The Destruction of Men

Makestraightpaths.com examines the teachings of the religious group variously known as “the Family,” “The Family International,” the “Children of God,” or the “Family of Love,” and evaluates these teachings from a Christian perspective.

The Destruction of Men in the Family

Warning: this page contains references to Family practices that are offensive.

How the Family responds to problems

There are specific problems and difficulties that face each group of people in the Family, whether children, teenagers, young adults, older people, men or women. Some of these problems are due to the Family lifestyle, some are localised to a particular area, while others are directly caused by Family teaching.

For example, older Family members may find it difficult to keep up with the active work requirements of a busy home. Teenagers have to deal with complex emotional issues due to the encouragement to be sexually active. Women face constant pressure from writings that encourage their husbands to ‘share’ sexually with other women. There are many more such examples, of course. Each group faces enormous difficulties, and each needs to understand the root causes of their difficulties in order to know whether to accept the difficulty as ‘part of life,’ or to do something to alleviate the problem.

When the Family identifies a problem within a certain group, it often responds with action. This response can take many different forms. To give a few examples: when it became apparent in the early 1980’s that sexually transmitted diseases were spreading through Family homes, a directive was issued banning inter-home sex. Proselytising using sex (‘FFing’) was banned largely due to fears that Family members would become infected with HIV-AIDS. When it became impossible to deny that that teenage girls were being targeted sexually by older men, rules were written to forbid sexual activity outside of specified age groupings.

Other Family-initiated responses come in the form of programs, which often involve large commitments of personnel and money. For example, to combat a perceived problem with ‘delinquent teens,’ Family leadership instituted teen training homes and ‘Victor programs,’ which often used harsh discipline and rigorous schedules to achieve their purpose. Depleting finances world wide saw the introduction of the ‘Activated’ magazine, in the hopes that people would place long-term subscriptions, thus providing an ongoing source of money.

It can be seen that the Family is not averse to adjusting itself in order to combat a real or perceived problem. However, it can also be argued that in general, Family responses to problems are inadequate. The reason for this deficiency is that internal, Family-conducted analyses of problems rarely address the actual causes of the troubles, which often lie deep within their own teaching. The Family attempts to alleviate the symptoms of the trouble without dealing with the actual issues that cause these problems. For example, despite countless Family rules governing sexual behaviour, Family leadership has never seriously questioned whether their doctrines regarding sex are correct. Therefore, sexual problems are likely to continue unabated. Harsh ‘Victor’ programs were aimed at producing obedient Family teenagers, without addressing the questions many of those teenagers had regarding their own future.

It may be said that the Family usually refuses to examine their own teaching to determine whether it is correct or not. This, of course, is the purpose of Make Straight Paths.

Men

This particular page analyses some of the specific problems that face men in the Family. Addressing the issue of Family men does not mean that they have suffered more than other groups or that they are at greater risk. All groups are at risk in different ways, all groups suffer.

However, there are serious problems that relate to this group which need resolving. Other demographic groups face different problems, and separate analyses should be conducted for each group.

This page does not contain a sociological or psychological analysis, but rather a biblical perspective on a number of specific issues that concern men in the Family. Many of the issues touched on here are quite broad, and not every man in the Family will have been adversely affected by every problem. As with other pages on this website, the intention is not to single out individual people and point the finger at them, but to identify the general issues which need resolution. The following issues are all present in the Family. Some men may be extremely affected by one issue, while unaffected by another.

This page does not give a detailed analysis of each separate issue, for such would require volumes. Rather, the intention is to point out the problems together with their root causes, and to suggest some remedies. Further research would be required on those issues that are identified as directly applicable to particular people. Such investigation should examine biblical truths, as well as the sociological, ethical, emotional and psychological aspects of the situation.

The first topic is inescapable.

Sexual lust

The sin of sexual lust is prevalent among Family men. The Bible is clear that such lust is sin.

By lusts, Paul, like Peter and James, understands, not the natural appetites of the body, but the sinful, godless inclinations (Rom 1:24), whether these be of a sensuous or of a spiritual nature. He purposely quotes the Old Testament commandment against sinful lust (Ex 20:17; Deut 5:21) in such a manner that it is not any definite objects of lust, but the longing for them as such that he calls forbidden (Rom 7:7). In his sense every lust is a product of sin (v. 8), which compels us to obey the lusts of the body (6:12); every natural appetite may be perverted by sin into lust (13:14) (Weiss, Theology of the N.T., 1:328).

(from The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary)

The cause of this widespread lust among Family men is, without question, the emphasis placed upon sex by the founder of the Family, Dad/Berg. In letter after letter he exhorted his followers to engage in sexual relations with other members, regardless of their marital status, as well as with non-members, in an attempt to gain converts and supporters. Sexual proselytising (‘FFing’) was eventually outlawed, but the emphasis on sex remains to this day. In fact, despite his death in 1994, official Family publications have continued with many sexual themes. Consensual sex between adults is firmly entrenched in the Family, and extra-marital sex is not only permissible but is also actually strongly encouraged. The Charter, which is the code of law by which the Family is governed has numerous specific rules regarding sex. These rules detail how and when consent is to be obtained, but in no way discourage extra-marital sex from occurring. Penalties for rape or cheating on one’s spouse are light.

Many of the Charter rules were instituted in an attempt to put an end to sexual abuse of teenagers, and to curb the growing incidence of single mothers. However, the Family is, on the whole, self-policing, which means that those who break the rules may or may not be punished. As far as is possible to determine, the Family has never handed any of its members over to the police, despite numerous allegations of criminal child abuse.

From reading the Charter one gets the impression that although there are many rules governing sexual activities, the overall emphasis is that extra-marital sex is promoted and encouraged.

The Bible has much to say about sex, and there are many pages on this site studying different aspects of the topic.

The effects of this heavy emphasis on sex have been severe. Children have been hurt, teenagers have been abused, marriages have been broken, babies have been conceived outside of marriage, and not a few children grow up without fathers. Young women have become single mothers, some have been raped or pressured into undesired sex.

These problems are undeniable. They occurred in the past, and may still be occurring now. In general, the response by Family leadership to these problems has been to instigate a few more rules and then claim that these problems cannot happen again. Rules governing sexual restrictions, of course, do not have a great affect when there exists a strong and widespread emphasis to engage in sex.

It is quite simply true that the high emphasis on sex within official Family publications has provoked and aggravated the sins of lust, adultery, rape, paedophilia and sexual immorality. Yet it is also true that each Family man is accountable before God for his own actions. No one may claim immunity because of ignorance or because he had been merely following instructions. The Bible shows that the responsibility for sin lies within.

James 1:13-16

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

NASU

Thus, although the Family has created the atmosphere in which extra-marital sex is accepted and promoted, and although the founder of the Family remains culpable for teaching such sinful practices, each man is also personally responsible for his own actions. Many Family men carry with them the guilt of knowing they have fathered a child to another woman, or that their actions have caused the breakup of their own marriages, or that they have otherwise acted in lust with various severe negative consequences.

Despite the numerous justifications proposed by the founder of the Family, Jesus’ own words stand in condemnation of sexual lust, whether in action or in thought.

Matt 5:27-29

27 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

NASU

The apostle Paul warned that people who live in sexual immorality “will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Gal 5:19-21

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

NIV

Please see the extensive series of pages on this website covering sexual issues.

Marriage

Marriage was intentionally trivialised by the founder of the Family. He abandoned his own marriage and published many letters explaining his vision for a communal family group, where private “selfish” marriages were broken up in favour of a communal marriage.

The results of this teaching have been disastrous. Marriage itself is seen as subservient to the common good of the Family, and any couple who places undue emphasis on their own relationship is seen as being selfish. There have been numerous marriages, separations and re-marriages. Family leadership has pressured couples to separate, causing unimaginable trauma for the spouses and their children.

There is little, if anything, published by the Family on the various roles of husbands and wives, and most Family members have little idea of what the Bible actually says about marriage. This has produced men who do not know that they are supposed to take responsibility for their marriage and for their wives and children.

Eph 5:22-33

22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

NASU

This passage is examined in great detail on this website here.

Some points we may pick up: when Paul says that the “husband is the head of the wife” (Eph 5:23), he is highlighting the tremendous responsibility men have in leading a family. While there are many sides to this ‘headship,’ one that has been taken away from Family men is that of spiritual leadership. Now, spiritual leadership does not mean that the husband is to dominate the wife, or that he is in any way superior to her, or that he is to demand servile obedience from her. There is no hint of any of things in the passage, and Paul takes pains to point out that Christ’s covering presence eliminates differences in one’s standing before God.

Gal 3:27-28

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female ; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

NASU

God does not look at men any differently from women. Nonetheless, He created marriage with inherent order: Marriage involves the leaving of parents and the forming of a permanent bond that supersedes other human relationships (see Matt 19:3-9). When there are children, the parents have the responsibility to “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4 NIV). When this order is neglected, problems are inevitable. For example, when a Family couple does not view their relationship as exclusive, their ‘bond’ is weakened and tremendous strain is sure.

The relationship between a husband and his wife has inherent order as well. God gave the husband the ultimate responsibility for the welfare of his family. Now, this does not imply that men may override their wives’ wishes or that they may act as despotic rulers over their mini kingdoms. Far from it! The passage in Ephesians chapter five addressing husbands and wives is prefaced by this overarching statement:

Eph 5:21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. NASU

All parties are to practice humble submission to each other, whether husbands, wives, children, parents, leaders or followers. Further, husbands are to love their wives with the same self-sacrificial love with which Christ loved the church.

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her NASU

If husbands would be guided by this self-sacrificial love and submission, they would never descend into egotistical despotism. Nonetheless there is a God-ordained order within marriage: husbands have ultimate responsibility for their families. Wives are to respect that responsibility, and husbands are to take it seriously.

Permanence in marriage

In the Family, the God-given responsibility for marriage has been removed. In the first place, every Family couple knows that their marriage is subservient to the Family as a whole, for such was the teaching of the founder. He taught that “selfish, private” marriages would only be “permitted” as long as they served the good of the community. This teaching was propagated despite the fact that there is absolutely nothing in the New Testament to suggest that one’s relationship to other Christians takes precedence over one’s relationship to one’s spouse. This Family teaching strikes a blow at marriage itself, leaving every Family marriage on shaky foundations, subject to the collective whims of the group. Indeed, as noted above, there have been occasions, impossible to quantify, when couples have been advised to separate “for the good of the work.”

The effect of this teaching on husbands is to encourage them to adopt a lackadaisical attitude towards their marriage, where its convenience is the primary concern, rather than the divinely-ordained, permanent covenant God intended it to be. When marriage is trivialised as a luxury that may be abandoned for the good of the group, there is no basis on which to build a solid, enduring partnership, and no particular reason to take responsibility for its permanence. Separation or divorce for the “good of the Family” is then seen as a noble sacrifice.

The Bible, however, paints a different picture. Marriage is intended by God to be permanent, as an illustration of His own constancy and enduring love. The book of Malachi even states that God hates divorce (Mal 2:16) and Jesus told the Pharisees that the Mosaic provisions for divorce had only been included because of “your hardness of heart” (Matt 19:8).

Matt 19:8-9

8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9 “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

NASU

In other words, there had to be provisions in the Law to limit the harm and hardship caused by sin, but divorce was not God’s plan.

Decision-making in marriage

The next point concerns the way that the decision-making responsibility of the husband for his wife and children has been supplanted by the group as a whole. Now, of course, the Family does not presume to assign all personal decision-making to Family leadership. However, Family leaders have taught in no uncertain terms that the basis of decision-making needs to be the welfare of the Family as a whole, above the concerns of individual family groups. Decisions must also be made in accordance with current Family teaching, direction and policy, before personal needs are considered.

This means that Family men are rendered almost powerless when it comes to their own marriages. On the one hand, if they try to lead their families without expressly following Family rules or guidelines, they are liable for correction and rebuke. On the other hand, as Family members by definition have agreed to believe, follow and uphold all Family teachings, there are few men who actually try to steer their families along a path not condoned by the Family. In this way most Family husbands have abdicated responsibility to Family principles, to the collective group. In other words, they have voluntarily abandoned their marital ‘birthright’ of leadership for the sake of being obedient to the Family.

Spiritual leadership in marriage

Another role which the Family has removed from men is that of being the spiritual instructor. Ephesians 6:4 expressly commands fathers to bring up their children in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord” (NASU).

Eph 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (NIV).

In the Family, however, it is the collective group that takes this role through the writings of the leaders. As a general rule, Family fathers never analyse the material sent to them from their leaders in order to decide whether or not it is true. They do not have the right to teach material that contradicts Family doctrines or even to refrain from teaching Family doctrines to their children. On the contrary, a father of children in the Family is obliged to teach Family doctrine. He has choice as to which Family doctrine he may teach first or how he may teach it, but he does not have the choice to refrain from teaching it.

The error in this lies not in the fact that there is pressure on fathers to teach, but in the content of what is taught. The Bible expressly and repeatedly commands believers to compare all doctrine against itself, to measure all revelation against the words of Christ and of the Apostles. Any teaching that contradicts the Bible must be rejected. Family men do not have this option. Rather, they are to measure all teaching against the standard of Family writing. The yardstick of truth in the Family has become that which has been officially published by Family leadership instead of the Bible.

The result of this is that Family men have become powerless as instructors of truth. They may read, parrot and obey Family teaching, but they do not study the Bible to discover the ways Family doctrine has gone astray and to impart biblical truth to their families.

Leadership

It is important to reiterate here that the Bible does not place men above women. Male and female Christians are on equal standing before the Lord; they are brothers and sisters. This is notwithstanding the emphasis given within the Bible on the responsibility and accountability given to husbands and fathers. Men and women are equal but not identical.

It is probably important to comment upon the unspoken humiliation within the Family of encouraging adult men to address the current leader of the Family (Maria/ Zerby) as Mama. Such a term implies the inherent authority of the one, and the explicit obedience of the other. It gives honour and control to one and a childish obeisance to the other.

To be sure, there is no rule that one must refer to her as ‘Mama,’ but this expression is used almost exclusively throughout Family publications, except in instances when a ‘prophecy’ claims to be the words of Jesus Himself, who apparently refers to her as ‘Maria.’

There is nothing wrong with submission, in fact the Bible exhorts believers to be subject to one another (Eph 5:21), but the name ‘Mama’ seems designed to ensure that no man will ever usurp her authority, and that all men, regardless of their actual position within the Family, will actually have very little real authority. It is noteworthy that the founder of the Family took upon himself the name ‘Dad’ (or ‘Grandpa’ for second-generation Family members) in order to cement his own place of authority.

It is also true that almost all ‘top’ leaders in the Family − or perhaps all of them − have had to endure a time of personal ‘breaking.’ This may have involved their separation from their spouse, a public rebuke or a demotion. Many leaders have been humiliated by having details of their ‘errors’ published in the official Family magazines for all to read. The result of this sustained ‘breaking’ is that Family leaders are, without exception, people who are willing to do Maria/Zerby’s slightest bidding, as they were willing for Dad/Berg.

These public rebukes have occurred frequently over the history of the Family. People who could not endure the humiliation eventually left the Family, those who remained became more determined than ever to become obedient and submitted ‘disciples.’

The effect upon Family men is to remove from them any desire to exhibit real leadership, and to instil in them a fear of disobeying those in authority in the Family. Leaders become ‘yes-men’ who push the party line without ever seriously questioning it or looking for an alternative.

Masculinity

Following the death of Dad/Berg in 1994, the Family underwent a transition as Maria/Zerby took full control. Official Family magazines became filled with ‘prophecies’ which were used to give direction regarding various Family activities and programs.

One of the topics emphasised during that period concerned the “female qualities” that Family members needed to develop. These were such attributes as love, affection, sympathy, understanding, and so on, instead of the more “male qualities,” such as aggressive ambition, action and enterprise. Men were told to develop their “softer” side, which apparently would prove important in the days to come.

Then came one of the most unsettling Family teachings ever. This teaching had benign beginnings, but rapidly progressed until it included shockingly repulsive elements. It was called the “Loving Jesus Revolution” or ‘LJR.’ Initially, it was presented as an emphasis on each person’s personal love for Jesus. There was a lot published on the importance of showing love for the Lord through prayer, praise and song. Many new songs were commissioned, recorded and distributed. Many ‘prophecies’ were published explaining Jesus’ all-encompassing love for His children.

The LJR, however, gradually became more and more sexual until eventually it was impossible to separate it from sexual concepts. For example, there were numerous ‘prophecies’ published in which ‘Jesus’ expressed His love for His children in sexual terms. Some of these ‘prophecies’ are so graphic that they can only be described as low quality pornography. Songs extolling romantic intimacy between Jesus and believers were sent to all the homes. Some of these songs were explicitly sexual in nature. ‘Prophecies’ were sent to all the homes in which Family members were instructed to incorporate praise and worship into their times of sexual intercourse. People having sex (within or outside of marriage) were told to “include Jesus” in the sex act through prayer, praise and prophecy. People were told to praise Jesus while masturbating.

One of the most extraordinary teachings of the LJR was the one that was aimed directly at men. The teaching goes like this: Jesus is male. His followers (Christians) are known in the Bible as His bride (Rev 19:7). Jesus wants to love His followers all the way. In fact, He wants to love His followers sexually. How can He do that with male Christians without the relationship being seen as homosexual? The answer given to all Family adults was that men were to imagine themselves as having a vagina, and thus fulfil the female role in the sex act.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that this notion was not very popular among men. Naturally, there were no rules formed that men had to participate; everything was on a voluntary basis. On the other hand, no man was allowed to speak against this teaching for the simple reason that no Family member is permitted to speak against any Family teaching with impunity.

It appears that one of the purposes of this teaching was to remove masculinity from men. It is barely worth commenting that such a doctrine has absolutely no basis in the Bible; it cannot be supported by the passages in the Bible that refer to Christ’s bride. In fact, many aspects of the LJR are so completely contrary to Bible teaching that it is hard to imagine how it could have been proposed in the first place. The effect upon any man who actively participated in such a practice can only be personally, psychologically and emotionally detrimental.

Work

On a different topic, men in the Family often have to endure ongoing insignificance. Most men, regardless of their talents and skills, need to spend long periods of time as salespeople in order to raise money for survival. The supply of money has always been irregular in the Family, and so various means of fundraising have been developed. Some families were musical and formed show groups. Most, however, relied for year after year on the sales of Family-produced posters, tapes, videos and magazines. While there is nothing inherently wrong in the job of a salesperson, it is true that it is demeaning to insist that someone act as a salesperson when their talents lie in another direction.

Another job that may be somewhat demeaning is that of the ‘provisioner,’ who is required to contact companies requesting the donation of products to the Family. Some people excel in this job, procuring thousands of dollars worth of goods and equipment. For other people, it may be little better than begging.

Summary

Men as a group have been specifically targeted in many different ways in what appears to be a concerted effort to destroy their effectiveness and to remove any God-given talents they may have. Sexual images and teaching have been used for years to create a sexualised lifestyle within the Family, causing many men to fall victim to the sin of lust. Some men have indulged their lust in inappropriate sexual contact and the consequences in the lives of their victims have been horrific. Marriage is trivialised in the Family, destroying its permanence. Husbands have reneged on their responsibility to lead their families in the truth of God, leaving most decision-making up to the Family as a whole. Fathers parrot Family teaching to their children, without ever verifying the truth of what they read against the Bible. Men in the Family often refer to their leader as ‘Mama’ and to the founder as ‘Dad’ freely giving them the place of spiritual authority. The ‘Loving Jesus Revolution’ attacked men’s masculinity with the advice that men were to emulate women’s sexuality.

All in all, Family men have been assaulted on so many fronts that it is hard to believe that this is not an intentional attack.

Remedies

The first ‘remedy’ for this systematic destruction of Family men is utterly crucial. Indeed, without this step, little else will be achieved. First and foremost, each man must repent of his sins before God, crying out for forgiveness for allowing sin to enter his life. If there are reparations that should be made for the consequences of their actions, they should be made without delay. Without repentance, no man will be able to fulfil the biblical role of father, husband, instructor, or leader. Repentance was an essential element of the Gospel preached by Jesus and the Apostles; repentance is essential for Family men.

Next, it is vital that each man returns to the truth of the Bible, studying it to discover what it really teaches, and allowing its truth to effect changes. It is a sad fact that most Family men have little understanding of the Bible, and little respect for the principles it teaches. In fact, even those who have memorised hundreds of scriptures know little of what it really says. Therefore, it is imperative to learn how to study the Bible and then to put in the time needed to allow it to effect changes. All false teaching must be rejected and the truth must be sought, learnt and taught. It is only the truth that sets us free: falsehood ensnares. The truth in the Bible is not hidden from view, but we must be willing to accept its corrections in order to learn from it. We must be willing to admit that we have been wrong.

Then, men should learn the biblical principles concerning marriage, men, husbands, fathers and leaders. These various roles should be examined, not filtered through Family teaching, but in a Bible-directed way that gives the Lord the right to correct the errors in our thinking, rebuke us for our sin and empower us to walk righteously.

Finally, each man needs to act upon the truth in the understanding that we owe our allegiance to God our Father and to Jesus Christ His Son, not to any person on earth, not to any group or to the teaching of any group. God has revealed Himself to mankind in the Bible and it is His word in the Bible that stands in judgement of our sins, including those sins committed through sincere obedience to an earthly leader. The Bible explicitly commands each believer to examine closely the lives and teaching of their leaders, comparing them with what is recorded in the Bible. Ignorance of the Bible is no excuse. Sin is still sin, even when committed in ignorance. Perhaps God on occasion ‘winked’ at ignorance (Acts 17:30 KJV), but it is only those who have been cleansed from sin − even ‘ignorant’ sin − who have part in the kingdom of heaven.

Acts 17:30-31

30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

NASU

Does God ignore sins of ignorance? In this passage, and elsewhere, Paul makes it clear that the times of ignorance ended with the coming of Christ. In particular, every Family member has access to a Bible, every Family member can choose whether to give his or her allegiance to the Bible or to the Family. It is therefore incorrect to say that God will overlook those in the Family who commit sins of ignorance. Family members are often ignorant of what the Bible actually says, but this ignorance is caused through wilful neglect, not through lack of opportunity.

The Greeks in Athens to whom Paul was preaching in Acts 17 had not heard of Christ before, but Paul declared that the coming of Christ changed things. God now commands all men everywhere to repent. Family members have that which the Athenians did not: they have the Bible in printed form, they have access to the truth. Ignorance of what it says is absolutely inexcusable.

In conclusion, it needs to be pointed out that minor adjustments to Family lifestyle will be useless. The doctrinal errors n the Family are ubiquitous, they affect almost every aspect of life, and have resulted in much sin. It would be self-deceptive to assume that one could merely read the Bible a little more and so make things right. What good would it do for a man to become more assertive in his marriage if he is still controlled by the sin of lust? What good would it do for him to read the Bible a little more if he is not willing to obey it completely? In other words, there can be no gradual removal of sin. Repentance does not proceed in small stages. Rather it encompasses the entire person, heart, soul, mind and body (Mark 12:30); it results in complete transformation, new birth, total cleansing, total regeneration.

May God help us.