The Family International

The Family International

The Family International is a Christian cult formerly known as the Children of God, The Family of Love, and The Family. They have also gone by Fellowship of Independent Missionary Communities. This group is the primary focus of this website.

Brief overview

The Family International was founded by claimed prophetic leader David Berg in 1968 in Huntington Beach, California, USA. It sprang from the Jesus Movement of the late 60s, with many of its early converts drawn from the hippie movement. Due to its unusual emphasis on total commitment and unconventional sexual practices, it triggered the first organized anticult group (FREECOG) and was among the movements prompting the cult controversy of the 70s and 80s in the United States and Europe.

As The Family grew and expanded around the world, so did its message—and resultant controversy. During the early to mid 70s, the group initiated several radical methods of evangelism, including Flirty Fishing.

Today, The Family's leadership is headed by Berg's widow Karen Zerby, under whom the group has both bowed to several reforms and initiated additional unconventional doctrines, including the "Loving Jesus revelation" which encourages members from the age of 14 to engage in a sexual relationship with Jesus.

The group's liberal sexuality, as well as its former disciplinary practices, have led to numerous allegations of abuse by former members. The Family has admitted that some children were abused during the liberal period created by Berg's writings, and has set guidelines banning excessive discipline and any sexual contact between adults and minors. However, despite investigations in several countries finding The Family to currently to be a safe environment for children, such investigations have also brought to light a troubled past, and many critics including former members raised in the group do not trust The Family to police itself. This is due in part to the group's policy of not turning child abusers over to civil authorities, and only excommunicating members who abused children after 1988. The Family's leadership believes these issues have been settled by its public apologies, but many former members are not satisfied, and are attempting to focus media attention and criminal investigations on the group.

For more information, you may wish to start with our sections on The Family's History, Beliefs, and Practices.

Name changes

Children of God to The Family of Love

In an attempt to deflect public concern over some of his more controversial policies, founder and leader David Berg decided in early 1978 that deception was in order. He declared:

28. Let's also try to get away from being called the "Children of God" where that name is hated, and simply call ourselves the new Family of Love!

Source: The "Re-Organisation Nationalisation Revolution!" (ML 650)

Berg's orders were quickly implemented, and the group entered a new phase (see: Reorganization Nationalization Revolution).

The Family to The Family International

The group's most recent name change took place in August 2004, the primary stated reason being to differentiate between themselves and other organizations.

"With Family Homes in over 100 countries around the world, one of the purposes for changing the Family name was to help our 'parent' name reflect the broader, more international flavor that the Family really has, while also helping to distinguish between us and other System groups or organizations which have nothing to do with us, but who have 'Family-associated' names, and with which in some parts of the world we have at times been confused." — Steven Kelly

Source: "Modifying Our Family Name" (Grapevine 176, pg.2)

External link

• Why the COG changed their name to the Family of Love — Analysis of The Children Of God's name change.