The Exclusive Brethren’s “Man of God”, Bruce Hales, has won the full-throated support of high-profile American right-wing advocacy group Turning Point USA as he prepares for a parliamentary-committee grilling about his church’s pro-Coalition campaign at the last election.
asserted
he → win → election
The American lobby group, once headed by slain activist Charlie Kirk, claims summoning Hales to give evidence before a hearing of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters on Friday signals a broader attack on people of faith.
uncertain
summoning → head → faith
“The Brethren may be the first to face this, but I do not believe they will be the last,” wrote Pastor Lucas Miles, who leads Turning Point USA Faith, in a recent post on social media platform X.
uncertain
who → face → X.
“If this approach succeeds against one church, it becomes a precedent of intimidation for all churches.”
asserted
it → succeed → churches
Miles called on the Trump government to lobby the Australian government on the matter.
asserted
Miles → call → matter
Hales and his son, Gareth, will give evidence on Friday after a request from the Electoral Matters Committee, which is investigating the church’s undisclosed pro-Peter Dutton campaign at the last election.
asserted
which → give → election
The committee is probing whether the church should be declared a “significant third-party” campaigner under electoral law, given the huge size of its secretive financial and campaign contributions.
asserted
church → probe → contributions
The Brethren claims the campaigning was carried out by motivated individual church members, who co-ordinated the action themselves.
uncertain
who → claim → action
It had, they say, nothing to do with the church.
asserted
they → have → church
Hales’ son and potential successor, Gareth, will give evidence immediately before his father.
asserted
son → give → father
He was among the senior Brethren elders in chats with far-right figures, co-ordinating a series of stunts against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Greens and teal candidates.
asserted
He → co → Albanese
Gareth’s company, Sante Global, organised key meetings that included far-right figures and neo-Nazi associates and is identified in the paper trail of payments to them.
asserted
that → organise → them
It’s the first time since the early 1990s – before he was the world leader of the wealthy separatist church – that Bruce Hales has been called to account by a “worldly” authority.
asserted
Hales → ’ → authority
In a statement run in The Australian this week, Bruce Hales claimed: “I did not participate in the [election] campaign, nor did I ask anyone to do so.
“There has been considerable misinformation spread by the press, but I am completely confident that truth will prevail and God’s rights in upholding government will be upheld until we are no longer here on Earth and in this world.”
asserted
we → run → world
The final reference is to the “Rapture” – a key Brethren teaching which predicts Hales’ followers, “the saints”, will be secretly swept up to heaven before others by the second coming of Jesus Christ.
asserted
which → predict → Christ
Hales has said this moment is “overdue”.
asserted
moment → say → ?
Hales also preaches a radical “doctrine of separation”, under which his members cannot eat or drink with people outside the church.
asserted
members → preach → church
Women cannot preach and cannot take a leadership position over a man, and homosexuality cannot be practised.
asserted
homosexuality → preach → man
The Brethren must cultivate “a hatred, an utter hatred of the world”, Hales has preached.
asserted
Hales → cultivate → world
“You must hate the world, every feature of the world, at every point you hate it,” he told his flock in 2006.
asserted
he → hate → 2006
Referring to the decision to call Hales to give evidence, Pastor Miles, who is also president of US Christian conglomerate The Nfluence Network, Inc., wrote: “We are going to need the full force and support of all those who value the freedom of the faithful to engage this!
asserted
who → refer → this
Ignore it, and don’t be surprised when this comes to a city near you!”
asserted
this → ignore → you
Miles called on the Trump government to “take notice”, and encouraged the US state department to “raise these concerns directly with Australian counterparts”.
asserted
Miles → call → counterparts
The Department of Foreign Affairs has been approached to ask if they have received any communications.
asserted
they → approach → communications
Hales has also received the backing of the Coalition, which has accused the Electoral Matters Committee of a witch hunt, persecuting a religious minority, being un-Australian and trying to bring about a “Communist utopia”.
asserted
which → receive → utopia
Australian Christian lobby group Freedom for Faith – which also counts hard-right Jewish organisation the Australian Jewish Association in its coalition – has also supported Hales despite a record of antisemitic statements reported by this masthead.
asserted
which → count → masthead
The Aporia
