Fletcher Brothers

Last updated

Pastor Fletcher A. Brothers is a fundamentalist preacher and author from Carthage, New York. [1]

Contents

Freedom Village

Brothers is best known as the founder of Freedom Village USA, a home for troubled teens operated from a Christian Fundamentalist perspective and founded in Lakemont, New York in 1981. [2] The campus was the site of the Lakemont Academy, a secular boys boarding school. Freedom Village also operated an office in Burlington, Ontario and it had many students from Canada.[ citation needed ]

Freedom Village came under fire when it was revealed to be paying workers less than minimum wage, and for the punishment practiced on students, and for allegedly abusing child labor laws [3]

Brothers had to sell the Lakemont property to cover his millions of dollars in debt after he was denied the ability to file for bankruptcy. [4] [5]

The podcast We Warned Them: Freedom Village investigated the legacy of Freedom Village and the life of Fletcher Brothers, revealing their larger connections to the 'troubled teen' industry. [6]

Related Research Articles

Evangelicalism, also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experiences personal conversion; the authority of the Bible as God's revelation to humanity; and spreading the Christian message. The word evangelical comes from the Greek (euangelion) word for "good news".

James Orsen Bakker is an American televangelist. Between 1974 and 1987, Bakker hosted the television program The PTL Club and its cable television platform, the PTL Satellite Network, with his then wife, Tammy Faye. He also developed Heritage USA, a now-defunct Christian theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Baptist Convention</span> Christian denomination

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. Organized in 1845 through separation from the Triennial Convention, the denomination advocated for slavery in the United States. During the 19th and most of the 20th century, it played a central role in Southern racial attitudes, supporting racial segregation and the Lost Cause of the Confederacy while opposing interracial marriage. In 1995, the organization apologized for its history. Since the 1940s, it has spread across the U.S. states, having member churches across the country and 41 affiliated state conventions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Evangelical Alliance</span> Global organization

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an interdenominational organization of evangelical Christian churches, serving more than 600 million evangelicals, founded in 1846 in London, England, United Kingdom to unite evangelicals worldwide. WEA is the largest international organization of evangelical churches. The headquarters are in Deerfield, Illinois, with UN offices in New York City, Geneva, and Bonn. It brings together 9 regional and 143 national evangelical alliances of churches, and over one hundred member organizations. Moreover, the WEA includes a certain percentage of individual evangelical Christian churches. As of March 2021, the Secretary General of the WEA is German theologian Thomas Schirrmacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooperative Baptist Fellowship</span> Baptist Christian denomination in the United States

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) is a Baptist Christian denomination in the United States. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Decatur, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainline Protestant</span> Older, more establishment Protestant denominations

The mainline Protestant churches are a group of Protestant denominations in the United States and in some cases Protestant denominations in Canada largely of the theologically liberal or theologically progressive persuasion that contrast in history and practice with the largely theologically conservative Evangelical, Fundamentalist, Charismatic, Confessional, Confessing Movement, historically Black church, and Global South Protestant denominations and congregations. Some make a distinction between "mainline" and "oldline", with the former referring only to denominational ties and the latter referring to church lineage, prestige and influence. However, this distinction has largely been lost to history and the terms are now nearly synonymous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chi Alpha</span> Christian fellowship and student society

Chi Alpha | ΧΑ, is an international and interdenominational, coeducational Christian fellowship, social club, student society, and service organization founded in 1953 on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. Chi Alpha is sponsored by the Assemblies of God USA, a Pentecostal denomination established after separating from the historically African American Church of God in Christ in 1914 over race and administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola Christian College</span> Liberal arts college in Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola Christian College (PCC) is a private Independent Baptist college in Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1974 by Arlin and Beka Horton, it has been accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools since 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Osteen</span> American televangelist and author (born 1963)

Joel Scott Osteen is an American lay preacher, televangelist, businessman and author based in Houston, Texas. Known for his weekly televised services and several best-selling books, Osteen is one of the more prominent figures associated with prosperity theology and a focus of its critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton Theological Seminary</span> Private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, US

Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the College of New Jersey, it is the second-oldest seminary in the United States. It is also the largest of ten seminaries associated with the Presbyterian Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Baptist Church (Hammond, Indiana)</span> Church in Indiana, United States

The First Baptist Church of Hammond is a fundamental Independent Baptist church in Hammond, Indiana. It is the largest church in the state of Indiana, and in 2007 was the 20th largest in the United States. Though founded in 1887 by Allen Hill, it was under Jack Hyles' leadership from 1959–2001 when it became one of the megachurches in the United States and during the 1970s had the highest Sunday school attendance of any church in the world. In 1990, the church had a weekly attendance of 20,000. It also operates Hyles-Anderson College, a non-accredited institution established for the training of pastors and missionaries, and two K-12 schools, called City Baptist Schools and Hammond Baptist Schools. John Wilkerson is the senior pastor at First Baptist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Oyakhilome</span> Nigerian pastor (born 1963)

Christian Oyakhilome known as Pastor Chris is a Christian faith leader, preacher, author, philanthropist, televangelist and president of Loveworld Incorporated. He is known globally as the founding pastor of the Mega Church Christ Embassy and author of the most translated and distributed daily devotional in the world, Rhapsody of Realities. He is also known for organizing large crusades, and pulling crowds of over 3.5 million in a single night. His healing school which holds periodically every year in Nigeria and South-Africa attracts thousands of sick people who come to receive divine healing from God from over 70 countries at some instances.

Maranatha Campus Ministries was a Charismatic/Pentecostal-oriented Christian ministry founded by Bob Weiner which existed from 1971 to 1990. Its primary outreach was to college and university campuses.

A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute or theological seminary, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological education, Biblical studies and practical ministry training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Church</span> Global megachurch network headquartered in Australia

Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a global charismatic Christian megachurch based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centre by Brian Houston and his wife Bobbie in 1983. Hillsong was a member of the Australian Christian Churches – the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God – until 2018, when they separated to form a new denomination. The church is known for its contemporary worship music, with groups such as Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Hillsong Young & Free with many musical credits and hits.

Freedom of religion in Singapore is a guaranteed right under Article 15 of the Constitution of Singapore which states: "Every person has the right to profess and practise his religion and to propagate it." This freedom, however, is not an unfettered one and can be restricted by a general law relating to public order, public health or morality.

Fathima Rifqa Bary is a Sri Lankan–born American author. She drew international attention in 2009, when she ran away from her home in Ohio under the threat of an honor killing by her family due to her conversion to Christianity from Islam. As she fled to Florida and sought refuge with a family of evangelical Protestants, her story was widely broadcast on television and discussed on political blogs, eventually becoming a focal point in a religious clash between Christians and Muslims in the United States.

Robert Leonard Schenck is an American Evangelical clergyman who ministers to elected and appointed officials in Washington, D.C., and serves as president of a non-profit organization named for Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Since 1982, Schenck has preached in all 50 states, several Canadian provinces, and over 40 countries. He is the subject of the Emmy Award-winning 2016 Abigail Disney documentary, The Armor of Light. Once a prominent anti-abortion activist, Schenck has since repudiated this work and shifted leftward on some of his socially conservative views, testifying before a congressional committee regarding statements in his book about the Supreme Court. He distanced himself from past views and actions, stating in a blog post that he had "promulgated" lies in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turning Point USA</span> American conservative non-profit organization

Turning Point USA (TPUSA), or Turning Point, is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses. It was founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery. TPUSA's sister organizations include Turning Point Endowment, Turning Point Action and Turning Point Faith. TPUSA has been described as the fastest growing organization of campus chapters in America, and according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, TPUSA "is now the dominant force in campus conservatism".

Paul Chitwood is an American Baptist minister who is the 13th and current president of the International Mission Board, serving since 2018. He was previously executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention (2011–2018) and president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention (2005–2006).

References

  1. "Pastor Fletcher Brothers". fletcher-brothers.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007.
  2. Robertson, Michael James (2006). Conquerors for Christ. Xulon Press. p. 173. ISBN   978-1-60034-503-6 . Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  3. Moore, Thad; Hobbs, Stephen. "Christian teen home relocating to SC mountains punishes students on 'the woodpile'". Post and Courier. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  4. "Freedom Village property sold for $1.05 million by Gates Community Chapel". The Chronicle Express. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  5. Craig, Gary. "Freedom Village: Faith-based organization has long been followed by reporters, and creditors". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  6. "We Warned Them: Freedom Village". We Warned Them Campaign. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-06-02.