The Family dropped on Netflix, to very little fanfare, on August 9 but it's sure got people talking online.

At first glance, it might seem like a far-fetched conspiracy theory, and yet, when you scratch the surface, there appears to be some truth to the whole thing.

The five-part documentary series is based on the published investigative work of author Jeff Sharlet. His books include The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, from 2008, and the follow-up, published in 2010, C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy.

Netflix

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Sharlet was interviewed throughout the Netflix series, and was instrumental in detailing the "secret Christian organisation called The Family" who, he explains, have been "hiding in plain sight for over 80 years".

According to Sharlet, who spent time within the organisation before moving towards an investigative approach, says that it's not about spreading Christianity necessarily, but the word of Jesus instead.

The series was directed by Jesse Moss who, during an interview with Rolling Stone, said he "just about fell out of [his] chair" when he learned what had been going on behind the scenes in America's political system.

"I thought, here's an organisation that exists at the intersection of faith and politics, that occupies, unbeknownst to a lot of people, this significant portion of the public square," he said during the interview.

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According to the film, members of the organisation (that's not really officially an organisation) include senators, diplomats and religious leaders from countries all over the world. There are also a number of political figures that are referred to as "friends of the Family".

It was founded in the 1930s, but when Doug Coe later took over, it became a lot more private. "The more you can make your organisation invisible, the more influence it will have," the documentary presents as Coe's ethos.

As a result, the group has largely been operating underground. It has no official 'membership' list and has changed names many times over the years, with references including the National Leadership Council, the Fellowship Foundation, and, of course, The Family. They believe that they have been chosen by God and, as such, should do what they can to keep each other in those appointed positions of power.

Zach Wamp, a former Tennessee representative and Family member that spoke on-record for the series, said: "In no way is it some kind of agenda or some kind of conspiracy move... It's more like how can we walk through this difficult job doing the Lord's work in the devil's playground?"

The National Prayer Breakfast was presented in the series as being a key part of how the organisation runs and networks. It is an annual event held in Washington DC, hosted by members of the United States Congress but said to be organised by The Family, with guests including United Nations diplomats, politicians from across the world, business people and religious leaders. Every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has participated (via Dallas News).

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford – whose 2009 press conference referencing "this group called C Street" was included in the documentary – unwittingly helped to shine more public light on the organisation.

Netflix

In The Family, the archival clip saw him stating: "It was, believe it or not, a Christian Bible study group... I’ve been working with them to try to get my heart right because I disappointed them." This was in response to an admission of an extramarital affair.

In this moment Sanford had, according to Jeff Sharlet, broken "the first rule of C Street" by talking about it – and, what's more, in front of the press.

According to tax records cited in the series, C Street was one of The Family's properties. However the group has denied any involvement with C Street.

Mark Sanford didn't take part in Netflix's The Family. According to Esquire, the documentary's director Jesse Moss claimed that he declined to take part, but Sanford apparently told the publication that he hadn't been approached.

By Doug Coe's own past admission, he has been known to have ties with some unsavoury characters (to say the least). "Most of my friends are bad people," Coe told the New Yorker back in 2010. "They all broke the Ten Commandments, as far as I can tell."



This, as well as others presumed to be linked to The Family, has allegedly included links to oppressive regimes in different parts of the world, as well as dictators.

The series definitely throws up many more questions than it does answers.

Perhaps this is a by-product of the way in which The Family operates. Or perhaps, it's because there isn't much of a wider conspiracy to uncover (other than the fact that positions of power are often held by a small group of privileged white men which, to be frank, isn't too surprising).

The Family is available to stream on Netflix.

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