In
Netflix docuseries
The Family, director Jesse Moss delves into the once-secretive world of the Fellowship Foundation—also known as the Family—that is a Christian organization with a devotion to using politicians to evangelize the world.
The docuseries is based on the research and writing of Jeff Sharlet, a religious scholar who stumbled upon the Family by chance in 2002, when he spent time living at a remote compound in Arlington, Virginia, called Ivanwald. The "brothers" who lived at Ivanwald were young men and new recruits for the Fellowship—who believed they were followers of Jesus and doing God's work by serving His elected leaders: politicians. Sharlet chronicled his time at Ivanwald and information he discovered via two books,
The Family and
C-Street.
Led by the late Doug Coe—popularly referred to as the "Stealth Billy Graham"—the Fellowship Foundation fundamentally operates as an invisible theocracy in Washington, D.C., recruiting politicians to join the family and using influence to affect legislation. It's remained mostly behind the scenes, although you've probably heard of its biggest annual gathering: the National Prayer Breakfast.
The Family, however, unpacks how exactly the Fellowship derives from scripture and turns into yet another political entity abusing faith to obtain power. Firstly, the Fellowship waters down the Bible and distributes its own book that includes just the four gospels and the book of Acts. Secondly, the docuseries argues that the Fellowship ascribes to the belief that politicians were not just elected by U.S. citizens, but are imperfect vessels chosen by God to lead. This belief—along with the idea that when you sin, you only need to repent to be forgiven—gives elected politicians a way to avoid accountability when they stumble in office and uplifts the belief that God only chooses a select few, not everyone. The organization goes as far as to recall on King David and how even after he raped Bathsheba and ensured the death of her husband, God allowed him to remain king.
Cumulatively around five hours long,
The Family attempts to unpack and scrutinize over 80 years of activity conducted by the Fellowship Foundation and its constituents.
