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84-591: They were founded in Australia in 1981 by Dave and Cherry McKay, and have a three-decade-long history of controversy documented extensively by the media. Their core beliefs are based on the teachings of Jesus with special emphasis on his decree from the Sermon on the Mount , that his followers "cannot serve both God and money". While they are often involved in volunteering and political activism their principal activity

168-671: A Hampshire forest, and placed in a foster home . No members of the Jesus Christians were charged with kidnapping but a charge of contempt of court (for failing to answer questions from the High Court judge) resulted in six-month sentences for Susan and Roland Gianstefani. The solicitor for the Gianstefani's told the court that the Gianstefani's feared Bobby might be subjected to the deprogramming of his religious beliefs if they had revealed his whereabouts. Minutes before

252-404: A bill of rights , the death penalty , prisoners issues, free speech , sniffer dogs , double jeopardy , freedom of information , the right to protest , ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) rights, asylum seekers , drug reform and privacy . The council elects a committee of volunteers to manage the operation of the organisation. This committee consists of 15 ordinary members. This

336-553: A "permanent organisation concerned with civil liberties". The foundation meeting was held at Sydney University on 13 September 1963 and among those present or who had expressed interest were notable figures such as Neville Wran , John Kerr QC , Lionel Murphy QC , James McClelland , Professor Alan Stout , and Berenice Granger (later Berenice Buckley). The late 1960s and 70s saw the NSWCCL's membership rapidly increased as did press coverage of its work. Notably, during this time period

420-538: A 16-year-old boy, Bobby Kelly. Bobby had picked up a Jesus Christians cartoon book called The Liberator in Romford High Street, Essex near the end of June 2000, and gone home to tell his grandmother about the Christian man he met. Bobby went out again that afternoon and returned to tell his grandmother he wanted to join the Jesus Christians. A few days later, "an Australian couple with their young son,

504-459: A 2013 article which uses a photograph of the "Nappy Chappies" labelled as the Children of God. In 1998, there was a split in the community. Craig and Yesamma Hendry and their family, Kevin and Elisabeth McKay, Boyd and Sheri Ellery and their family, Darren and Donna Cooke, Ray Sippel, Josh, and Tim left the community in Australia. Boyd wrote to the remaining community "The Spirit you are following

588-489: A German, and two English men" from the group visited and met Bobby's grandmother. In the first two weeks of July, while Bobby was with the group and before the scandal had hit the headlines, Bobby visited his youth worker from St. Peters Anglican Church in Harold Wood . He had previously attended that church. The youth worker, David Whitehouse, told the press a week later, "The group has a veneer of respectability, but there

672-406: A Public Interest Monitor which would have the power to review applications for surveillance device warrants, to request further information about the warrant, and to address the person or body which has issued the warrant. The organisation has noted the encroaching on "the fundamental rights and liberties of Australians" by onerous counter-terrorism laws. In October 2023, the NSWCCL submitted that

756-565: A dramatic increase in numbers after starting its video ministry in 2016. In 2019, the group was profiled for inclusion in the World Religions and Spirituality Project , which provides independent academic insight into the group, its beliefs, and history. The history and activities of the Jesus Christians over the years have been extensively documented by both the group and the mainstream media, attracting both positive and negative attention. Some older newspaper articles were reproduced on

840-420: A fractured spine, bleeding on the brain, broken teeth, and numerous cuts to the head and face. An amateur video was made of the attack but the police never prosecuted the case. Although the family did not attend the trial, various sentences of 5-25 lashes of the whip were carried out on volunteers from the Jesus Christians themselves, as an attempt to illustrate their understanding of the cross of Christ. "God hates

924-570: A kidney to a stranger. The documentary, 'Ash's Anatomy', covers the attempts of his parents to thwart his attempts to donate a kidney. The follow-up report, 'Body and Soul', broadcast in June 2008 follows Ash's continued attempt, and his final success, at donating his kidney. Ash left the community shortly after donating to work restoring bicycles for a charity. In 2005, a charge of abduction was made against Roland and Susan Gianstefani in Kenya, this time by

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1008-546: A long history of advocacy for LGBTQI+ rights and as recently as November, 2022, adopted a formal policy. This document reiterates the Councils position for many LGBTQI+ rights issues including: supporting a ban on LGBTQI+ conversion practices, opposing the privileging of religious rights at the expense of LGBTQI+ ones, and also opposing any discrimination in healthcare and education settings. Former President of NSW Council for Civil Liberties Stephen Blanks raised questions about

1092-544: A media storm around the donations as well as his role in the decisions made by members to donate kidneys. In 2004, the group made headlines in Australia when David McKay revealed that members in Australia had lied to health authorities in order to be able to donate their kidneys. In June 2007, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 's Australian Story broadcast the first of a two-part report on Ash Falkingham's fight for his right to donate

1176-679: A more general spiritual nature. The group, which had been limited to about 30 members worldwide for decades, reported a dramatic increase in numbers after starting its video ministry in 2016. As of May 2023 A Voice in the Desert channel has over 140,000 subscribers and close to 13 million accumulated views. On December 7, 2017, at the annual conference of The Australian Association for the Study of Religion in Sydney, Australia, Geraldine Smith presented an academic paper accompanied by formal discussion about

1260-475: A mountain, but giving the sermon on the way down at a level spot. Some scholars believe that they are the same sermon, while others hold that Jesus frequently preached similar themes in different places. NSW Council for Civil Liberties Founded in 1963, the charter of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties is to protect the rights and liberties of Australian citizens (as long as they do not infringe on

1344-477: A police raid on a Kings Cross party, a raid without a warrant. Among the partygoers was Ken Buckley, a Senior Lecturer in Economic History at University of Sydney. Incensed by this incident, Buckley publicly campaigned against arbitrary and oppressive actions by the police. He was later joined by Dr Dick Krugman and Jack Sweeney QC in this campaign and to seek expressions of interests for the foundation of

1428-467: A symbol of distress) and the caption "Pride Goeth Before a Fall" In 1994, Rob and Christine Dunn, Gary, Dave and Cherry McKay, Ross Parry, Rachel Sukamaran, Malcolm Wrest, Craig, Kevin, Rols, Sue, Sinni, Liz, Boyd, Chris, Roshini, and Sheri were among Jesus Christian members who voluntarily cleaned sewers and toilets in India. After one protest, where members stood in the sewer for a week to draw attention to

1512-581: A year as they attempted to donate their kidneys to strangers in the UK and the US. The successful donations of members Casey Crouch, Robin Dunn and Susan Gianstefani are featured. The film also documents the tension that arose between Ronson and McKay during filming: McKay became increasingly concerned that Ronson was portraying the Jesus Christians in a poor light and Ronson was concerned about McKay's ideas to try to manipulate

1596-414: Is evangelism , which they accomplish through the distribution of self-produced comics, books, pamphlets, and DVDs, and via videos published on YouTube and other social media . The majority of their publications are written by their co-founder, Dave McKay. The videos on their YouTube channel, A Voice in the Desert, were originally narrated by Dave McKay, but have since been narrated by other members of

1680-507: Is a focal point of the Sermon that summarizes its teachings by advising the disciples to seek perfection. The Greek word telios used to refer to perfection also implies an end, or destination, advising the disciples to seek the path towards perfection and the Kingdom of God. It teaches that God's children are those who act like God. The teachings of the sermon are often referred to as

1764-460: Is fitting to add [to the Sermon on the Mount] the moral catechesis of the apostolic teachings, such as Romans 12-15 , 1 Corinthians 12-13 , Colossians 3-4 , Ephesians 4-5 , etc." The high ethical standards of the Sermon have been interpreted in a wide variety of ways by different Christian groups. North American Biblical scholar Craig S. Keener finds at least 36 different interpretations of

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1848-604: Is in addition to the NSWCCL Executive. The current Executive are: The council is primarily funded through annual subscriptions of members, donations, and other sources as determined by the Committee. It is an incorporated organisation. The council has historically criticised overreach and the extension of powers by law enforcement agencies and especially the NSW Police. In 2020, the NSWCCL expressed concern that

1932-582: Is not Christ's. We will have no part of your hierarchies and fleshly importance." The remaining community were "encouraged to avoid private correspondence or discussions with them..." In July 1999, 19-year-old Kyri Sheridan joined the Jesus Christians in the UK. His mother reported him missing to the Guildford Police in Surrey . Kyri presented himself at the Guildford police station to state that he

2016-446: Is something very disturbing about them. When I saw Bobby a week ago, he was with three of them, and he seemed very scared, which was unlike him". Sometime before July 14, anti-cult expert Graham Baldwin was reportedly contacted by "someone close to the family who suspected that something was wrong, and did something to try to save him". It has not been established that David Whitehouse was the person who contacted him. Baldwin worked for

2100-514: The Lord's Prayer . It also contains what many consider to be the central tenets of Christian discipleship . The setting for the sermon is given in Matthew 5:1 - 2 . There, Jesus is said to see the crowds, to go up the mountain accompanied by his disciples, to sit down, and to begin his speech. He comes down from the mountain in Matthew 8:1 . Although the issues of Matthew's compositional plan for

2184-621: The Mount of Beatitudes has been commemorated as the physical site at which the sermon took place. Other locations, such as Mount Arbel and the Horns of Hattin , have also been suggested as possibilities. This sermon is one of the most widely quoted sections of the Gospels , including some of the best-known sayings attributed to Jesus, such as the Beatitudes and the commonly recited version of

2268-529: The NSW Council for Civil Liberties intervened. In May and June 1985, six of the youngest members of the community, 12-year-old Rachel Sukamaran, Malcolm Wrest, Roland Gianstefani, Robin Dunn, and Gary McKay, headed by 15-year-old Christine McKay, walked 1,000 miles across the Nullarbor Desert in the interior of Australia without taking any money, provisions, or support vehicle for their journey, prompting controversy and media interest. A book based on

2352-547: The Royal Easter Show in Sydney dressed as babies in over-sized nappies while distributing "The Baby Books", highlighting how Jesus said his followers need to become like children to enter into God's Kingdom. The introduction of the books stated "We are children of God" which led to confusion about the group being the same as the Children of God group started by David Berg . This continuing confusion can be seen in

2436-454: The new religious movement that Dave and Cherry McKay founded in the 1980s. In May 2019, a shortened excerpt of Geraldine Smith’s longer thesis was published on the World Religions and Spirituality Project web site. In August 2019, a video was published on the YouTube channel A Voice in the Desert explaining that although the Jesus Christians had formed separate ministries in 2010, due to

2520-444: The "Ethics of the Kingdom": they place a high level of emphasis on "purity of the heart" and embody the basic standard of Christian righteousness . The theological structure of the Sermon on the Mount is widely discussed. One group of theologians ranging from Saint Augustine in the 5th century to Michael Goulder in the 20th century, see the Beatitudes as the central element of the Sermon. Others such as Günther Bornkamm see

2604-546: The Australian embassy insisted he be charged or released. Roland and his wife Susan were charged and Roland was held in a remand prison in Nairobi until 600,000 Kenyan shillings bail was paid. The charges against him and Susan were dropped when Betty Njoroge appeared in court and presented an affidavit confirming she was acting of her own free will. Roland contracted tuberculosis in prison and Susan, who had earlier told

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2688-508: The Children of God. Dave, Cherry, Roland, and Sue were questioned by Jeremy Kyle and opponents of David McKay. At one point, due to the nature of the questioning, Dave McKay refused to reply to any more questions and walked out of the interview, then returned to say "Just let them do their thing". In February 2008, Roland, Susan, and Daniel Gianstefani were featured on the Channel 4 program Wife Swap , where freegan Susan went to live with

2772-670: The Council spent a significant amount of time defending the right to protest of conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War. It also set up a network of legal observers to attend protests and provide evidence in court hearings. The CCL was also involved in 1976 in the creation of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties which was to serve as a national organisation of affiliated Council for Civil Liberties in Australia. The inaugural President and Secretary of this organisation

2856-599: The Desert YouTube channel. Also in 2019, the Jesus Christians protested the arrest of Paul Nthenge Mackenzie , leader of Good News International Ministries on the grounds of religious liberty relating to his stance against the Huduma Namba biometric ID card. In March 2021, Pablo Salum founder of "LibreMentes" (Free Minds in English), an Argentine anti-cult organisation, filed a criminal complaint against

2940-553: The End Times. The videos were presented by ‘anonymous’ narrators, using masks and digitally altered voices, and included both members and non-members of the affiliated communities. An accompanying website of the same name was also launched in conjunction with the YouTube channel. In October 2016 another YouTube channel was launched, ‘A Voice in the Desert’. The videos primarily featured Dave as narrator of teaching videos on topics of

3024-648: The Gianstefanis were due to be sentenced, Bobby, who was kept in a separate room at the High Court, sent a note to the judge through the representative of the Official Solicitor saying that the Gianstefani's had acted nobly and they feared he (Bobby) might be subjected to the deprogramming of his religious beliefs if they had revealed his whereabouts. Bobby said: "I hope they don't get into trouble. They were willing to go to prison for me". The Gianstefanis' sentences were suspended after Bobby had pleaded with

3108-456: The Jesus Christians could not be found in the nationwide search, and when Bobby started doing telephone interviews with the media declaring that he had not been kidnapped, an emergency court ruling was made banning the broadcast of interviews with Bobby or the group, which the BBC successfully challenged. Bobby was eventually located hiding out with two Jesus Christian men, including Reinhard Zeuner, in

3192-469: The Jesus Christians with the story that Bobby had "disappeared" after he met the group: "Within hours Bobby had forsaken his possessions and moved in with the group. The police were called and the airports and docks were put on the highest alert". After The Express broke the story, instead of handing the boy over to the police, the Jesus Christians with Bobby "in tow", panicked and went "on the run". The UK Jesus Christians became fugitives for two weeks. When

3276-647: The Old Covenant , these new interpretations of the Law and Prophets are not opposed to the Old Testament , which was the position of Marcion , but form Jesus's new teachings which bring about salvation , and hence must be adhered to, as emphasized in Matthew 7:24–27 towards the end of the sermon. In Matthew 6 , Jesus condemns doing what would normally be " good works " simply for recognition and not from

3360-460: The President, Lydia Shelly, stated "We must not allow changes to our laws that will see our capacity to challenges ideas, positions and beliefs be taken away from us.” The NSWCCL's position is that the Australian government must have the "prior informed consent" of citizens for any communications surveillance or data collection it engages in. The Council has repeatedly called for the creation of

3444-477: The Sermon arranged around the Lord's Prayer , while Daniel Patte , closely followed by Ulrich Luz , see a chiastic structure in the sermon. Dale Allison and Glen Stassen have proposed a structure based on triads. Jack Kingsbury and Hans Dieter Betz see the sermon as composed of theological themes, e.g. righteousness or way of life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church suggests that "it

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3528-612: The Sermon is Matthew 5:17–48, traditionally referred to as "the Antitheses " or "Matthew's Antitheses". In the section, Jesus fulfils and reinterprets the Old Covenant and in particular its Ten Commandments , contrasting with what "you have heard" from others. For example, he advises turning the other cheek , and to love one's enemies , in contrast to taking an eye for an eye . According to most interpretations of Matthew 5:17 , 18 , 19 , and 20 , and most Christian views of

3612-681: The Sermon on the Mount remain unresolved among scholars, its structural components are clear. Matthew 5:3–12 includes the Beatitudes . These describe the character of the people of the Kingdom of Heaven, expressed as "blessings". The Greek word most versions of the Gospel render as "blessed," can also be translated "happy" (Matthew 5:3–12 in Young's Literal Translation for an example). In Matthew, there are eight (or nine) blessings, while in Luke there are four, followed by four woes. In almost all cases,

3696-558: The Wilderness. The name 'Jesus Christians' was selected in 1996. ("A Change of Name", August, 1996) In 1983, Australian media followed members of the community who offered to do free work for one day for any family or business which requested their assistance. In 1984, group member Boyd Ellery was sentenced to three months prison in Sydney for burning an Australian dollar note in a statement about trusting God and not money. The protest

3780-608: The World to refer to the disciples – implying their value. Elsewhere, in John 8:12, Jesus applies 'Light of the World' to himself. Jesus preaches about Hell and what Hell is like: "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother " Raca (fool)" shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." The longest section of

3864-582: The YouTube channel, End Time Survivors. Videos on the End Time Survivors YouTube channel featured anonymous presenters who faces were digitally altered or concealed with a mask. The only named presenter was “Brother Dave” who voiced the commentaries from the audio visual version of the Jesus Christian’s apocalyptic novel, Survivors. Members and non-members alike participated in narrating videos on this channel. An accompanying website of

3948-459: The charity Catalyst, which helps families of people caught up in groups with whom the family disagrees. A solicitor who "specialises in cases against cults" was hired after legal aid was acquired, and the solicitor succeeded in getting an emergency High Court action to try to "rescue the schoolboy". The front page newspaper report in The Express was published two weeks after Bobby first met

4032-635: The community in South America launched a website, called Cómo Vivir Por Fe (How To Live By Faith) featuring Spanish translations of Jesus Christian material. In 2015, they started producing evangelistic videos for a Spanish-language Youtube channel of the same name. As of May 2023 the Cómo Vivir Por Fe YouTube channel has over 150,000 subscribers and over 11 million accumulated views on their videos. In February 2016, some “disbanded” Jesus Christians collaborated to produce videos for

4116-441: The community. In 2010, the group announced that they had "disbanded". There was an organizational restructuring that led to the formation of independent communities, operating under different names, which maintained an affiliation with each other and with mutual collaboration on some projects. It was during this time period that some of the new communities began making YouTube videos as a way of disseminating their message. In 2011,

4200-407: The controversies they were involved in when they were a part of the Jesus Christians community. As of 2024 around thirty Jesus Christian members have altruistically donated a kidney, thus earning them the nickname 'the kidney cult'. In January 2003, Jon Ronson 's documentary, Kidneys for Jesus , aired on Channel 4 in the UK. After an invitation from Dave McKay, Jon Ronson followed the group over

4284-563: The death penalty across the world. This included pushing for a universal adoption of a global moratorium on the death penalty and putting in place stronger legislation to prevent the Australian Federal Police from sharing information to other law enforcement agencies which might result in the use of the death penalty. In 2023, the council expressed concern over proposed hate speech laws by the NSW Government and

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4368-573: The diaries of the Nullarbor Walkers was published in 1985 by John Sands , shortly after the walk was completed. An Easy English version of the diaries was later published by New Century Book House (India) and Smashwords . In 1990, members of the group travelled to the United States to hand out 290,000 booklets entitled "The Fall of America," prophesying America's destruction. They wore T-shirts with an upside down American flag (as

4452-410: The discourse on discipleship (10), the discourse of parables (13), the discourse on the community of faith (18), and the discourse on future events (24-25). Also, like all the other "discourses", this one has Matthew's concluding statement (7:28-29) that distinguishes it from the material that follows. For similar statements at the end of the other discourses, see 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1. Traditionally,

4536-430: The enemies of civil liberties... "Nevertheless...we must also recognise...the need to draw a distinction between 'terrorists' and those who are simply objecting to injustice as they see it. In his day, Mahatma Gandhi was certainly called a terrorist. So was Nelson Mandela... "[We must also recognise] that, in responding to violent antagonists, democratic communities must do so in a way, as far as possible, consistent with

4620-412: The father of a 27-year-old single mother Betty Njoroge, who had joined the community with her 7-year-old son. The woman released a video on the group's website declaring that she and her son had not been kidnapped and that her father was responsible for the case being pursued as he wanted custody of her son. Roland Gianstefani was arrested, questioned by police, and held for several days without charge until

4704-633: The filth that spread disease, Craig Hendry contracted typhoid . In 1995, the Jesus Christians converted a section of open sewer in Chennai into a children's playground. The real estate created by covering the sewer was estimated to be worth AUD $ 950,000. After one year, the project was handed over to Indian charities to run; However the Indian government eventually demolished the site because it had been built on government land without permission. In April 1997 and 1998, several Jesus Christians were arrested at

4788-455: The group for refusing to sue his wife for more money in a divorce settlement. Roland and Susan Gianstefani, went on to establish their current ministry, Making It Real, which is focused primarily on anti-war and human rights activism, and promoting altruistic organ donation. In February 2016, new and old members of the affiliated ex-Jesus Christian communities launched a YouTube channel called End Time Survivors which focused on teachings about

4872-594: The group in 2020, stating: Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount ( anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: Sermo in monte ) is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5 , 6 , and 7 ) that emphasizes his moral teachings . It is the first of five discourses in the Gospel and has been one of

4956-665: The group in Argentina together with family members of two people who had contact with the Argentine community; a 30-year-old woman who had joined the community and a young man who had only visited the community in 2020. Salum's legal complaint accused the leadership of the Argentine community of human rights violations, claiming their practices of intentional community and volunteerism amounted to human trafficking and labor exploitation, and that their prior altruistic kidney donations were akin to organ trafficking . A police raid

5040-653: The group's website, and where these are used below this is noted in the references. The group was started in Melbourne , Australia by Dave and Cherry McKay when Neville Williams moved in with the McKay family in early 1981. David McKay was a former associate of the Children of God but cut ties with the group following the revelation of heretical practices such as flirty fishing . The Jesus Christians operated under several names, including Christians, The Medowie Christian Volunteers, Australian Christian Volunteers, and Voices in

5124-608: The heart, such as those of alms (6:1–4), prayer (6:5–15), and fasting (6:16–18). The discourse goes on to condemn the superficiality of materialism and calls the disciples not to worry about material needs, but to "seek" God's kingdom first. Within the discourse on ostentation, Matthew presents an example of correct prayer. Luke places this in a different context. The Lord's Prayer (6:9–13) contains parallels to 1 Chronicles 29:10–18. The first part of Matthew 7 (Matthew 7:1–6) deals with judging. Jesus condemns those who judge others without first sorting out their own affairs on

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5208-473: The influx of people wanting to be part of the movement as a result of the success of the channel, many of the teams and former members of the Jesus Christians agreed to use the Jesus Christians name to represent the wider movement. Along with this announcement the Jesus Christian website, which had been largely dormant for nine years, was reinstituted and now included material published on the A Voice in

5292-462: The judge in their defence. In 2003, Jon Ronson , briefly interviewed Bobby Kelly about his alleged abduction, in his Channel 4 documentary Kidneys for Jesus . Bobby clearly states, "I definitely wasn't kidnapped…" and that media coverage about the alleged kidnapping was "absolutely stupid, and silly, and just, over the top big time". In May 2010, the Jesus Christians interviewed Bobby Kelly personally. Bobby explains in detail what happened while he

5376-468: The main sources of Christian pacifism . In the 5th century, Saint Augustine began his book Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount by stating: If anyone will piously and soberly consider the sermon which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke on the mount, as we read it in the Gospel according to Matthew, I think that he will find in it, so far as regards the highest morals, a perfect standard of the Christian life. The last verse of chapter 5 of Matthew (Matthew 5:48)

5460-456: The matter: "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Jesus concludes the sermon in Matthew 7:17–29 by warning against false prophets . The teachings of the Sermon on the Mount have been a key element of Christian ethics , and for centuries the sermon has acted as a fundamental recipe for the conduct of the followers of Jesus. Various religious and moral thinkers (e.g. Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi ) have admired its message, and it has been one of

5544-414: The media interviews. The community in Argentina was investigated for a total period of close to two years. During the course of the investigation it was discovered that there was no evidence for any of the allegations made against the Argentine community, nor of any other crime. The court ruling highlighted that Pablo Salum had prejudicially influenced the judicial testimony of the young man who had visited

5628-643: The media that she and her husband would never stoop to bribery, not even to save their lives, claimed she had to resort to bribery to get basic amenities provided for Roland from the prison guards. In October 2006, Jesus Christians in the United States, along with Dave and Cherry McKay, held a mock trial in Long Beach , California where they charged the parents and two brothers of one of their members, Joseph Johnson, with attempted murder and with aiding and abetting others in doing this. It followed an attack on one of their members, Reinhard Zeuner, in which he received

5712-470: The message of the Sermon which he groups into eight views: While Matthew groups Jesus's teachings into sets of similar material, the same material is scattered when found in Luke. The Sermon on the Mount may be compared with the similar but shorter Sermon on the Plain as recounted by the Gospel of Luke ( Luke 6:17–49 ), which occurs at the same moment in Luke's narrative, and also features Jesus heading up

5796-534: The millionaire family of an IT consultant. In August 2010, long term members Roland, Susan, and Daniel Gianstefani left the community after "numerous tensions over their parenting skills". This followed "a number of community discussions", according to the Jesus Christians Newsletter. Susan and Roland had been members of the group for more than twenty years. In November 2010 the Jesus Christians announced that they had “disbanded”, though there

5880-465: The most widely quoted sections of the Gospels . The Sermon on the Mount is placed relatively early in Matthew's portrayal of Jesus's ministry --following, in chapter 3, his baptism by John and, in chapter 4, his sojourn and temptation in the desert, his call of four disciples, and his early preaching in Galilee . The five discourses in the Gospel of Matthew are: the Sermon on the Mount (5-7),

5964-552: The phrases used in the Beatitudes are familiar from an Old Testament context, but in the sermon Jesus gives them new meaning. Together, the Beatitudes present a new set of ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and mastery; they echo the highest ideals of Jesus's teachings on spirituality and compassion. In Christian teachings, the Works of Mercy , which have corporal and spiritual components, have resonated with

6048-551: The proposed Counter-Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 is "unjustified, disproportionate, and should be rejected in its entirety" on the basis of extending secrecy provisions and the control orders. Earlier work by the NSWCCL include a submission to in the inquiry into the Anti-Terrorism Bill (No.2) 2005, where the Council criticised the Bill as it effectively "repeals common law rights". The council has

6132-566: The rights and freedoms of others) and to oppose the abusive or excessive exercise of power by the state against its people. The council has a committee elected by volunteers whose primary role is to influence public debate and government policy on a range of human rights issues, aiming to secure amendments to laws and policies which are perceived to unreasonably abridge civil liberties. Additionally, it may provide authoritative support and legal representation to citizens and groups facing civil liberties problems. Typical issues have included advocacy of

6216-456: The same name was also created in 2016. The YouTube channel, 'A Voice in the Desert' was created in October 2016. It features sermons on a broad range of Christian topics usually delivered by Dave McKay. As of May 2023, the A Voice in the Desert channel has over 140,000 subscribers and close to 13 million accumulated views. The group, which had been limited to about 30 members worldwide, reported

6300-527: The setting of targets for searches by the NSW Police meant that police officers were breaching the law and conducting illegal searches. In 2024, they criticised the proposed introduction of 'wanding' powers for the police in an attempt to reduce knife crime in NSW. In 2015, the NSWCCL joined other human rights groups to launch a 'blueprint' for what steps the Australian Government must take to end

6384-416: The sin, but loves the sinner", they said, in an effort to summarize what they were doing. ("The Trial") On 11 December 2007, Dave and Cherry McKay and Roland and Susan Gianstefani were interviewed on stage as part of a two-day feature on religious cults on the UK television programme The Jeremy Kyle Show . The show attempted to link the Jesus Christians with such groups as Jim Jones ' People's Temple and

6468-466: The theme of the Beatitude for mercy. These teachings emphasize that these acts of mercy provide both temporal and spiritual benefits. Matthew 5:13–16 presents the metaphors of salt and light . This completes the profile of God's people presented in the beatitudes and acts as the introduction to the next section. There are two parts in this section, using the terms "salt of the earth" and Light of

6552-420: The use of drones for police investigations of crime scenes. In June 2015 Blanks said,"There are obvious benefits for crime investigation as long as guidelines are in place which clearly say how the information is going to be used and how inappropriate access is going to be prevented." The NSW Council for Civil Liberties was established in the closing months of 1963. The organisation came into being in response to

6636-585: Was Ken Buckley and George Zdenkowski of NSWCCL. Paul Lynch MP, Shadow Attorney General acknowledges the contribution of the NSWCCL in Parliament in November 2013 on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. In a recent speech to the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, High Court Justice Michael Kirby delivered an important reminder to all civil libertarians: "Let there be no doubt that real terrorists are

6720-412: Was broadcast on national television by Mike Willisee . In January 1985, the group glued Australian $ 2 notes to pavements to spell out messages against greed and money outside post offices around Victoria and New South Wales . Christian messages also appeared written on a claimed AUS$ 100,000 worth of $ 2 notes in Sydney. The group claimed that as a result the federal police confiscated their mail until

6804-474: Was conducted at the properties of the community in Buenos Aires as part of the investigation that had been initiated by Pablo Salum's complaints. In the days immediately following the raid, Pablo Salum garnered significant media attention in Argentina with the claims of human and organ trafficking, and labour exploitation. Family members of the woman who had recently joined the group participated in many of

6888-467: Was not actually "missing". The police confirmed Kyri was happy and making his own decision to be with the Jesus Christians. When his mother held Kyri to stop him from leaving, she was pinned down, handcuffed, and arrested by the police. On 14 July 2000 the group was splashed across the front page of the British tabloid Daily Express , which declared that members Susan and Roland Gianstefani had kidnapped

6972-421: Was some confusion with regard to what that meant for the continuing organisation of members of the Jesus Christians. Following this announcement, long-term members Roland and Sue Gianstefani and Ross Parry, claimed they had been excommunicated , and later shunned , for objecting to the changes in which they believed the group was to operate. Another member, Alan Wright, later claimed he was disfellowshipped from

7056-452: Was visiting with the Jesus Christians, the lies that were told to his grandmother to convince her to sign over her guardianship for him to become a ward of court, and the effect the lies, and living with a foster family with restricted access to his grandmother, had on his life over the next years. In October 2017 Roland and Susan Gianstefani had a live radio interview with Bobby Kelly on a Welsh radio station where they discussed their life and

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