BONUS: Inside the hardline church that sparked an Australian-first inquiry

For the first time in Australia, a long-overdue inquiry into abuse and coercive control within cults and religious groups has been launched. The Victorian inquiry was initiated after reports of coercive behaviour at the Geelong Revival Centre, many of which were revealed by Richard Baker in the LiSTNR podcast Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder.   In the series, Rich described the GRC, under the leadership of Pastor Noel Hollins, as one of Australia’s most extreme Pentecostal churches. Former members shared horrific allegations of historical child sex abuse cover-ups, tight control of their relationships, and harsh restrictions placed on the freedoms of women.   In this special episode, we wanted to share episode one of Secrets We Keep Pray Harder with you.  If you want to binge the rest of the series, click here for episode 2 now.  The interviews in this series were recorded during Pastor Noel Hollins leadership of the Geelong Revival Centre. During production, Pastor Noel died. The experiences and allegations raised do not relate to the current leadership of the GRC.  Lifeline 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.