This book is one of the best and most honest ones about the
"Family", a Christian humanitarian international movement that is out all over the world following Christ's commandment "to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature". The
"Family" lives communally like the early Christians in Acts lived and are really "succesful" because they put God's Love for mankind into action. I can only recommend this book.

For those in the field of religious studies, this book addresses the argument over secularization with a twist: Secularization actually maintains and perpetuates religion. Most of those who accept secularization's existance claim that it destroys religion. The authors provide persuasive arguements for their theory, and back it up with data organized into easy to use charts. Be aware, however, that their use of maps leaves something to be desired. The data in them is often outdated (not a problem according to their theory) and coclusions are drawn about whole regions based on information from parts of the regions. This is a large tome, and is probably suitable, if broken up into smaller units, for undergraduates in religious studies.

Bainbridge's book is divided in two parts. The larger part is a boring and rather meaningless comparisson of all kinds of superficial common points that could possibly be found between members of the cult and the US population. The shorter and more interesting section deals in part with the history of the "persecution" of the Family in Argentina. Clair Borrowick, high profile PR person in the United States who was imprisoned in Argentina for about 100 days is presented as somewhat of a missionary hero. I have read carefully what Bainbridge writes about the issue of sexual child abuse in the group and I coudn't find any clear evidence that he believes that such a problem existed. I had hoped that this last book by Bainbridge might had been a move in the same direction towards honesty and openness about their past. Respectfully, Dr. Samuel Ajemian

This is the most honest and accurate book about "The Family", an international Christian humanitarian movement that follows the principles of Christ to "forsake all and follow Jesus". They live together communally as the early Christians lived in Acts 2:44 and put God's Love into action in preaching and PRACTICING the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As foretold in the Bible that "all that live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" this is what happened to them especially in the past, too, because there are folks that don't like unorthodox Christian groups that mean business and are not part of the big traditional and often corrupt Church System. I CAN HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FANTASTIC BOOK!