The Family International
A Case Study in the Management of Change in New Religious Movements
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4299604 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gary Shepherd (0000-0001-8178-1141, Oakland University, corresponding author), Gordon Shepherd (University of Central Arkansas) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 229-244 |
| Publication date | 2007-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religion Compass (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1749-8171 • E-ISSN: 1749-8171 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2006.00003.x |
| OpenAlex | W2142337198 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 38 |
This paper focuses on The Family International - a group that since its inception in the late 1960s (when it was known as The Children of God) has provoked intense public controversy and considerable social science attention as a result. Sociologists of religion have found it to be a particularly useful case study for contributing detailed insights as to how new religious movements (NRMs) may survive (and more rarely, flourish). NRM survival and possible success are viewed as occurring through certain adaptive changes and developments by the group in response to social environments that are often hostile to the groups' existence. We summarize portions of our own research to show how The Family International has coped with a number of problems common to most NRMs, but often in quite unique ways that expand sociological understanding of how religious adaptation processes may occur and what forms they may assume. A particular focus of our research has been on The Family's unique expansion of both personal and corporate prophecy to facilitate its functioning
Political science · Social change · Social science · Sociology · Law · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology
The Future of new religious movements
Social movements in an organizational society
Alienation and charisma
The Sociology of Religious Movements
Fundamentalism and American Culture
The sacred canopy
Social Movements and Organization Theory
New Religious Movements
Aliens Adored
The Social Construction of Prophecy in The Family International
Grassroots Prophecy in the Family International
Understanding New Religious Movements
Accommodation and Reformation in The Family/Children of God
The Future of Religion
Encyclopedia of sociology
Misunderstanding Cults
When prophecy fails
Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements
Commitment and Community
Economy and Society
Why religious movements succeed or fail
The social construction of reality
Looking behind the Scenes in a Religious Cult
New Religious Movements
The Organization and Functioning of the Children of God
When Prophets Die
On Founders and Followers
From the Ashes
Observations on the Children of God
A Kingdom Transformed
Post-Involvement Attitudes of Voluntary Defectors from Controversial New Religious Movements
The Social Impact of New Religious Movements
Revitalization Movements
Resource Mobilization and Social Movements
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,25 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2024 (7) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |