s
feelings
Individual only allowed to feel happy...sadness
or anger is dismissed or ridiculed...
2. Make the person feel like if there are ever
any problems it is always their fault, never the leader?s or the
group's.
If a member is not satisfied in the group it is
said that their faith is not strong enough or that they are not
doing enough for the group or God...
3. Excessive use of guilt
Members are made to feel guilty if they are not
"perfect", if they have not yet converted their family,
if they wish to associate with people outside the group, if they
believe they are returning to their "old ways"...RCI
absolves members of any "historical guilt" because they
believe they are seperate from the Christian church that went
before them...
4. Excessive use of fear
Members are made to fear the "world"
because it is supposedly dangerous & full of temptation...Anyone
not in support of the RCI is considered to be an agent of the
devil, a huge number of "sins" & leaving the group
can lead to loss of salvation...Members fear not having the pastors'
approval, all their actions are governed by this fear...Members
are well aware that if they leave the group they will lose their
entire social network...
5. Extremes of emotional highs and lows.
Meetings are always upbeat, lots of singing &
rhythmic clapping...The "talks" are generally depressing
& re-inforce the idea that the "world" is an evil,
horrible place & that those who want to return to it must
be mad...
6. Ritual and often public confession of "sins".
It is expected that all "sins" will be
confessed to the Pastors....Forgiveness by God is all important,
the only way to gain this is by acknowledging your "sins"
& confessing them to the Pastors...They will make deals with
you eg. "If you marry now you can stay in the group &
gain forgiveness. If not I'm afraid you will have to leave &
I won't be able to guarantee your forgiveness"...
7. Phobia indoctrination
Leaving the group is said to be turning your back
on God, therefore everything will be "sevenfold bad for you"...Those
leaving are said to have been weak & seduced by the "world"...It
is expected these people will become drug addicts, insane, chronically
ill or die...The Pastors are always ready with a story to prove
their point...It is also said that once leaving you will be empty
& unspiritual, you will never find fullfillment...
Organizations Related to the Group:
Revival Fellowship (RF) and Christian Assemblies
International (a splinter group of R.C.I. Revival Centres International).
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