The Children of God, Family of Love, The Family

David Millikan

Dr. Millikan is an ordained minister with the Uniting Church of Australia, former Head of Religious Broadcasting of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and winner of the United Nation’s Peace Award, Human Rights Award and New York Radio Awards.  He is a former editor of National Outlook, and currently serves on the Commission for Doctrine in the Uniting Church.  Dr. Millikan is the author of a number of articles and books on New Religious Movements, has produced several television documentaries and is an acknowledged expert on the theology of New Religious Movements.

I had the opportunity in November, 1992, to travel to a number of the Homes of The Family around the world.  I visited a total of 12 Homes: in Japan, Thailand, India, Russia and England. During these visits I was given unsupervised access to members of The Family at all levels.  I was able to have private conversations with teenage children and many of the adults.  These conversations were either recorded or I was able to take extensive notes.

It is a popular response of outsiders to the rigors and eccentricities of life in a group like The Family, to say that the people who join are by nature weak and easily led. This is not my experience. It is also tempting to look to psychology for a set of definable characteristics that describe the susceptible "sect" person. This has been attempted in the past, where it has been assumed there is some defective aspect to a person’s character which makes them prey to the control of people like David Berg and others. Such an assumption does not survive the test of experience. The discussion of this matter in the psychological and sociological literature has been silent in the last ten years. There is too much diversity in the backgrounds of the people who join and remain happily within groups such as The Family.

The early attempts of the social sciences to account for the phenomenon of "sect" membership has floundered on a lack of precision. I do not believe it is possible to say that there is a "typical sect type of person". Nor can we say that members of these groups are weaker or more damaged than the norm. Indeed, I have found that they tend to be strong-minded people who have a higher than normal expectation of what the life of faith is meant to be about. They are people who are prepared to sacrifice their comfort and security in the pursuit of an ideal.. Eileen Barker says, "Those who join New Religious Movements are by no means always, or even usually, the pathetic, weak or susceptible characters that it is sometimes assumed they must be." (1)

Is The Family Christian?

The Family began to be given shape in the late sixties by David Berg. Berg is a child of fundamentalist, evangelical, millennialist, southern American Protestantism. His parents were both active as preachers and pastors in the small denomination, the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

He shares the views of many fundamentalist Christians that the mainline denominations have fallen into apostasy. The Christian fundamentalism of Berg's background was a reaction to the seduction of the churches by "modernist" theologies which were denying the infallibility of the Bible, supporting evolution and compromising the Christian teaching about the after life.

They believe in the Triune nature of God -- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. They believe that the heart of the Christian message has to do with the need for salvation in Jesus Christ. Outside of this relationship, they do not allow that there is any salvation. They believe salvation occurs when a person invites Christ to come into their lives. This is done through the simple act of praying to Jesus and asking Him to come in. They further emphasize the decisive nature of this act by saying that it is eternal in its effects. They follow the school of thought which says, "Once saved always saved."  They do not follow the equivocal position that one can be saved and later lose that salvation.

The literature of The Family is keen to make a distinction between salvation by "grace" and salvation by "works". They make it clear that salvation is not earned, or in anyway contributed to by the actions of mankind. They see it as an act of divine grace, unmerited and undeserved. They have a liberal attitude to the possibility of salvation outside of membership in the group.

Berg believes that God has given to The Family the task of speeding the Second Coming by bringing to an end the biblical obligation to spread the Gospel to the furthest ends of the world. When this task is finished, then the great events of the End Times can begin. A Scripture which is quoted to lend credence to this view is Matthew 24:14, which says, "And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." They are part of the "born again" view which sees conversion to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to be the essential and only point of entry into salvation.

And yet, unlike many fundamentalists, Berg is a universalist. He believes that people who have never heard the Gospel in this life are not condemned. They are given a chance to receive it in the next life. He believes that even many of those condemned to Hell will finally be released in time, to live outside the Heavenly City on the paradisiacal New Earth described in Revelation, chapters 21 and 22.

The Family believe that Satan is alive and active in the affairs of this world. Satan is the source of evil and suffering in this life. And he is unusually active in the world, because the end approaches. Such things as earthquakes, wars, the breakdown of moral values, the move towards centralized governments, The Family see to be "signs of the times" indicating the approach of the end.

Cult and sect

There is considerable discussion about the use of words like "cult" and "sect" in relation to groups like The Family. It is important to state clearly what these terms mean and how they should be used. The term "cult" has become overloaded by sensationalist reports in the media to the point that it is a difficult word to use. Most academics interested in this field prefer to use the term "New Religious Movement" rather than "cult". It is my opinion that there are some groups whose life is so aberrant and destructive that they move beyond the realms of what is acceptable in human society. Such a group I would call a "cult". I do not, however, believe The Family fits this description. I have had close contact with several cults, including one which led to the publication of my study Imperfect Company: Power and Control in an Australian Christian Cult, William Heinemann, 1991.

The Family is a fundamentalist Christian group who hold a series of theological views which are not unfamiliar to the history of sects who have surrounded the mainline churches. Their isolation is similar, and in some ways less severe, than groups like the Exclusive Brethren, the Church of the Brethren, the Amish, and a wide range of small sects and cults which group around the teachings of particular individuals.

Unlike many isolated and fundamentalist groups, The Family has been active in writing and explaining their beliefs to the world outside.  They have an extraordinary amount of printed literature, videos and audio tapes.

Their own literature contains the following statement:

Just because some idea is openly discussed in print within our movement, it does not in any way mean that it becomes, or is even intended to become, standard practice, or indeed is ever practiced by any of our membership. (2)

This is an unusually open attitude to the right of personal judgment. Although The Family prizes obedience, and yieldedness as the keys to Christian maturity, the right of members to question has been enshrined in the Family literature. Certainly the rights of individual members are codified in a way that is not present in more restrictive groups.

It is common in all religious groups to see a gap between what the leadership or the literature calls for and the way in which lay people respond. For example, the Roman Catholic church has not changed in its teaching that contraception is a sin; in fact, recent words from the Holy Father reinforce the teaching of the church on this matter. But most Catholic couples in Western countries do not refrain from contraception. But the fact that they do not practice the Church’s teaching on this matter does not diminish their sense that they are still "Good Catholics".

The [Family]  is not as isolated or closed as many other groups which operate in the name of Christianity. The categories are not as limited as that of many other fundamentalist groups. Several factors put them in a more liberal posture than many others. These factors are, that:

-- they can accept that people are capable of salvation outside of their walls

-- they can allow that there are people in the world and in the church with whom they feel a close and genuine sense of fellowship

-- they allow a remarkably open and free range of contacts with people outside of The Family

-- they recognize that there are people who preach the Gospel and win others to Christ outside of The Family

-- they allow that people within The Family can have reasons for leaving full-time involvement without jeopardizing their salvation or poisoning the life of the group through continued contact with them.

They allow people to move out of the inner circle of total commitment to take up life in the world. I know more than 10 people who have been full-time disciples in The Family but have moved outside the Homes and still maintain friendly relationships. Their literature has a number of discussions about the way to treat people who have left on good terms. This is one of the characteristics of the group which makes them more liberal and open than some others. It is most unusual for a group like The Family to allow their members to move away from total commitment and still maintain a relationship with them. It is one of the characteristics of a cult that it finds even the possibility of a person moving away anathema. Cults maintain the belief that there is no life outside of their walls. They will go to great lengths to hold onto someone who indicates a desire to leave. So it must be seen as significant that The Family accommodates the possibility of people leaving, and even provides a number of facilities for ex-members to maintain relationships with them.

I believe we must retain within society the right of groups such as this, when driven by powerful religious or philosophical beliefs, to put themselves at a distance from the dominant values of our culture.

Attitude to the mainline churches

Until recently Berg seems to have despised the churches with a fierce passion, but ... "He has mellowed out in this regard considerably, citing advantages of the churches, even encouraging Family members to direct converts to acceptable churches. We see that the Lord is directing us to work more closely with other Christians as we come closer to the days of Great Tribulation when all Christians will need each other like never before."  This is a considerable change in Family attitudes.

He recognizes that the Church has many within it who are good and strong Christians. He has recently developed a more conciliatory attitude to the churches and has even suggested the possibility of The Family establishing a cooperative relationship with certain churches, with a view to them working together in following up some of their converts.

They have a remarkable preoccupation with the task of convincing others of the need to find salvation through Jesus Christ. As one of the leaders of the group in Australia said to me: "That’s why I joined, that’s what I am called to, and that’s what I do." In the Australian situation, one household in Sydney had been achieving conversions at an average above 70 per month. This was regarded as normal. A conversion is a situation where a person has been explained the basic beliefs necessary to understand the Gospel. They are asked if they wish to "accept Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin."  If they say yes and pray a standard salvation prayer, then they are considered to be a convert.

It could be said that the entire activity of The Family is devoted to the end that people outside may be won to Christ.

The Biblical Interpretation of the Endtime

Much of the attention of the world outside The Family is directed to their teachings on sexuality. But the theological concepts which do most to influence their life are those associated with eschatology. At the heart of Berg’s vision, and indeed his greatest theological passion, are his revelations concerning the end of the world. They believe the world is about to end.

The Family believe this end will occur over a series of stages including a terrible time of persecution on earth known in the Bible as the "Great Tribulation" (Matthew 24:21), the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Rapture of the saved (Matthew 24:29-31), the awesome Wrath of God which culminates in the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation chapters 15-16), followed by the 1,000-year rule and reign of Christ on Earth, known as the "Millennium" (Revelation 20:1-6), which ends with the cataclysmic Battle of Gog and Magog (Revelation 20:6-10), and eventually the end of all punishment in Hell and the restoration of all -- or nearly all -- souls into a heavenly existence either inside the Heavenly City or on the recreated New Earth.

The major events of the End Times will center on the Middle East. The Antichrist is said to be a man who was most likely born in the Middle East and is presently making his way towards his goal of world domination. At first he will appear to be an attractive person who is able to bring some order into international affairs. This will occur at a time when people will have become so disillusioned with the degeneration in world affairs that they will gratefully look to him as an antidote to the chaos. He will set up his headquarters in Jerusalem where he will work relentlessly to create a form of reconciliation between the warring factions of the world, including the world religions. For the first time in history, all the major world religions will recognize his authority and unite under him in one form of worship, based on the Temple in Jerusalem. "For a while it will seem to be absolutely heaven on earth..." (The Book of the Future, 01/84, pg.55).

The Antichrist, along with his right-hand man, the False Prophet, will have the power to do miraculous things. He will cause disturbances in the natural order, he will be able to heal people of sickness. (Revelation 13:3,13,14.)  But after 3-1/2 years he will suddenly change. God will pull off the restraints which have kept him in check and evil will be let loose "like a dam being opened or removed, a flood of iniquity is going to circle the World under the reign of the Devil himself in the person of the Antichrist." (3) At this stage the relationship between the Antichrist and the Devil will undergo a decisive change. The distance between them will collapse and Satan will come to possess the Antichrist until he will be the Devil himself. In effect, the Devil will incarnate within the person of the Antichrist. (Revelation 13:2.)

Once the true colors of the Antichrist are revealed, he will set about the tasks of bringing the world under his control. To achieve this end he will use the most sophisticated applications of modern technology. In particular Berg has described a central super computer which will differ in one fundamental respect -- it will have a soul, given to it by the Devil: "I’m convinced that the super computer will actually be demonically inspired to where it actually does have demon intelligence, ... it will be a real wonder, and will really be worshipped." (4) With this computer and other sophisticated devices, the Antichrist will take charge of peoples’ lives. He will enforce a financial system which uses an identification number which every one will have branded on or implanted under their skin.

Family members are convinced that the world is rapidly being prepared to receive the "mark of the beast" foretold in Revelation chapter 13, verses 14-18:

And he [the Antichrist’s false prophet] deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast. ... And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [666].

The mark of the beast is one of the most feared dimensions of the end time. The Family believe this will be achieved through the implementation of a computer chip either in the hand or forehead.

Following the trends of the moment, it will become a cashless society: "Men will no longer buy or sell with money as a means of exchange, but with a number, a number which will be given to them permanently, without any possibility of counterfeit, change, manipulation or forgery, because it will be branded on each person." (5) This will occur either on the right hand or the forehead. This will be the instrument of his control. With this in place, no one will escape his scrutiny. The Family is concerned at the use of bar codes and the growth of a cashless financial order. They are alert to the recent moves in agriculture to inject animals with miniature plastic tags with identification numbers placed permanently under the skin. They oppose these moves not only for the civil liberties implications but because they see it as part of the inexorable progress of the Antichrist. They are alarmed that our societies seem so unaware that they are actually aiding and abetting the progress of the Antichrist by delivering the most powerful tools into his hands.

The control that Satan will exercise over the world through the Antichrist will almost be total. The Tribulation is a time of terrible persecution for Christians. Despite the protection which God will give through the special powers He gives, many of them will succumb to the persecution. "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21).  "And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end" (Daniel 11:35).

The Family is conscious that the time is short and they are shortly to enter into the Tribulation. This is a 3-1/2 year period when the constraints against the Devil and his Antichrist are removed, and evil will expand in ways that are unimaginable to us now, followed by the Rapture and Second Coming of Christ.

During the time after the Rapture, when there will be rewards and feasting in Heaven for the saved, the 15th and 16th chapters of Revelation portray an earth that will feel the full fury of God’s anger. Out of the devastation of the Battle of Armageddon, some people will survive. The Millennium is about giving people another chance at salvation.

It must be emphasized that this is a widely held belief within large sections of Christianity. A number of large theological seminaries, such as Dallas Seminary and Bob Jones University in the U.S., teach these or similar views of the End Times as standard theology. These are, for example, the generally held views of the largest denomination in the U.S., the Southern Baptists. The Jehovah’s Witnesses hold a similar eschatology. There are numerous other groups who would be in complete sympathy with this vision of the End Times. They would differ only in detail.

The Second Generation of The Family

There has been a shift in emphasis from a total concentration on activities outside of the Homes in the way of witnessing to a recognition of the role of the children and the demands of their care and nurture in the faith.

What I have seen of the education of the children around the world is excellent. They are taught in a loving and open atmosphere and they appear to enjoy the experience. The level of educational skills the children enjoy is above average.

This is the opinion shared not just by me, but other people who have had opportunity to test the children formally. One such person is Dr. Tim Watson-Munro. He was employed by the Police Department in Victoria, Australia, to prepare a report on the Buckley children from The Family. Watson-Munro formed the opinion that the children were well adjusted and well educated. His only reservation (which was not a serious one) was similar to my own, that the educational environment was less than full. For the teens, the educational materials available are limited to a narrow band of publications emerging from fundamentalist, Creationist frameworks, although it must be said that there is a concerted attempt within The Family to address this situation. They are at an early stage in developing more educational materials for this age range. They are in a sense growing up as a movement with their children, and what I observe is a change to greater diversity in the education.

The reasons given for the restriction of the children’s education are not unfamiliar to those of a large number of fundamentalist Christians who have the same concern about the "secular" tendencies in the educational system.

The argument has been put that these children are being educated in a way that puts them apart from the "values of the dominant society"; that this disadvantages them in that they are ill-prepared to operate effectively in the world outside. I do not accept this argument. What is primary in my mind is the emotional and spiritual health of the children. That I believe is not at risk.

Above the teenage level, life within The Family for young adults can be an exciting affair. Travelling through their Homes in Japan, Thailand, India, Russia and London, I encountered a number of young adults who were actively involved in the business of The Family. It was normal to find these young people fluent in at least two, often three languages. They take their language training seriously. Many of them were extremely competent in computing to the point that they were modifying software packages, operating at an advanced level in desktop publishing, and were communicating in a sophisticated manner through modems throughout the world. In Russia, for example, The Family has a massive literature distribution under way. In the last 4 years this has involved the printing and publishing of over 6,000,000 posters, most of which are colored. This is a complex and demanding situation, especially in contemporary Moscow. The young adults in Russia were heavily involved in organizing this operation; it is a rich world of experience for these young people. In Britain the young people in The Family were part of the purchasing and preparation of vehicles for the European sector. They were learning a high degree of mechanical skills involving major engine overhauls, and modifications to the interior of vans and so on.

In the last two years, there have been raids against Family Homes in Spain, Australia, France and Argentina. In all cases the claim has been made that the children seized have been abused. Despite extensive examination and probing by police and others, no charge has been sustained. No one has been found guilty. The pattern established in Australia is now being repeated. More than 600 children around the world have been examined by authorities. Dozens of court-appointed psychologists, child abuse specialists and social workers have examined them at times for periods of up to seven days, and no one has produced any evidence to support the allegations that they have been sexually abused. It is significant that none of the children asked to be protected from The Family or confessed to any incidents of sexual abuse.

One cannot judge the present behavior of The Family on the basis of literature which was written before 1986/7. This group has had a history of change. The changes in behavior and theological emphasis have been signaled in the literature emerging from World Services and David Berg.

The influences which are bringing about the present retreat from earlier patterns have to do with the advancing age of the older members, the arrival of many children and a general sense of conservatism which has developed with the passing of time. In the early days of the movement the membership was mainly young single people from the hippie era.

As to the beliefs of The Family and the manner in which those beliefs influence the education and attitudes of the children, I do not believe we can say that they are beyond the bounds of what should be tolerated in a liberal pluralistic Western culture.

In the context of religious history, there is nothing arbitrary or astonishing about their views. The Family, as they present themselves now, have a right to be respected within the diversity which makes up the contemporary pluralist nature of our society.

Footnotes:

Click on the number to return to the footnote location.

1. Eileen Barker, New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction. Her Majesty’s Stationary Office. London. 1989; page 33.

2. As early as 1974, Berg was talking about the need for people within the movement to exercise some judgment about the things which came from the leadership, even his. For example, "I don’t want anything done about anything unless your councils meet together and agree together, even if they are suggestions from me. If they don’t think it’s wise or best or well to do it, I don’t want’m to do it." ("Share the Know." DO 301A, 2/74, DB6, p.2.)

3. The Book of the Future, page 66.

4. The Book of the Future, page 74.

5. The Book of the Future, page 76.