"The Family" - Fundamentalism, Friends In High Places (Fresh Air - NPR) 2/3

Recorded from NPR's Fresh Air from WHYY, July 1, 2009 · In the book "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power", author Jeff Sharlet examines the power wielded by a secretive Christian group known as the Family, or the Fellowship.

Founded in 1935 in opposition to FDR's New Deal, the evangelical group's views on religion and politics are so singular that some other Christian-right organizations consider them heretical

The group also has a connection to a house in Washington, D.C., known as C Street. Owned by a foundation affiliated with the Family, C Street is officially registered as a church; in practice, it serves as a meeting place and residence for politicians like South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Nevada Sen. John Ensign and Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn.

The Family, Sharlet writes, is responsible for founding the annual National Prayer Breakfast, a supposedly ecumenical — but implicitly Christian — event attended by the president, members of Congress and dignitaries from around the world. These foreign delegations are often led by top defense personnel, who use it as an opportunity to lobby the most influential people in Washington — and who repay the Family with access to their governments.

The group's approach to religion, Sharlet says, is based on "a sort of trickle-down fundamentalism," which holds that the wealthy and powerful, if they "can get their hearts right with God ... will dispense blessings to those underneath them."

Members of the group ardently support free markets, in which, they believe, God's will operates directly through Adam Smith's "invisible hand."

The Family was founded in 1935 by a minister named Abraham Vereide after, he claimed, he had a vision in which God came to him in the person of the head of the United States Steel Corporation.

The current leader, Doug Coe, shuns publicity but wields considerable political influence as a spiritual adviser. Sharlet says that when Sanford recently compared his struggles to those of the biblical King David — a central figure in Family theology — the author "could almost hear Doug Coe's voice" coming out of the South Carolina governor.

A religion expert and a journalist, Sharlet is a contributing editor for Harper's and Rolling Stone. He is editor of The Revealer, a review of religion and the press.

You can purchase Sharlet's book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secret-Fundamentalism-Heart-American/dp/0060559799
.

Category:

News & Politics

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• The Family
• Fellowship
• Christian
• fundamentalist
• C Street
• Jeff
• Sharlet
• secret
• fundamentalism
• heart
• American
• power
• Suharto
• Indonesia
• Indonesian
• oil

[im4wur2]

They're hiding behind religion and trying to co-opt Christianity to justify their perverse views. - These people are monsters.

[ar4216]

this is scary stuff. These people are religiously motivated freaks.

[misscrazyinaugusta]

This is why so many people like myself have grown to hate organized religion because every sect seems to have fuckheads like these...

[SilasSmith1]

They are sick, broken people.

[psxwarrior]

Amen, they are monsters. In fact, they are of their father, the devil. They do not represent Jesus Christ at all. More like maitreya.

[asubjectiveopinion]

Sorry, I completely misinterpreted your post.

You have my sympathy, I lecturered at a US university for a couple of years and was quite shocked that some of my atheist colleagues actually pretended to be slightly religious in order to avoid problems at work.

I still remember the facial expression that would greet me whenever I said, 'I don't believe in gaaaahd'. A strange mix of shock and pity.

I wonder why I never got tenure?

[kingachybraky]

Yes, the educated universe. Since the majority of Americans have the mentality of the sixth grader, the universe most Americans live in is ignorance. The alternative universe is well educated, with at least four years of college. We find most highly educated people don't need religion of any kind. We are capable of taking credit for the good and bad things that happen to up without the need to blame "god".

[asubjectiveopinion]

If there's a conspiracy of far-right christians I'd imagine that Alex Jones would actually be part of it surely?

[asubjectiveopinion]

Are you posting comments from an alternative universe?

[Wiggy1138]

These people are possessed by evil! They need to fall hard!

[andypandy2525]

Many Christians think Martin Luther was called of God to establish the truth which has been called Protestantism. However, Luther, in his private life was a beast who denegraded God, was a liar, raped nuns, had 3 concubines, detested the Jews and inspired Hitler and Nazism. Check it out if you dont believe me. The internet is the biggest library in the world.

[badattitude77769]

Fatherland: Hitler

Homeland: Bush

Franklin Coverup Scandal was about a cocaine kingpin bringing boy prostitutes into the white house.

[kingachybraky]

This is literally the same think that happened in Germany, the bad, Ashkenazi Jews gained power and killed millions of Hasidic Jews. Evangelicals believe other Christian sects are inferior. Just a matter of time before we see the same thing happen with Christians.

The more people learn about "The Family" the more friction it will encounter. Make DVDs and hand them out to friends and family. At church, if you go.