Since its founding in 1968, The Family International (TFI) has been an important case study for social science investigation of new religious movements. Its persistence and adaptive organizational development throughout the world, in spite of periodically strong social opposition, initially suggested a long and increasingly stable career ahead. However, in 2009, TFI leaders announced a dramatic shift in belief, practice, and organization, which they termed The Reboot. As a consequence, most of the structures and previous functioning of TFI as a visible organization have been dismantled, leading to questions about the group’s future viability. This article summarizes the changes that have taken place, suggests some of the reasons for these, and assesses TFI’s prospects for continued existence in the new form it has assumed.
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November 2013
Research Article|
November 01 2013
Reboot of The Family International
Gary Shepherd
;
Gary Shepherd
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309. Email: shepherd@oakland.edu
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Gordon Shepherd
Gordon Shepherd
Department of Sociology, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas 72035. Email: gordons@uca.edu
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Nova Religio (2013) 17 (2): 74–98.
Citation
Gary Shepherd, Gordon Shepherd; Reboot of The Family International. Nova Religio 1 November 2013; 17 (2): 74–98. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/nr.2013.17.2.74
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