Welcome to Make Straight Paths

This web site is dedicated to the glory of God. It was created to lift up the truth as revealed in the Bible, by examining various doctrines that are held by the religious group variously known as “the Family,” “The Family International,” the “Children of God,” or the “Family of Love.” These doctrines are compared and contrasted with Bible passages that expound on the same topics.

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Trying the spirits. The First Epistle of John contains an enigmatic passage encouraging its readers to “try” or “test” the spirits whether they are of God. The Family believes that this passage means that Christians have the power, authority and means to evaluate whether a certain spirit being is of God or of the devil. In other words, according to the Family, Christians may determine whether the “spirit helper” they are in contact with is the spirit of a departed saint or actually a demon in disguise.

Bible commandments regarding contacting the dead. The Bible has a number of specific commands regarding contacting the dead. This pages discusses these passages in light of the Family's beliefs.

The great cloud of witnesses. Hebrews 12:1 says that believers are surrounded by “a great cloud of witnesses.” The Family believes that this means that the spirits of dead believers are actually present to render assistance when needed, and therefore maybe contacted at will.

Lazarus and the rich man. In this parable, the paths of two people are followed after they die. It has much to tell us about communication between the world of the living and the realm of the dead.

The messenger in the book of Revelations. The Family believes that much of the book of Revelations was given to the apostle John by a departed saint. Therefore, according to the Family, Christians may contact the spirits of the dead in order to receive prophetic messages.

The Transfiguration The story of Jesus' transfiguration mentions two people, long dead, who appeared on earth and were seen and heard by those still living. The Family claims that this passage proves that not only is it possible to contact the dead, but that the Bible condones such communication. After all, if Jesus himself talked with the dead, surely his followers could follow his example!

Saul and the witch. The Bible recounts that on the night before his final battle, King Saul went to a witch in order to contact the prophet Samuel, who had died some time before. The Family claims that this story sets a precedent for contacting people who have died, especially as Samuel was a godly man, a true prophet of God. In general, the Family does not condone going to witches, but this passage is used in the Family as proof that contacting the dead is in fact possible. Revised and rewritten.

The Family's defence of the keys. In response to Family members' questions about the keys, the Family published a GN containing a series of arguments defending the keys. This page examines those arguments in detail. Revised and rewritten.

New wine. The Family claims that they are 'new bottles' eagerly receiving the 'new wine' while churchy Christians are 'old bottles' who aren't strong enough to receive the radical new message. This page examines Jesus' parable of the new and old wineskins to find out if this is a valid application. Revised and rewritten.

Milk and Meat There are several places in the Bible where God's Word is compared to 'milk' or 'solid food' ('meat' in the KJV). Does this mean that the Family's controversial doctrines could be classified as 'solid food'? What do those verses mean? Revised and rewritten.

The Jigsaw The Family suggests that the Bible is like a jigsaw puzzle with a number of missing pieces. This page analyses texts from the book of John that the Family uses to 'prove' that the Bible is incomplete. Revised and rewritten.

The Destruction of Men. A hard-hitting analysis of the specific problems that face men in the Family. Men are certainly not victimised above other people in the Family, nonetheless they face numerous specific problems in their roles as father, husband, leader, follower and men. What men themselves need to do about it. Read it now!

New Weapons completely rewritten. This page examines Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:17 in light of the Family's unique teachings about their self-proclaimed 'new weapons.'

The Standard of Measurement revised and rewritten.

The Word of God revised and rewritten.

The Keys of the Kingdom revised and rewritten.

What's currently happening in the Family?

Make Straight Paths does not function as a source of current events or news about the Family itself. However, in light of the current so-called “Journey to Change” in the Family a couple of comments may be pertinent.

First, Make Straight Paths focuses on the biblical inaccuracies in Family teaching. Apologies for past abuses of Family members and assurances of change are therefore irrelevant for the purpose of this website.

Second, apologies and assurances that do not address reparations or alleged criminal behaviour by specific individuals appear hollow to many people in the former-member community. Repeated apologies and institution of internal safeguards will never be sufficient. Far more is required. Further, apologies that wholly lay the blame on members' misinterpretation of otherwise valid teaching are no apologies at all. Possibly some members abused others on the basis of misinterpretations, but in general the teachings that promoted sexual interaction between adults and minors were systemic and proceeded from the very top echelon of leadership. A genuine apology would therefore acknowledge the criminal liability of the leaders as well as those who put their teachings into practice.

Third, nothing short of an independent investigation of the Family will suffice. Such an audit would need to be carried out on various levels, with the goal of investigating the allegations of criminal actions, the links between those actions and the doctrines that were taught, as well as auditing the financial situation of the Family.

Fourth, admission by Family leadership that they need to re-evaluate doctrinal teaching is welcome, but does not as yet come close to the fundamental areas of concern. The pages here on Make Straight Paths clearly show that there have been major errors in Family Bible teaching since its beginning. Most of these errors continue unabated to the present day, and are of such a foundational level that minor readjustments to Family teaching would be meaningless. By way of analogy, repairing torn upholstery on a vehicle which actually needs its engine replaced is a waste of time.

A note to current Family members: the above assertions are admittedly blunt. If you take offense, we at Make Straight Paths ask you this: Conduct your own extensive Bible study, being sure to give the Bible precedence over the MLs and GNs. That is, allow God his right to judge Family writing, as well as to judge this website by elevating the Bible above all other writings. Choose any of the major unique Family teachings: sex, spirit helpers, the keys, prophecy on demand, and see what the Bible itself has to say. The question is not, 'Can I find this Family teaching somewhere in the Bible?' but rather 'If I start from a passage in the Bible, what message does it give?' In other words, would a plain reading of the Bible automatically result in Family doctrine? If not, then you need to do something about your life. If so, please explain.

'Leave-takers'

In an effort to address one of the severe negative issues affecting people who leave the Family, Family leadership has decided to identify such people as "leave-takers." They were previously known as "backsliders."

To 'take leave' is defined in the Free Dictionary as "to use time permitted to be away from work." In the Macmillan Dictionary, it is "a period of time away from your job." The noun 'leave' is defined in the WordWeb Dictionary as "the period of time during which you are absent from work or duty."

Defining people who leave the Family as "leave-takers" implies several things:

First, that Family membership is a valid occupation or duty. Second, that there is nothing inherently wrong with the Family. Third, that people who leave are merely taking a temporary break; they may return at a later time. Fourth, that this leave of absence has been graciously permitted by the Family. Fifth, that the reasons for people leaving are primarily personal.

Although there may be some people who leave the Family to whom this definition applies, there is a large number of people to whom it does not. There are many people who would take exception to these implications for a number of different reasons.

First, the Family has such self-serving structures in place that it can hardly be called a duty, or even an occupation. Second, serious allegations of systemic criminal behaviour have been made against the Family. This website, Make Straight Paths, documents systemic abuse of biblical truths. Third, many people leave the Family with no intention to ever return, due to a number of reasons. Fourth, people either choose to leave the Family or they are excommunicated from the Family. In general, people don't apply for a leave of absence. Fifth, some reasons for leaving may be personal, others may be doctrinal, or even due to a perception of widespread wrongdoing.

In short, the label "leave-takers" appears arrogant and condescending.

What's new on this website

This website is currently undergoing a major revision.

Several 'general information' pages have been added or revised: FAQ, About Make Straight Paths, History, Terminology, Government and Relationships.

A more important project has been the revision and rewriting of all the older doctrinal pages. While the principles expounded on in these pages are basically correct, the actual content needs to be redone for various reasons.

Completed:

Trying the spirits

God forbids calling on the dead

The great cloud of witnesses

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Messenger in Revelations

The Transfiguration

Saul and the Witch

Hearing from Spirit Helpers

Romans 10:17

Commentaries on Matt 16:19

The Keys of the Kingdom

The Family's defence of the keys

The Standard of Measurement

The Word of God

The Destruction of Men

What to read first

If you are unfamiliar with the Family and want to know general information, you could read the history of the Family, then the pages about its government and marriage and family relationships. If you are researching a particular topic, a brief summary of each page is given on the 'Topical Studies' page. If there is a specific Bible verse you want to look up, you could try the Scripture Index. If your verse is not there, contact us and we'll add it to our 'to-do' list!

If you are thinking about joining the Family, you should start with What Potential Members Should Know.

If you are a current member of the Family, please read the Introductory Letter specifically addressed to you. There is also a special explanation for people who used to be in the Family.

The best pages

Target readership

This site has been created specifically for three groups of people:

Current Family members, regardless of status or position who wish to take an honest look at ‘those doctrines’ in the light of the Bible. Your faith is founded on the Bible. You know you have salvation because of what the Bible says. You know the Bible is the truth of God and contains the mind and heart of God. You are unafraid to study what the Bible says about the Family doctrines because you know that if those doctrines are right, they will stand. It is the Bible on which faith is built, so studying the Bible can never shake true faith. Any teaching that crumbles and falls upon cross-examination by the Bible cannot be true. Are you willing to study the Bible? Please also read the introductory letter written to you.
Former members who want to find peace in the Word. You gave years of your life in the Family out of love for the Lord. You knew the Bible was true. Now, however, sometimes you get confused, especially when Family doctrines surface. Some of these doctrines seem so logical, and easy to accept. Are they true? You want peace in your heart. You want the Word you can stand on, to justify to yourself or to others why you do or do not believe certain things. You want the truth that sets you free from the confusion that sometimes besieges you. Or perhaps you have rejected Christianity on the basis of what you saw in the Family, but would still like to make a comparison between the Family and genuine faith. There is an introductory letter written to you.
Prospective members who wish to compare specific Family doctrines with the Bible before making the decision whether or not to join the Family. You love the Lord, perhaps you are recently born again and are filled with zeal to serve the Lord. Perhaps you are tired of the complacency and spiritual lethargy you have found in mainstream Christianity. Your ultimate desire is to serve the Lord in truth. You have no wish to live for the world, you don’t want to live a self-centred existence, you want to give your life for Jesus. Yet you also know that Jesus Himself warned us not to be deceived. Many of the Family doctrines appear appealing, logical and convincing. What does the Bible actually say about those doctrines? Note that the decision to join or not to join the Family is yours and yours alone. Neither we nor Family members can take that from you. The purpose of this site is to examine the beliefs you would be expected to hold to in the perfect light of the Bible. You can get an overall view of the main differences between the Family and other churches in the page What Potential Members Should Know. It's a good place to start.

No personal attacks

The articles published on this site will not contain personal attacks on any person in the Family, including past or present leadership. The focus here is the Bible, not who is to blame, or what should be done to them. We are all accountable before God to follow Him in truth, and these articles are dedicated to lift up the truth. If you wish to read accounts of ex-members’ personal experiences in the Family, you could try one of the other sites. However, the Bible says that if you believe someone is doing the wrong thing, “you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted”. (Gal. 6:1 NKJ) The articles published here are written with that principle in mind. Having said that, there are places on this site where reference to Family leadership is unavoidable, usually as the authors or propagators of a particular teaching. For the most part, past and present leadership publicly have taken full responsibility for the teachings they disseminate. They do not always take responsibility for their followers' application of those teachings, but they do stand behind the teachings themselves. Therefore, no offence should be taken if a page on this site names David Berg as the author of a particular doctrine, even if the study concludes that the doctrine is unbiblical.

Disclaimer

This web site does not attempt to provide a well-rounded theology, exposition or explanation of all the verses cited. The purpose of this website is to examine the doctrines of the Family, and the particular interpretations the Family gives to certain Bible verses. All pages should be seen in this light.

The question that initiated most pages was not, "What is the message of the book of Hebrews?" or "How does the Bible develop an evangelical theme through the Old and New Testaments?" but rather, "The Family believes, teaches and practises a certain doctrine. Is this doctrine correct, according to the Bible?" The result of this approach is a rather narrow focus. There are volumes that can and should be written on each topic, in order to present a well-rounded thorough teaching that is applicable to all Christians in all situations. Therefore, if you feel that a particular study is lacking in some regard, please bear in mind that the purpose of this site is narrow, in that it is designed to examine Family doctrines, and then, if you wish, contact us.