Two-by-twos: The sect with 2 many names and just as many problems (Part 2)

In part 2 of this study into the secretive group most commonly known as the Two-by-Twos (TBT), I'll give an overview of the current state of the sect and the numerous controversies it has faced in recent years.

The exodus of members since the 1990s has led to an explosion of interviews, books, and websites detailing the operations and practices of the secretive group. For the most part, ex-Australian members (often called Cooneyites) have had the most attention, in the aftermath of several group leaders being accused and sentenced for sex crimes.

The TBT are a highly conservative, fundamentalist Christian group which prohibits its members from drinking, gambling, dancing, reading christian books, following fashion trends, women wearing trousers or nail polish, reading christian books or literature, owning TV or radios, or watching movies. Outside of their hymnal and adherence to the King James Version of the bible, there are no documents or materials which formalise their doctrines. The teachings/beliefs of the sect are transmitted by itinerant celibate preachers or Workers who, having given up their property and money to the sect, travel in same-sex pairs to preach in an assigned district and stay for weeks or months at a time in the homes of followers. A 2022 Stuff article profiling ex-member Carson Drain focuses on the TBT's anti LGBTIQ+ stance, which taught that “homosexuality was a disease of the mind and a perversion”. The same article revealed that Drain's younger brother came out as gay, and committed suicide at 18 years old.

For better or worse, the absence of written rules means that the practice of the TBT can vary wildly by region. Jessica Baker, an ex-member in Canada, recalls living a very liberal lifestyle; the strict dress code was limited to church events, and she was allowed to wear pants to school, play sports, and have access to the internet and MSN messenger in the early 2000s. Additionally, Baker recalls that young people were encouraged to go to work or school in order to figure out who they were before entering marriage, which was intended to be permanent. On the other hand, when Laura Conti left the cult as a young woman in the late 90s/early 2000s in Australia, the experience was far more restrictive. It is also up to the Workers as to whether certain holidays are celebrated.

In different ways, both Conti and Baker point to the Internet as being a significant influence on the changes happening within the group. Many of the family groups within the sect are in remote rural locations, particularly in Australia, the US, and Canada, and many have family businesses such as farms. Traditionally, outside of the weekly local gatherings, the only time followers may have had exposure to other ways of being a TBT were at the four-day annual conventions. Access to the internet and mobile phones is crucial for financial survival, so while TVs are still outright banned, internet and computer access is less frowned upon. The TBT have long claimed that other churches are false because they were founded by men, whereas the TBT is the true church because it was founded by Jesus in the first century. As I outlined in part 1, this is false, but many of the TBT members have no awareness of William Irvine or the origins of their sect; the information about Irvine that is now available on the web is noted as being influential in how some people end up breaking away from the sect. In turn, Conti reports that the Workers have tried to spin the story that the TBT lay dormant for centuries until Irvine revitalised it.

Ex-member Kylee Hickok suspected that the drop in membership is forcing the TBT to significantly loosen the rule for how members can live and appear in public, while maintaining stricter rules for church activities; having outright confrontations and petty fights about nail polish is not healthy for the bank balance.

On the topic of bank balances, while the profile posted by the Youtuber Ready to Harvest claims that there is no tithing, that doesn't mean money doesn't change hands. Conti and Elizabeth Coleman (ex-member and author of the book Cult to Christ) assert that donations are common, although lacking the theatrics that we are used to seeing from mega churches and prosperity gospel preachers of late. While the Workers are said to not have bank accounts, Lynne Cooper wrote of seeing a worker having a cheque book in their name; Conti suggests that the money is held in the bank accounts of the wealthier followers, while Coleman alleges that there are secret bank accounts and trusts. A late leader of the sect in Victoria made a statement to police confirming that the sect had a healthy bank account that was controlled by three elders.

In either case, the handling of money by private individuals enables the group to avoid government oversight. In the state of Victoria, the TBT was a registered charity under the name of Christian Conventions of Victoria until 2019, which Australian journalist Chris Johnston argues is a ploy to avoid sanctions leveled by the Australian National Redress Scheme. As Laura Conti points out in the recent episode of the Podcast Talk Beliefs, compensation is only possible if the offending group or sect agrees to participate; without charitable status, the TBT have nothing to lose by not participating in the Redress Scheme.

For ex-members like Conti, this lack of foresight on behalf of the Australian government is devastating, due to the allegations of endemic child and adult sexual abuse and family violence that surround the sect. Abuse that is allowed to flourish for many reasons. The isolated location of these communities, and the expectation of hospitality that normal members were expected to extend to the itinerant Workers, provided abusers opportunity and access to children and other vulnerable persons. Laura Conti pointed out that suffering is a testament of faith, and thus members are primed to view their suffering from abuse as a struggle commanded by God to prove their loyalty. Anyone who reports abuse is accused of either being worldly or taken over by the devil, or they are asked to forgive the abuser and convinced that God needs them to protect the integrity of the church. The senior leadership is alleged to ignore accusations that are made, and they instill in their members a fear of outside authorities like Police and child services, as reported by Laura Conti and a 2019 segment on Australia's 60 Minutes:

Furthermore, community gossip may frame teen girls as having a tendency to lie about sexual abuse, which sets the example for others about the social ostracism that can occur if they speak out. It is not unusual for perpetrators to be dealt with by sending them to another region, but they are never disfellowshipped, shunned, or in any way removed from the church, which enables further and more widespread abuse. As for the victims, depending on the region they are in, they can be financially and spiritually trapped due to the low occupational and educational skills they are allowed to acquire.

I have been able to find a couple of accusations surrounding TBT members in New Zealand, although the connection between the accused with the TBT is made by victim/survivor network WINGS for Truth, and not by mainstream media:

There are no listings for TBT on the companies or charities register. However, a July 2023 letter attributed to the TBT overseers of Australia and New Zealand admits that persons accused of child sexual abuse and sexual misconduct overseas have attended TBT events in Australia and New Zealand. What the letter neglects to admit is that the accusations and persecutions in Australia began at least a decade prior to the bombshells currently being leveled in the TBT in the USA and Canada. Alan Richardson, who is listed in the 2023 letter, allegedly wrote a letter to NZ workers in August 2012 claiming that there were child sexual abuse cases in NZ; he mentioned being aware of 11-12 cases, but does not specify if those where the number he knew were exclusively for NZ. Richardson is acknowledged by at least one commenter on the WINGS for Truth site for preventing a worker who was known for sexual misconduct from attending a convention meeting in NZ.

In Australia, several men have been accused and sentenced for historical child sexual abuse, but even if the victims get their day in court, justice isn't always served. Three victims of a TBT member found this out when the perpetrator not only received a suspended sentence, but was also granted name suppression for 20 years.

While Australian survivors have established a confidential support hotline, New Zealand survivors are left slightly in the dust with regards to counseling and support specific to being an ex-cult member. The extent of abuse amongst the TBT in New Zealand is as much of a mystery as the number of members it has in general, but as more ex-members like Carson Drain come forward, this no-name church may need to once and for all lift the veil of secrecy it has hidden under for over a century.