Children in Minority Religions - Growing Up in Controversial Religious Groups - Liselotte Frisk†
5. The Family International: A Narrative Approach
Children in Minority Religions - Growing Up in Controversial Religious Groups - Liselotte Frisk†
Liselotte Frisk† [+]
Dalarna University, Sweden
Sanja Nilsson [+]
Gothenburg University, Sweden
Description
This chapter examines the background of the international charismatic Christian movement, The Family International, formerly known as The Children of God and The Love Family, which was one of the most notorious outcomes of the Jesus Revolution in the 1960s and ‘70s. The first part of the chapter briefly delineates the history of the movement, followed by a summary of the theology of David Moses, the group’s charismatic leader. The second part of the discussion concentrates on the movement’s history in Sweden. It includes material from seven interviews with first generation members and second generation members from different cohorts. The interviews, which portray the religious groups in conflicting ways, are discussed using narrative perspectives. The chapter concludes with a summary of the current situation of the movement internationally and in Sweden, and with reflections on the future of the movement.