The Family (Christian political organization)
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The Family (also known as The Fellowship or The Fellowship Foundation) is the name of an U.S. Christian organization based in Arlington, Virginia. The group, which has a membership that includes several prominent members of the United States Congress, is best known for its organization of the annual National Prayer Breakfast, at which the President of the United States usually makes an address.
History
The organization was founded in Seattle in 1935 by Abraham Vereide, a Norwegian immigrant and traveling preacher. It organized breakfast prayers among politicans and businessmen, where the political agenda was anti-Communism and anti-union. By 1941, the organization had spread to Washington, DC. Throughout its existence, the group has operated under various subsidary groups and titles, including the National Committee for Christian Leadership, International Christian Leadership, the National Leadership Council, the National Fellowship Council, and the International Foundation.
The organization, which strives to be "invisible", has been the subject of recent media attention as being overly secretive. The organization operates a group residence near the United States Capitol, where six Congressional representatives are living. Prayer groups have met in the Pentagon and at the Department of Defense. The headquarters is a building called the Cedars, donated in 1978 by, among others, Tom Phillips, CEO of arms manufacturer Raytheon, and Ken Olsen of Digital Equipment Corporation.
Current Congressional membership of the group is overwhelmingly from the Republican Party. Senators who have been cited as members of the organization include Don Nickles and James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Charles Grassley of Iowa, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, John Ensign of Nevada, Bill Nelson of Florida, Conrad Burns of Montana and Jim DeMint of South Carolina. Congressmen who have been cited as members include Frank Wolf of Virginia, Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania, Zach Wamp of Tennessee, and Bart Stupak of Michigan.
The organization has been active in anti-Communism globally, and has had ties to Brazilian dictator Marshal Artur da Costa e Silva, General Suharto of Indonesia, Salvadoran general Carlos Eugenios Vides Casanova, as well as Honduran general Gustavo Alvarez Martinez.
External links
- Jesus Plus Nothing; Harper's Magazine (http://www.harpers.org/JesusPlusNothing.html)
- Disinfopedia: The Fellowship (http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=The_Fellowship)
- Showing Faith in Discretion; Los Angeles Times (http://www.toobeautiful.org/lat_020927.html)