The first part of the BBC's two-part documentary on the Jesus Army, the abusive cult that grew out of the Northamptonshire village of Bugbrooke, will be broadcast on Sunday 27 July. It goes out on BBC2 at 9pm, and its full title is Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army.
On the BBC website it's billed as follows:
A look at the origins of the Jesus Fellowship. Founded in the 1970s, its early vision of communal living, shared finances and spiritual commitment changes over time, becoming more structured and controlling. Unexplained deaths begin to occur within the community, exorcisms are performed on members with "unclean spirits", and children as young as two are disciplined with birch canes in a practice known as "rodding".
Then, in 1987, leader Noel Stanton announces the launch of a "Jesus Army". Members go onto the streets to evangelise, often amongst the homeless or people with addiction issues, and often bring new recruits back into community homes. One of these homes is in London, and it is here that a young girl becomes a witness to something that will change her life forever.
I blogged about the plans for this documentary when it was first announced. Given the scale of the abuse it perpetrated, I'm surprised the Jesus Army has not been more of a news story.
Part 2 will be screened at the same time on Sunday 3 August.
Ellena, together with Katie Buchanan (producer), have been absolutely amazing in the way they've overseen the making of this documentary... a process which has taken three years or more since commissioning by the BBC2. All of us who have been involved with the documentary are extremely grateful to Ellena and Katie for what they've achieved.
ReplyDeleteI myself have also been involved with projects over some 40 years which have endeavoured to expose the Jesus Army in its true colours as a cult. This has culminated in the publication of a book detailing the cult's history and intricate workings: "War and Defeat: The Jesus Army and Fellowship Revisited".
Further info about the book, and how to buy it (Amazon etc) can be found on the website:
www.waranddefeat.com
A local newspaper report about the book and documentary will also be of interest:
https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/people/jesus-army-survivors-book-out-now-as-explosive-bbc-documentary-about-the-northamptonshire-based-cult-airs-soon-5230762
Thank you for this, and the first part of the documentary this evening was very good. BBC East has always been interested in this story, as have the local newspapers.
Delete