Religious sect ‘The Truth’ confirms police investigation in New Zealand

By Amy Williams

Warning: This story discusses details of sexual abuse.

Former members of a secret cult under investigation by the FBI for historical child sex abuse warn it is a highly controlling and insular group with many unwritten rules.

The religious group has about 2,500 members and 60 ministers in New Zealand, meets in homes and has no official name but is commonly known as Two by Twos or The Truth.

The spokesperson confirmed that police here are investigating at least one former minister for historical abuse and are aware of 14 cases of allegations against members.

The sect is not registered as a charity, has no premises and members are encouraged to tick ‘Christian non-denominational’ on the census.

Elliot* recently left the church over the way historical child abuse allegations were handled.

‘Your article contained more information than we as a church had ever received. I was concerned about the lack of accountability.

“There has been no public speaking apology to the church from the workers, the pastors, to say that these things have really been mishandled in the past and have caused damage, and we are sorry for the damage that it has caused.”

Elliot joined as a teenager and said the rules are subtle: you are not saved if you don’t attend the cult’s meetings in homes and rented halls, marrying an outsider is frowned upon, women have a dress code, televisions are not allowed. ​and the use of the Internet is actively discouraged.”

Sarah* grew up in the cult, her parents were also born into it, but she left the church when she moved to cities to go to college.

“I always felt very limited by the very strict rules. There’s a phrase they use: ‘be in the world, but not of the world,’ so you’re not supposed to have friends at school. I felt like I lived in these two really different worlds and I couldn’t marry them together.

The sect’s ministers travel in pairs within an area or region and stay in the homes of members.

Church spokesman Wayne Dean confirmed that these ministers had been vetted and trained by police in child protection, members were encouraged to report any abuse to police and any suspected offender was barred from attending meetings pending of research.

Sarah said that’s not enough. She said the trust given to these ministers, also known as Workers, creates a power imbalance.

“There is a culture of understanding that you don’t go to the police to solve internal problems. If there had been problematic behavior before, the police probably wouldn’t have been involved,” she said.

“I was left alone with Workers all my life when they stayed in my house, in their bedrooms. Nothing ever happened to me, but I can definitely see how it could happen. They are the most experienced people.”

She is concerned that the secretive nature of the sect makes reporting abuse difficult.

“I’ve seen another uptick in people leaving. From what I understand, there were promises made that things would change and they haven’t seen that happen,” Sarah said.

Another former insider said their family has been in the church for generations, but left shortly after coming out as gay.

They were in contact with family who were still members of the cult, but are ignored by others.

“I feel like I’ve been shunned in a way. I saw people I knew growing up in religion and they just ignored me. I don’t exist for them anymore, these are people I’ve loved all my life.”

Religious studies expert and emeritus professor of history at Massey University Peter Lineham said former insiders he had spoken to told him the sect was in crisis.

“What they seem to imply is that there has been quite a large exodus of members in recent years. I think there has been a lot more public talk about the risks and dangers of sectarian groups and the vulnerability of people within those groups.”

The church is keeping a low profile and Lineham said its response to RNZ confirming a police investigation was a “striking development”.

“The 2x2s have remained so low-profile for so many years that most people have never even heard of them. With this sudden exposure, I think it may have created a bit of a crisis.”

The abuse scandal abroad

The lid on historical child sexual abuse within the sect was lifted after the leader of the church in the US state of Oregon, Dean Bruer, died in 2022.

An internal letter from his successor stating that Bruer was a “sexual predator” whose actions included “rape and abuse of underage victims” was leaked on social media and then shared on a website set up for victims of the abuse within the group.

A little over a year ago, two women set up a hotline and the floodgates opened. According to their February update, more than 1,500 victims from all over the world had reported.

The sect, which was founded in Ireland in 1897, is believed to have 100,000 members worldwide, most of them in North America.

One of the former insiders RNZ spoke to for this story said they had spent time with their families in Southeast Asia as missionaries.

Another said ministers would travel abroad to attend conferences, and foreign ministers would also travel to New Zealand to speak at annual meetings.

The FBI declined to comment on whether it had alerted police in New Zealand about its investigation into the 2x2s cult, which began in February.

The Omaha Field Office said it was seeking the public’s assistance in identifying victims or individuals with knowledge of abuse and/or criminal behavior that had occurred within a traditionally unnamed religious group.

“The group is often referred to by others outside the group as ‘2×2,’ ‘The Way,’ ‘The Truth,’ and ‘The Church Without a Name,’” the FBI said.

“While it is normal for parents to want to better understand their child’s possible exploitation, further questioning of the child can lead to inaccurate statements and greater emotional trauma.”

The FBI asked people with information to fill out a short questionnaire.

*Former insiders spoke to RNZ about the group’s secretive culture on condition of anonymity – these are not their names.

Where to get help:

Sexual violence

NZ Police

Victim support 0800 842 846

Rape crisis 0800 88 33 00

Rape prevention education

Empowering trust

HELP Call 24/7 (Akld): 09 623 1700, (Wgtn): 04 801 6655 – press 0 at the menu

Safe to talk: a 24/7 confidential helpline for survivors, supporting people and people with harmful sexual behaviour: 0800 044 334

Male survivors Aotearoa

Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) 022 344 0496

Domestic violence

Women’s shelter: 0800 733 843

It’s not okay 0800 456 450

Gloss: 0508 744 633

Victim support: 0800 842 846

HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655 – press 0 at the menu

The National Network of Family Violence Services NZ has information about specialist family violence agencies.

Survivors of abuse

For male survivors:

Road Forward Trust, Wellington, contact Richard 021 1181043

Better Blokes Auckland, 09 990 2553

The Canterbury Men’s Centre, 03 377 6747

The men’s room, Nelson 03 548 0403

Male Survivors, Waikato 07 858 4112

Male Survivors, Otago 0211064598

For female survivors:

Help Wellington, 04 801 6655

Help, Auckland 09 623 1296

For urgent assistance: Safe To Talk 0800 044 334.