Children of God (religious group)
| Family International | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | TFI |
| Leader | Karen Zerby |
| Founder | David Berg |
| Other name(s) | Teens for Christ, The Children of God, The Family of Love, The Family |
| Official website | thefamilyinternational |
The Family International (TFI) is a new religious movement that started in 1968 in Huntington Beach, California, USA. It was initially called Teens for Christ and later gained fame as The Children of God (COG). It was later renamed and reorganized as The Family of Love, which eventually was shortened to The Family. It is currently called The Family International.
TFI initially spread a message of salvation, apocalypticism, spiritual "revolution and happiness" and distrust of the outside world, which the members called "the System". In 1976, it began a method of evangelism called Flirty Fishing, that used sex to "show God's love and mercy" and win converts, resulting in controversy. TFI's founder and prophetic leader, David Berg (who was first called "Moses David" in the Texas press), gave himself the titles of "King", "The Last Endtime Prophet", "Moses", and "David". He communicated with his followers via Mo Letters—letters of instruction and counsel on myriad spiritual and practical subjects—until his death in late 1994. After his death, his widow Karen Zerby became the leader of TFI, taking the titles of "Queen" and "prophetess". She married Steve Kelly, an assistant of Berg's whom Berg had handpicked as her "consort". Kelly took the title of "King Peter" and became the face of TFI, speaking in public more often than either David Berg or Karen Zerby.
Members of The Children of God (COG) founded communes, first called "colonies" (now referred to as "homes"), in various cities. They would proselytize in the streets and distribute pamphlets. Leaders within COG were referred to as "The Chain".
New converts memorized Bible verses known as the "set card". The "set card" contained over 300 Bible verses as well as 10 chapters from the Bible. New members also took Bible classes, and were expected to emulate the lives of early Christians and reject mainstream denominational Christianity. Most incoming members adopted a new Biblical name.
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