FAMILY OF LOVE

formerly Children Of God, or Teens For Christ, religious group, generally considered to be part of the Jesus Movement, begun by David Berg, an itinerant preacher, in 1968. Originally called Teens for Christ, the group originated in California, U.S., and attracted alienated middle-class youth. The original members, who were renamed Children of God by a journalist, began to wander through several other states, and as the movement gained followers, it spread to countries worldwide. Berg, who became known as Moses, withdrew from the day-to-day operations of the group in the early 1970s. He continued to communicate with members through Mo letters, some of which were collected and published. In the early 1980s the group was renamed Family of Love. Members of the group, which practices a form of charismatic Christianity, generally live in communal colonies. Its ministry includes youth-oriented nightclubs, musical groups, street theatre, speaking in tongues (glossolalia), and aggressive proselytizing. Many of its practices, especially with regard to recruitment of new members, have been severely criticized. Groups of parents claimed that their children were hypnotized and brainwashed by the movement.