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Australian abduction charge dropped

AAP, via the Herald Sun, Australia
Sep. 2, 2005
Lauren Ahwan
www.heraldsun.news.com.au

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Friday September 2, 2005

Abduction charges against two Australian members of a religious sect have been dropped in a Kenyan court.

Roland and Susan Gianstefani, members of the Jesus Christians, appeared in court today charged with abduction following the disappearance of Kenyan journalist Betty Waitherero Njoroge and her seven-year-old son, Joshua.

The charges were dropped after Ms Njoroge attended the court hearing and presented an affidavit, Jesus Christians founder Dave McKay said.

Ms Njoroge stated in the affidavit that she had joined the Jesus Christians voluntarily.

“I affirm that both Roland and Susan Gianstefani are innocent of these false charges,” she said.

The Jesus Christians had claimed the charges were unfounded, and were laid in an effort to force Ms Njoroge to relinquish custody of Joshua to her wealthy father.

Jesus Christians

The ‘Jesus Christians’ movement also calls itself “Followers of the Lamb,” “Rappville Christians,” or simply “Christians.” However, theologically this high-demand group is a cult of Christianity. The manipulative group also displays sociological cultic characteristics.

Among other things, the group insists members reject their families, friends, and jobs. Based in Australia, but is active elsewhere as well (notably, England and India). The movement makes extra-Biblical demands, has a theology based on unsound Bible interpretations.

The group’s leader, David McKay, is believed to be a former member of the Children of God.

While the group militates – often in extreme ways – against established churches, denominations, and Christians who do not share the group’s theology, ”Jesus Christians” itself appears to have somewhat of a persecution complex.

The Gianstefanis, from New South Wales, were given suspended six-month jail sentences in 2000 by a court in England after refusing to reveal the whereabouts of an English teenager who left home to join the Jesus Christians.

Bobby Kelly, 16, disappeared in June 2000, saying he wanted to stay with the group.

He was found a month later living with two men in a tent in a Hampshire forest.